How It All Began: My First Two Published Articles
by James Tabor
Here are the first two articles I published, in 1975 and 1981 respectively:
“The Theology of Redemption of Theophilus of Antioch,” Restoration Quarterly 8 (1975): 159-71.
Theophilus of Antioch is a much neglected and understudied early Christian writer of the late 2nd century CE (fl. 170 CE). What drew me to him was his seemingly “non-Christological” approach to the subject of “Redemption,” yet he was indisputably a Christian leader and influential theologian. He helps fill in a forgotten side of early Christianity, a decidedly non-Pauline take on God, the human condition, and the salvation of humankind.
“Resurrection and Immortality: Paul & Poimandres,” in Christian Teachings: Studies in Honor of Lemoine G. Lewis, edited by Everett Ferguson (Abilene, TX: Abilene Christian University Press, 1981), pp. 72-91.
This piece marks the beginning of my extended work on “death and afterlife” in earlies Christianity. My focus is on “Poimandes,” (Tractate 1 of the Greek Magical Papyri) a typically good example of the kind of hellenistic mysticism and dualism that flourish in late antiquity. Here I contrast it to the notion of “resurrection of the dead” in Paul.
I think they hold up pretty well after more than 30 years.
