ABSTRACT

The Crucible of Christian Morality explores the notion of Christian ethics and discusses its roots in the teachings of Jesus and also Hellenistic philosophy. Its significance in developing moral standards throughout the world and its stability in the modern world.
The Crucible of Christian Morality uses new critical perspectives including:
* the sociology of knowledge
* and discourse analysis.
J. Ian H. McDonald challenges conventional approaches by focusing on the behaviour of early Christian communities rather than their texts to shed new light on the nature of Christian morality in its earliest and most formative years.

chapter |11 pages

Introduction

chapter 1|41 pages

Moral Context

The ethos of the early Christian communities

chapter 2|32 pages

Moral Interpretation

The scriptural foundations of Christian ethics

chapter 3|38 pages

Moral Tradition

The ‘sound words of the Lord' in early Christian recollection

chapter 4|27 pages

Moral Persons

The dynamics of personal morality

chapter 5|30 pages

Morality, Community and Society

The public and political face of Christian behaviour

chapter 6|27 pages

Moral Excellence

Virtue in Hellenistic ethics and the New Testament

chapter 7|3 pages

Postscript

The significance of the crucible