»For I have been a stranger in a strange land«

Church-historical reflections on selfing and othering as interpretative categories of early Christian identity formation

Abstract

The question of religious identity formation is currently often discussed against the background of the interpretative categories of selfing and othering. The concept of ›religionization‹ developed by Marianne Moyaert, which illuminates a number of central aspects of religious identity formation, also pursues such an approach. Using examples from Christian apologetics of the 2nd and 3rd centuries and early encounters between Syrian Christians and Muslims in the 7th–9th centuries, this article explores the scope of the theoretical model developed by Moyaert and points out the strengths and limitations of this approach.