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Perfect Martyr
The Stoning of Stephen and the Construction of Christian Identity
Shelly Matthews
224 pages
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235x156mm
978-0-19-539332-3
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Hardback
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28 October 2010
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- Brings the story of the stoning of Stephen into conversation with recent important work on martyrdom and collective Christian consciousness
- Calls into question reigning orthodoxies about the usefulness of the historical-critical method in recovering historical kernels of truth from the Acts' narrative, exposes the circularity in widely held scholarly arguments that the stoning of Stephen reflects "indubitable historical reality," and argues for reframing historical narrative in terms of rhetoric and ethic
- Unmasks the violence imbedded in early Christian rhetorics of superlative mercy as contained in the Sermon on the Mount and the dying forgiveness prayers
- Through comparison with related traditions of the martyrdom of James, this book disrupts the singularity of the canonical version of "the parting" of Christians from Jews
- Calls into question reigning orthodoxies concerning Luke as a Gospel of Peace by noting this Gospel's usefulness in refuting the marcionite view that vengeance lies in the realm of the Old Testament God alone
- Refines the hypothesis that both the introduction to Luke and the canonical Acts were written to address the Marcionite heresy
A number of recent studies have examined martyrdom as a means of identity construction. Shelly Matthews argues that the story of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, should be brought into this scholarly conversation. Stephen's story is told in the biblical book of Acts. He has, with near unanimity, been classified as unquestionably a real historical figure, probably because of the narrative coherence and canonical status of the book in which he appears. Matthews points to multiple signals that Stephen functions for Luke (the author of Acts) as a symbolic character. She suggests reframing
the Stephen story not in terms of the impossible task of ascertaining "what really happened," but in terms of rhetoric and ethics. All aspects of the Stephen story, she argues, from his name to the manner in which he is killed, are perfectly suited to the rhetorical aims of Luke-Acts. The story undergirds Acts' hostile depiction of the Jews; conforms largely to Roman imperial aims; and introduces radical identity claims of a "marcionite" character. Stephen's role as a typological martyr also explains this 2nd-century text's otherwise eccentric treatment of Christian martyrdom. Matthews juxtaposes the Stephen story with related extra-canonical narratives of the martyrdom of James, thus undercutting the perfect coherence and singularity of the canonical narrative and evoking a more complex
historical narrative of violence, solidarity, and resistance among Jews and Christians under empire. Finally, she looks at the traditional reason Stephen is considered the perfect martyr: his dying prayer for the forgiveness of his persecutors. Noting that this prayer was frequently read as idealizing Stephen, while having no effect on those for whom he prayed, she discovers a parallel the Roman discourse of clemency. Any other reading, she says, poses a potentially radical challenge to the cosmic framework of talionic justice, which explains the prayer's complicated reception history.Readership: Upper level undergraduates, graduate students, and academics who work on questions of Christian origins, martyrdom,
Jewish-Christian relations and religious violence, in religion departments at universities and colleges, as well as in theological schools, both Christian and Jewish; Christian ministers, interested in continuing education, and mainline/progressive Church groups also interested in continuing education; Jewish groups interested in questions of Jewish and Christian ethics, and the pervasive assumption of Christian ethical superiority based on the merciful teachings of Gospels and Acts; historians of early Christianity and Judaism in academic settings, as well as general readers interested in early Christian and Jewish history.
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Shelly Matthews, Dorothy and B.H. Peace, Jr. Associate Professor of Religion, Furman University
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Introduction: First Martyr
1.: Situating Acts
2.: Perfect Martyr: Situating Stephen within Acts
3.: Disrupting Acts: Reading Stephen alongside James, the Brother of Jesus
4.: "Father, Forgive Them:" The Place of the Perfect Prayer in the Construction of Christian Identity
Epilogue
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The specification in this catalogue, including without limitation price, format, extent, number of illustrations, and month of publication, was as accurate as possible at the time the catalogue was compiled. Occasionally, due to the nature of some contractual restrictions, we are unable to ship a specific product to a particular territory. Jacket images are provisional and liable to change before publication.
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