Markion und der biblische Kanon / Christian Literature and Christian History

Die beiden Hans-Lietzmann-Vorlesungen der Jahre 2009 und 2013 behandeln die frühchristliche Literatur in Beziehung zu ihrem antiken Umfeld, sowie deren Status als Literatur und die Relation zur Rhetorik- und Geistesgeschichte. Außerdem wird den Fragen nachgegangen, welche Verbindung zwischen christlicher Literatur und der Geschichte des römischen Reiches besteht und wie sich das Christentum in diesem entwickelte. Hans Lietzmann was not only a great scholar of the early church, but was also interested in early Christian literature and its value to the historian. However, although there is a large body of scholarship on patristic studies and theology, little attention has been paid even now to literary, as opposed to rhetorical, analysis. Some scholars are now trying to address the problem, which is both methodological and intellectual. This publication discusses the issues involved, and suggests new ways of applying literary readings to early Christian texts. Are we entering a new age of interpretation of the massive literary production by early Christians, and how does this relate to the traditional disciplines of patristics and church history?