Two Powers Heresy Rethinking (and Redating) the Parting of Ways between Jewish and Christian Monotheism

Our understanding of early Judaism and its relationship to Christianity has been significantly advanced by Alan Segal′s famous work on the ″two powers heresy.″¹ His research demonstrated that belief in two heavenly powers was considered an intolerable heresy by the rabbis and that Christians were am...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Only True God p. 81
Main Author McGrath, James F
Format Book Chapter
LanguageEnglish
Published United States University of Illinois Press 28.05.2009
Subjects
Anthropology
Behavioral sciences
Christian justification
Christian philosophy
Christianity
Clergy
Doctrinal theology
Eternal condemnation
Ethnography
Ethnology
Gnostic Christianity
Gnosticism
Heresy
Jewish studies
Judaism
Monotheism
Natural theology
Practical theology
Prayer
Rabbis
Religion
Religious orthodoxy
Religious practices
Sacred texts
Sin
Spiritual belief systems
Spiritual leaders
Systematic theology
Talmud
Theism
Theology
Torah
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Summary:Our understanding of early Judaism and its relationship to Christianity has been significantly advanced by Alan Segal′s famous work on the ″two powers heresy.″¹ His research demonstrated that belief in two heavenly powers was considered an intolerable heresy by the rabbis and that Christians were among those indicted.² Furthermore, Segal argued that the two powers debate could be traced back to the first century, as evidenced by certain Christological passages of the New Testament and by Philo′s writings.³ Thus, according to Segal, the two powers controversy provided the context for the New Testament and, conversely, these writings shaped rabbinic reports
ISBN:9780252034183
025203418X