Development of Early Christian Theology

Call For Papers: For 2019 we are accepting proposals for two programs:

1. Biblical Exegesis and the Development of Christological Doctrine. It is now recognized that exegetical disputes were one of the driving forces of the period’s theological debates and developments. The early Christological debates are primary sites for investigating the biblical dimension of early Christian doctrine, since in the controversies over the correct theological account of Christ opponents offered rival interpretations of key passages of scripture whose meaning was disputed. But recognition of the fact that rival interpretations were fundamental to Christological debates raises other interrelated questions. What criteria could be used to evaluate whether one interpretation was superior to another? Could opponents even agree on these criteria? Are we in a position today to assess whether competing readings were more or less in keeping with the Christologies present in the biblical texts themselves? Were there different assumptions about hermeneutics, epistemology, language, etc., that informed biblical exegesis and led to rival interpretations? And so, focusing on the biblical dimension of Christological doctrine clarifies early beliefs about Christ and sheds light on the forces that shaped Christological development, and analyzing the Christological application of biblical texts in early Christian argumentation increases our understanding of the details of early Christian exegetical theory and practice. We call for papers that explore such issues and questions in 4th century authors and texts.

2. We are co-sponsoring a session on Augustine and Paul with the AAR unit Augustine and Augustinianisms. We call for papers that examine all aspects of the relation between Augustine and the letters of Paul, particularly those that move beyond a narrow focus on Augustine's exegesis of Romans and other timeworn topics.See the AAR CFP for a fuller description.

Program Unit Chairs

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