Ignatius of Antioch and the Parting of the WaysPublication Date: 2009-09-01
How did the early Christian movement, which began among Jewish people and in close association with the Jewish temple and synagogues of the first century, develop into a predominantly Gentile movement by the end of the first century? Was this "parting of the ways" spurred by internal tensions within the Christian church, socio-political factors in the Roman city of Antioch, or growing hostility from the larger Jewish community? Thomas A. Robinson addresses these intriguing historical question by taking a careful look at the writings of one of the few Christian writers who wrote about this parting firsthand.