CHRISTOPH MARKSCHIES translated by WAYNE COPPINS CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY and ITS INSTITUTIONS in the EARLY ROMAN EMPIRE PROLEGOMENA to a HISTORYof EARLY CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY Christian Theology and Its Institutions in the Early Roman Empire BMSEC BAYLOR – MOHR SIEBECK Studies in Early Christianity ALSO AVAILABLE From Jesus to the New Testament Early Christian Theology and the Origin of the New Testament Canon by Jens Schröter (2013) Israel, Church, and the Gentiles in the Gospel of Matthew by Matthias Konradt (2014) Christian Theology and Its Institutions in the Early Roman Empire Prolegomena to a History of Early Christian Theology Christoph Markschies Translated by Wayne Coppins BAYLOR UNIVERSITY PRESS Mohr Siebeck © 2015 by Baylor University Press, Waco, Texas 76798- 7363 All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of Baylor University Press. Cover Design by Natalya Balnova Originally published in German as Kaiserzeitliche christliche Theologie und ihre Institutionen: Prolegomena zu einer Geschichte der antiken christlichen Theologie (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2007, student edition 2009), with the ISBN 978-3-16-149957-9. This English edition is published in Germany by Mohr Siebeck with the ISBN 978-3-16-154143-8. Distributors For Europe and the UK For all other countries Mohr Siebeck Baylor University Press Wilhelmstr. 18, Postfach 20 40 One Bear Place #97363 D- 72010 Tübingen Waco, Texas 76798 Germany USA 978-1-4813-0403-0 (Web PDF) This ebook was converted from the original source file. 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BT25.M3713 2015 230.09'015— dc23 2015002032 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper with a minimum of 30% post- consumer- waste recycled content. Contents Editors’ Introduction ix Introduction to the English Edition xiii Introduction to the German Edition xvii 1 Theology and Institution 1 1.1 “Theology” 1 1.1.1 The Term ΘΕΟΛΟΓΙΑ in the Second and Third Centuries 5 1.1.2 Christian “Theology” in the Second and Third Centuries 17 1.2 “Institution” 20 1.2.1 Observations on the History of Research 20 1.2.2 Observations on the Understanding of the Term 22 2 Three Institutional Contexts 31 2.1 The Free Teachers and Christian Schools 31 2.1.1 The Pagan- Religious Character of the Various Educational Institutions and the Christian Reaction to It 34 2.1.2 The Significance of the Pagan Educational Canon for Christians and Their Educational Institutions 51 2.1.3 The Consequences of the Adoption of Pagan Educational Institutions for the Development of Christian “Theology” 59 vi Contents 2.2 The Montanist Prophets and Their Circle 91 2.2.1 Ancient Descriptions of the “Montanist Prophecy” 94 2.2.2 Montanism and Oracle Sites of Asia Minor 102 2.2.3 Montanism as an Early Christian Prophetic Movement 112 2.3 The Christian Worship Service and Its Prayers 116 2.3.1 Worship Service, Community, and Ritual 116 2.3.2 Christian, Jewish, and Pagan Worship Services 118 2.3.3 The Sources for the Early Christian Worship Service 124 2.3.4 Form and Theology of the Eucharistic Worship Service 135 2.3.5 The Theology of the Early Eucharistic Prayers 157 2.4 Concluding Reflections: Early Christian “Theology” in Its Institutional Contexts 187 3 Institution and Norm 191 3.1 The New Testament Canon and the Christian Institutions 192 3.1.1 Some Introductory Observations on the Current State of Scholarship on the History of the Canon 193 3.1.2 Two Basic Problems in the Writing of the History of the Canon 195 3.1.3 Marcion and the Canonization of the “New Testament” 217 3.1.4 Clement of Alexandria and His Canon of the New Testament 231 3.1.5 The Gnostic Canon of the New Testament 246 3.1.6 The Christian Libraries and Their Canon 266 3.1.7 On the Significance of Ancient Christian Institutions for a History of the Christian Canon of the Bible 295 3.2 Concluding Reflection: The Canon as an Example of the Connection between Institution and Norm 298 4 The Identity and Plurality of Ancient Christianity 301 4.1 The Cultural Protestant Model of Walter Bauer 303 4.2 The Discussion of Bauer’s Model 319 4.3 The Jesuit Model of the “Inculturation” of Christianity 331 4.4 The Complementary Model: “Identity” and “Plurality” 