Meta-Ecclesiology: Chronicles on Church Awareness (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781137545411)

Aphrahat, the Syrian poet who lived in the fourth century, described the church of Christ as a colored bird. What does this bird see when, flying above the surface of the ever-changing sea, it looks at its own reflection? This book considers how the church has permanently reimagined itself over the course of its historical journey. Far from being a constant, the self-awareness of the church has varied in relation to theological and philosophical trends together with social and political circumstances. Any theory of the church based on a single snapshot of its self-perception is incapable of catching the invariable 'self' of the church and describing it without reduction. By examining the church's self-perception at different periods, from the first century through to the present day, this book offers a framework through which the church can be better comprehended in our time. On the basis of his historical survey of the evolution of the church's self-perception, Cyril Hovorun distinguishes between changeable and unchangeable components of the church. He also identifies a permanent system of coordinates that help us to trace and evaluate the trajectories of the church's self-awareness.

Author: Cyril Hovorun
ISBN-10: 1137545410
ISBN-13: 9781137545411
Publisher: Palgrave MacMillan
Language: English
Published: 08/26/2015
Pages: 242
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.99lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.63d