Early Christian Historiography: Narratives of Retribution

Delving into the interpretive 'tool-kit' of the earliest Christian historians, the author identifies and explores the logic of retribution that pervades their records of the past. In the Old Testament, for example, God blessed those who kept his commandments and requited those who turned against them. The author argues that the writings of the Early Christian historians reflects this logic and goes on to compare this development with pagan history-writing. He also explores the conflict between retributive logic and what began to emerge as the central features of the Christian faith: forgiveness and redemption.