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The issue of authority in the church--what constitutes authority, and who has it--has been one of the foremost issues throughout church history, including the modern church. The practice of the early church and the writings of the New Testament are of primary importance for understanding the problem of authority. We can enhance our understanding further by taking into consideration the sociological phenomena surrounding any emergent social group that traverses a path from charismatic leadership to formal governing structures. Von Campenhausen's masterful blending of historical assessment with sociological analysis makes this work a fundamental resource for the study of the development of the early church and the writings of the New Testament
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