Overdreven wereldmijding? De Vroege Kerk en het leven van een christen

Samenvatting

Discussing selected passages of both pre-Constantinian and Constantinian authors this article
explores three aspects of the patristic view of the Christian as ‘stranger’ on earth. The first aspect - illustrated by quotations from Athenagoras, Tertullian, and Ambrose - is opposition to sin. Contempt of worldly possessions is discussed next. Here Cyprian, Clement of Alexandria, and Chrysostom are cited. A third aspect, briefly discussed with reference to Irenaeus and Augustine, is the pursuit of loving God and Jesus Christ. The quoted passages do not reveal a contrast between the views of pre-Constantinian and Constantinian authors. The patristic material can still be a source of inspiration for contemporary theology, since the core elements of opposition to sin and love of God and neighbor can easily claim ‘catholic’status.