Faith Before Belief?
A historical study of how the earliest Christians understood faith before later creeds and formal doctrine, tracing the development of Christian belief from the first generation through the end of the second century.
Shipping and applicable taxes calculated at checkout. Printed and shipped by Lulu.
What Did Faith Mean Before Christianity Had Creeds?
Before Christianity had formal creeds, councils, and settled doctrinal formulas, the earliest followers of Jesus were already talking about faith. But what did they mean by it?
Faith Before Belief? examines how the first generations of Christians understood faith, belief, trust, faithfulness, confession, and commitment. Beginning with the earliest Christian writings and continuing through the end of the second century, the book follows the development of Christian belief before later theological systems gave those ideas more fixed definitions.
Rather than starting with later Christian doctrine and reading it backward into the first century, the book asks what the earliest surviving sources themselves tell us. How did Paul use the language of faith? What did the Gospel writers emphasize? How did later first- and second-century Christians describe what it meant to belong to the Christian movement?
The result is a historical study of a period when Christian identity was still developing, theological vocabulary was still taking shape, and faith could mean something broader than agreement with a formal statement of belief.
This is not an argument against doctrine or creeds. It is an attempt to understand what came before them and how the language of Christian faith developed over Christianity’s first two centuries.
Readers who may enjoy this book
- Readers interested in early Christianity
- Readers curious about how Christian doctrine developed
- People interested in the New Testament and early Christian writings
- Readers interested in the history of faith, belief, and Christian identity
- People curious about Christianity before formal creeds and councils
- Readers of Before the Creed who want to look more closely at the earliest period of Christian belief
Book Details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Author | Harvey L. Cox |
| Publisher | Silver Pen Publishing |
| Format | Paperback and Kindle |
| Pages | 207 |
| Category | Early Christianity / Church History / Religious History |
| Available at | Amazon and Silver Pen Publishing |
Enjoy books like this? Stay in touch.
Get occasional updates on new books, research notes, excerpts, and behind-the-book stories from Harvey L. Cox.
Related Books
Before the Creed
The World in the Dock
The Devil in the Courtroom