335 4.5 Ancient Christian Theology: A Plural Identity 341 Contents vii Appendix: Visual Presentation of the Findings on the Lists 347 Bibliography 363 Index of Ancient Sources 461 Index of Ancient Names and Places 478 Index of Authors 484 This page intentionally left blank Editors’ Introduction The Baylor– Mohr Siebeck Studies in Early Christianity series aims to facilitate increased dialogue between German and Anglophone scholar- ship by making recent German research available in English translation. In this way, we hope to play a role in the advancement of our common field of study. The target audience for the series is primarily scholars and grad- uate students, though some volumes may also be accessible to advanced undergraduates. In selecting books for the series, we will especially seek out works by leading German scholars that represent outstanding contri- butions in their own right and also serve as windows into the wider world of German- language scholarship. Christoph Markschies is one of the most prominent scholars of early Christianity in the world today. He holds the chair of Ancient Christianity (Patristics) at the Humboldt University of Berlin, where he also served as president from 2006 to 2010. Since 2012, he has served as vice president of the Berlin-Brandenburgischen Akademie der Wissenschaften. In addi- tion to the information about his research and publications provided at his university webpage, a list of his English-language publications can be found at Wayne Coppins’ blog German for Neutestamentler. The present volume, Kaiserzeitliche christliche Theologie und ihre Institutionen: Prolegomena zu einer Geschichte der antiken christlichen Theologie (Christian Theology and Its Institutions in the Early Roman Empire: Prolegomena to a History of Early Christian Theology), both rep- resents an important contribution in its own right and points forward to Markschies’ hope to compile a history of early Christian theology in the future. A major strength of the volume resides in its terminological preci- sion and methodological sophistication. For example, Markschies’ inci- sive critique of teleological approaches to the history of early Christianity and his careful analysis of the terms “theology” and “institution” provide a compelling rationale for his subsequent focus on three different insti- tutional contexts— namely, the free teachers and Christian schools, the x Editors’ Introduction Montanist prophets and their circle, and the Christian worship service and its prayers. Similarly, his critical appropriation of the terms “identity” and “plurality” helps him develop an attractive alternative to competing mod- els such as Walter Bauer’s cultural Protestant model of “orthodoxy” and “heresy” or the Jesuit model of the “inculturation” of Christianity. Another great strength of the volume is found in its wide-ranging engagement with primary sources and secondary literature. For example, investigations of Plato’s Academy, pagan oracle sanctuaries, and early Christian libraries illuminate Origen’s private Christian university, the phenomenon of Mon- tanism, and the canon of the Christian Bible. Then again, he draws upon modern, multidisciplinary research on institutions to critique influential notions, such as “early Catholicism,” and to highlight the particula veri of rejected perspectives, such as “the great man theory.” With regard to the translator’s divided allegiance to the source and tar- get languages, Wayne Coppins has generally attempted to adhere closely to the German wording, while allowing for some adjustments for the sake of clarity and readability in English. One particularly difficult point of translation may be mentioned here—namely, the translation of the terms Normierung(en), Normierungsprozesse, normieren, and normiert. With a view to English speech conventions, I considered using the language of “standardization(s), standardization processes, standardize, and stan- dardized” for this set of terms. Since, however, Markschies’ word choice places the emphasis on the setting of a norm in general, with the result that the language of “standardization” is likely to convey an overly limited impression of what is in view, I decided instead to render these terms in a more wooden fashion as “norming(s) or