Arius is widely considered to be Rowan Williams's magnum opus. Long out of print and never before available in paperback; it has been newly revised. This expanded and updated edition marks a major publishing event. Arianism has been called the "archetypal Christian heresy" because it denies the divinity of Christ. In his masterly examination of Arianism; Rowan Williams argues that Arius himself was actually a dedicated theological conservative whose concern was to defend the free and personal character of the Christian God. His "heresy" grew out of an attempt to unite traditional biblical language with radical philosophical ideas and techniques and was; from the start; involved with issues of authority in the church. Thus; the crisis of the early fourth century was not only about the doctrine of God but also about the relations between emperors; bishops; and "charismatic" teachers in the church's decision-making. In the course of his discussion; Williams raises the vital wider questions of how heresy is defined and how certain kinds of traditionalism transform themselves into heresy. Augmented with a new appendix in which Williams interacts with significant scholarship since 1987; this book provides fascinating reading for anyone interested in church history and the development of Christian doctrine.
#1421116 in Books 2007-10-26Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.25 x 1.16 x 6.25l; 1.64 #File Name: 0802824692384 pages
Review
1 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Dry as the Dead Sea ScrollsBy Jeremy Myers - Writing at RedeemingGodI love Jewish background studies and historical-cultural information on Scripture. That is why I thought I would love this book.But I did not.It deals primarily with the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Qumran community; and while such studies are important for Jewish background studies; it seems to me that most of the studies in this area are "much ado about nothing." And this book by Flusser was so Academic that I cannot recommend it to most of my readers. It was as dry as the cave in which the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.Of course; if you are a Dead Sea Scroll scholar; you will want to read and study this book.0 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy jacob schnebergergood book9 of 25 people found the following review helpful. want to know about Qumran and Apocalypticism?By TikiThis book is a collection of "essays" on subjects. It's very interesting if you are at all interested in the Dead Sea Scrolls or Qumran. David Flusser is an expert! If you are bored with one subject or get the point and want to move on it's easy to do.
