Christ Groups and Associations: Foundational Essays

The use of voluntary associations as a way to begin understanding Christ groups has become accepted practice in much of modern New Testament scholarship. This consensus has been decades in the making, building on work from the previous century. Easy access to influential works in this field enables students and scholars to expand our horizons for studying Christian origins.

The chapters in this volume represent some of the most influential figures and their arguments across three major periods of interest in the development of using associations as a model for understanding early Christ groups. A fresh introduction orients the reader to the important contributions of each essay and to where the essays fit within broader attempts at reconstructing the development of Christianity.

While much work remains to be done in this field, Christ Groups and Associations serves to demonstrate the breadth of existing research and past discoveries on Christ groups enmeshed within the Greco-Roman social and cultural milieu and the communal patterns that preceded and surrounded such groups. Having the essays collected here in one volume provides easy access to the influential works that started, sustained, and continue the conversation.