The transmission of early Christian thought: Toward a cognitive psychological model

Abstract

This article uses current developments in cognitive science to explore the emergence of early Christian religion. In particular, it considers Sperber's epidemiology model, Rubin's serial recall model, ritual form theory and Boyer's theory of religious concepts for understanding the transmission of early Christian thought. Whereas Sperber's approach focusses on ideas (internal representations), Rubin concentrates on the transmission of texts (public representations). Two preliminary hypotheses are put forward in an attempt to apply cognitive scientific research to formative Christianity: the cognitive relevance hypothesis about core christological concepts, and the optimal transmission hypothesis addressing the balance of tradition and conceptual innovation.

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