Christian Friendship in the Fourth Century [Hardcover]

This study presents the evidence for theories of Christian friendship as they were developed by the leading fourth-century Church Fathers.This study presents the evidence, derived from letters and theological works, for theories of Christian friendship as they were developed by the leading fourth-century Church Fathers.This study presents the evidence, derived from letters and theological works, for theories of Christian friendship as they were developed by the leading fourth-century Church Fathers.This study presents the evidence, derived from letters and theological works, for theories of Christian friendship as they were developed by the leading fourth-century Church Fathers, both in East and West. The author attempts to find out how consistent and positive is the picture of friendship between Christians at the time, and considers friendship in the context of the relation between pagan theory and Christian ideas. All of the writers considered had a profound influence on later ages as well as on their own period.1. Introduction; 2. Classical Theories of Friendship; 3. Some Problems of Christian Friendship; 4. Friendship in the lives and thought of Basil and of Gregory of Nazianzus; 5. John Chrysostom and Olympias; 6. Synesius of Cyrene; 7. Ambrose of Milan - Ciceronian or Christian friendship?; 8. St. Jerome; 9. Paulinus of Nola; 10. Monasticism and friendship; 11. St. Augustine. No other book like hers is available in English, and her fine work fills a big gap. Students can be sent to it with the confidence that they will understand it, and scholars will find it a useful source and judicious summary. -Joseph T. Lienhard, SJ, Speculum ...interesting and scholarly....White offers her readers a balanced, scholarly, and interesting overview of her topic. Roland J. Teske, Theological Studies