Death in Second-Century Christian Thought

Death in Second-Century Christian Thought

Explores how the meaning of death was conceptualized in this crucial period of the history of the church. Through an exploration of some key metaphors and other figures of speech that the early church used to talk about this interesting but difficult topic, the author argues that the early church selected, modified, and utilized existing views on the subject of death in order to offer a distinctively Christian view of death based on what they believed the word of God taught on the subject, particularly in light of the ongoing story of Jesus following his death—his burial and resurrection.

In short, the book shows how Christians interacted with the views of death in late antiquity, coming up with their own distinctive view of death.