So, currently I’m working on a collection of articles for François Bovon. My working title for this project (which I’m sure is different from his) is: François’s Greatest Hits.
Naturally, because Prof. Bovon is so interested in Luke/Acts and noncanonical literature, these topics consume most of this collection (by the way, I believe it’ll be available in Spring 2008). As I read through these articles, I began to think back to various times throughout my academic career when I studied noncanonical literature. A light bulb dimmed…
I am totally comfortable reading someone like Bovon refer to a “community” as a “ascetic” or “encratic.” However, this always seems to be done in a way that suggests that asceticism was not normative amongst early Christians.
OK, hang on…I know…I just said “normative.” Bad idea. But, when we talk about people in the first couple of centuries whom we might call “Christ-followers” or “Christians” (I think this would have to include groups that by later standards would be judged “not orthodox”…though, I fully realize that there is no orthodoxy at this time) who isn’t ascetic? What texts point us to a non-ascetic Christian community?
As I type this, it feels like such a base question. Perhaps it is. But, I really want to know.
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Parathēkē: The Beautiful Thing Entrusted to You (Part Two)
Tabor on the Gospel of Peter; Hebert on the Gospel of Peter.
Stephen,
I think this is a really good question. I don’t know the answer and don’t have time to go hunting for it, but I still think it’s a good one. I am working on the Gospel of Thomas and I read material that asks “Is Thomas encratite?” as though being encratite is a characteristic that would stop a community from being anything else. Like it has to be encratire or gnostic or mystic rather than encratite and something else Perhaps we shouldn’t go quite as far as to say “Let’s take asceticism as a given about early Christ-following/Christian communities” but lots of them seem to be. So, I don’t know that ascetic/encratic was normative, but probable well within the range of normal behavioiur.