Phronesis

I uploaded a post  in late March summarising the 2015 book  Orthodoxy and Heresy in Early Christian Contexts  edited by Paul A. Hartog, an evangelical rejoinder to the Bauer Thesis and its modern appropriations. We saw that, while the Bauer Thesis had an immeasurable influence on biblical studies by highlighting the theological diversity of the early church, it is by no means impervious to criticism and many of it's central tenants are far less watertight than some scholars have led popular audiences to believe. No matter what one thinks of Bauer's heed to the variegated character of early Christianity, there are clearly still questions to be asked about the precise nature of this character and whether Bauer is trustworthy in his reconstructions of those mysterious first few centuries. While these contributions are absolutely worthwhile, there lingers a discomforting shadow over this discussion that goes far beyond what the evidence says about power and politics in early Christ