One True Life

Reviews / Votes

"With this elegant exposition, Kavin Rowe compels us to revisit not only what we thought we knew about the early Christians and their Stoic contemporaries but also-in good philosophical style-the way we might know it. This revolutionary treatment offers a sharp challenge to those who suppose that what people believe can be separated from the whole life they lead. All those interested in early Christianity and its Greco-Roman context should ponder this book very carefully."-Rt Revd Professor N. T. Wright, University of St. Andrews -- N. T. Wright "This is a mature and provocative intervention into the modern practice of religious comparison: the powerfully argued claim that Stoicism and early Christianity are incompatible, in fact incommensurable, will raise scholarly debate on the possibility of comparison to a wholly new level."-John Barclay, Durham University -- John Barclay "Kavin Rowe's One True Life is a deeply challenging book-an uncomfortable read in the best sense. It is learned, often moving, and written with profound historical and theological intelligence. I wish I had the learning and the sophistication to have written this book."-Simon Gathercole, University of Cambridge -- Simon Gathercole "Few New Testament scholars combine exegetical competence with real philosophical and theological sophistication. Kavin Rowe is one of the rare exceptions. In this remarkable book, Rowe reexamines how the Stoics and the early Christians thought we ought to live our lives and how these two schools of thought relate to one another."-Gary A. Anderson, University of Notre Dame -- Gary A. Anderson "Many books have been written on the relation between Christian thought and ancient philosophy, but Rowe eschews abstract ideas in this fresh and stimulating work. He deals with what Greco-Roman thinkers and Christians genuinely cared about: how to live within a moral or religious tradition. The startling claim the early Christians made is that there is a true way of life."-Robert Louis Wilken, author of The First Thousand Years -- Robert Louis Wilken