New item in the Archive for Religion and Cognition:


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Author(s): Czachesz, István
Title: The Transmission of Early Christian Thought: Toward a Cognitive
Psychological Model
Category: pre-print
Length: 27
Keywords: transmission; Christianity; orality; memory; serial recall;
epidemiology; innovation; cognitive relevance hypothesis; optimal transmission
hypothesis

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 focuses 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 the 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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