Download or read book Making Sense in (and of) the First Christian Century written by Francis Gerald Downing and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2000-08-01 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first Christian century must be approached with careful attention to its cultural and linguistic heterogeneity. It should not simply be assumed that this past 'is a different place, they do things differently there'. Downing treats the ways in which early Christians tried to 'make things make sense' within their cultures, noting both the similarities and differences between their ways and contemporary ones and stressing the variety of contexts and influences on first-century communication. Downing brings his renowned expertise to bear in illuminating the cultural features of early Christian society with a range of fascinating and telling examples.