Eschatology and the Emotions in Early Christianity (Critical Essay‪)‬

I. THE EMOTIONS: A MISSING ELEMENT IN THE STUDY OF EARLY CHRISTIANITY Academic interest in the study of the emotions has grown considerably in recent years. Already an obvious focus of research for the biological sciences, the emotions have gained the attention also of the humanities and the social sciences. Witness developments in such cognate disciplines as philosophy, classical studies, history, social anthropology, and social psychology. (1) By way of contrast, especially if standard reference works are any indication, study of the emotions has attracted relatively little attention in studies of early Christianity. (2) The main exception is in the field of rhetorical criticism, where the attempt is made, drawing on Aristotelian categories, to identify the pathos--that is, the intended emotional effects on readers or hearers--of particular NT texts. (3)