Book of Revelation and its Eastern Commentators: Making the New Testament in the Early Christian World

T.C. Schmidt's work examines the New Testament as a Greco-Roman testament, comparing it to legal documents of great authority in the ancient world. He argues that Revelation possessed testamentary characteristics crucial for its validity, but was neglected by Eastern Christian communities for over a thousand years. Schmidt uncovers why Revelation was neglected and how Eastern commentators successfully argued for its inclusion in the New Testaments of their Churches.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 300 pages
\n Publication date: 09 September 2021
\n Publisher: Cambridge University Press
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T.C. Schmidt presents a fresh approach to the formation of the New Testament by viewing it as a Greco-Roman testament, a highly influential legal document in ancient times. His research explores previously unnoticed similarities between Greco-Roman juristic standards and the authorization of Christianity's sacred texts. By recapping the process of creating and certifying Greco-Roman testaments, Schmidt contends that the book of Revelation exhibited numerous testamentary features that played a vital role in establishing the legitimacy of the New Testament. Nevertheless, Schmidt demonstrates how Revelation lost favor among most Eastern Christian communities for over a thousand years until commentators restored its status and reintegrated it into the New Testament. He delves into the reasons behind Eastern churches' neglect of Revelation during this period and then utilizes Greco-Roman legal practices to describe how Eastern commentators successfully advocated for Revelation's inclusion in the New Testaments of their respective Churches.

In this volume, T.C. Schmidt offers a new perspective on the formation of the New Testament by examining it simply as a Greco-Roman testament, a legal document of great authority in the ancient world. His work considers previously unexamined parallels between Greco-Roman juristic standards and the authorization of Christianity's holy texts. Recapitulating how Greco-Roman testaments were created and certified, he argues that the book of Revelation possessed many testamentary characteristics that were crucial for lending validity to the New Testament. Even so, Schmidt shows how Revelation fell out of favor amongst most Eastern Christian communities for over a thousand years until commentators rehabilitated its status and reintegrated it into the New Testament. Schmidt uncovers why so many Eastern churches neglected Revelation during this period, and then draws from Greco-Roman legal practice to describe how Eastern commentators successfully argued for Revelation's inclusion in the New Testaments of their Churches.

\n Weight: 534g\n
Dimension: 159 x 236 x 22 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781316519363\n \n