Early Christian Mind

Early Christian Mind Insights from Cognitive Science

maintained by István Czachesz

Welcome to the Early Christian Mind homepage. "Early Christian Mind" is an interdisciplinary enterprise that uses insights from Cognitive Science in the study of early Christianity. The project combines sustained interest in Christianity and antiquity with a cognitive scientific approach. The research is sponsored by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research.

Overview

These pages present some of the crucial issues related to the Early Christian Mind project:

• Why cognitive science? The use of cognitive science in the study of early Christianity may help us to overcome the conceptual limitations of notions like "religion" and "theology".
• Religion in Mind. Recently the symbolic interpretations of religion have been challenged by Pascal Boyer, Jensine Andresen, Ilkka Pyysiäinen and others. The new theories of religion have to be critically evaluated and considered in the study of early Christianity.
• Cognitive anthropology. Cognitive anthropology has developed methods for the research of mental schemas in different cultures, and accumulated considerable information about them.
• Orality and literacy. We cannot rely on fieldwork and interviews for the research of early Christianity. The study of Hellenistic schools and literacy helps us to better understand the combination of oral and written culture in early Christianity.
• For a general introduction to the cognitive study of religion, visit the Religion and Cognition homepage.