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[German Version] I. Religious Studies – II. Old Testament – III. New Testament – IV. Medieval and Modern Judaism – V. The Law – VI. History and Sociology – VII. Social Ethics – VIII.  Socialization Theory – IX. Education – X. Practical Theology I. Religious Studies The term family describes a varied network of relationships between parents, children and other persons in a social system. In ethnically shaped small-scale societies, family groups are bearers of religious rituals (Rite and Ritual) and centers of religious community. Fa…

[German Version] I. Archaeology – II. Religious Studies – III. House Church (in Early Christianity) – IV. Sociology I. Archaeology Functionally, the house was a building which, in contrast to a palace, served as a private dwelling. While circular structures have been identified in prehistoric Palestine, from the Chalcolithic to the Early Bronze Age the broad-room type of house dominated, that is, a one-room and one-floor structure with a single entrance on the long side. In addition, there were sometimes apsidial houses. For the Middle Bronze and Late Bronze Ages, the courtyard-house with a central, roughly square courtyard, surrounded on two to four sides with rooms, was typical. In the Iron Age, the so-called two- or four-room house with its variants dominated; it can be derived from Late Bronze Age architecture and was common in the Levant far beyond Israel or Judah. The entrance was usually on the short side; three parallel long rooms were located in front of rear rooms that were arranged transversely. The long rooms could be separated from the central compartment by rows of columns or walls; whether this central compartment was covered or not is disputed. The foundations often consisted of stone, the walls of stone or brick. The houses could have more than one floor (Judg 3:20; 1 Kgs 17:19; 2 Kgs 4:10) and were covered by a flat roof that was sometimes used as a work terrace and a place to sleep (Josh 2:6; Isa 15:3; 22:1; Prov 21:9; cf. Mark 2:4 parr.). The rainwater draining from the roof could be collected in cisterns. Small window openings provided for better air circulation and illumination (Hos 13:3). The inventory included a fireplace, earthen ceramic utensils, stone vessels, and equipment made of leather, wood, and metal. The area of the houses could be kept comparatively small since everyday life took place mainly outside the house. In the Hellenistic Roman era, in addition to various simpler houses, the courtyard-house of Greek provenance with a central inner courtyard was widespread. In upper-class districts, it is also attested in the form of the atrium or peri…

[German Version] This document is an extended revelatory text classified with the Apostolic Fathers that probably originated in or near Rome in the first half of the 2nd century ce. It borrows heavily from Jewish parenesis, and it has been questioned whether it is really a Christian text, given the absence of even the name of Christ. Yet occasional discussions of the Son of God secure its Christian position. Structured as an apocalypse, it lacks many of the characteristics of that genre. The repetitive and paratactic struct…

[German Version] I. New Testament – II. Church History – III. Dogmatics – IV. Practical Theology – V. Church Law – VI. Catholic Church – VII. Orthodox Church I. New Testament Neither “deaconess” nor “diaconate” is an appropriate term for the NT era, and “deacon” should not be used as an exact translation of διάκονος/ diákonos, since the three terms only later underwent an institutionalization that did not exist in NT times. The occurrence of the terminology in the NT can be differentiate…

[German Version] I. Methods of Biblical Criticism applied to the Old Testament – II. Methods of Biblical Criticism applied to the New Testament See also Effective History/Reception History I. Methods of Biblical Criticism applied to the Old Testament Today, (Christian) biblical scholarship is faced with a plethora of varied methodical approaches that, especially in the last decade of the 20th century, have persistently questioned the role of historical criticism …