Description: In Sōtēria: Salvation in Early Christianity and Antiquity, an international team of scholars assembles to honour the distinguished academic career of New Testament scholar Cilliers Breytenbach. Colleagues and friends consider in which manner concepts of salvation were constructed in early Christianity and its Jewish and Graeco-Roman contexts. Studies on aspects of soteriology in the New Testament writings, such as in the narratives on Jesus' life and work, and theological interpretations of his life and death in the epistolary literature, are supplemented by studies on salvation in the Apostolic Fathers, Marcion, early Christian inscriptions and Antiochian theology. The volume starts with some exemplary studies on salvation in the Hebrew Bible, the Dead Sea scrolls, the Septuagint, and popular Graeco-Roman literature and philosophy. Furthermore, some contributions shed light on the ancient cultural background of early Christian soteriological concepts.
Review Quotes: "The list of 153 publications by Cilliers Breytenbach at the end of this book is testimony both to his breadth of learning and the depth of his engagement with soteriological questions and, as such, this collection of 32 essays, half of which are in German, is a fitting tribute to him. (...) An index of ancient sources provides an invaluable way in for anyone looking to engage with a specific text" - Timothy Carter, in: Journal for the Study of the New Testament 42:5, 2020