11 research outputs found
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Slaves of Christ : Caesarâs household and the early Christians
This project examines the relationship between early Jesus groups and the Roman emperorsâ slaves and former slaves (the so-called familia Caesaris) from the first to the third century. The apostle Paul, a first-century Jew, once referred to âsaints in Caesarâs householdâ in his letter to the Philippians (Phil 4:22). Traditionally it was thought Paul wrote this from Rome, and that Christians continued to serve Caesar in Rome over the next several centuries, thus raising Christianity to socio-political prominence as the religion of the Empire. I challenge this traditional narrative by analyzing literature, inscriptions, and archaeological evidence from across the Mediterranean. Although, as I show, the imperial slaves Paul references were in Asia Minor (modern Turkey)ânot Rome as traditionally thoughtâPaulâs reference was nonetheless crucial for Christianity in antiquity. In the second and third century Christians from Asia Minor, Gaul, North Africa and Italy capitalized upon Paulâs famous referenceâespecially the idea of Christians serving Caesar in Romeâto construct a new social memory and cultural geography across the Mediterranean. I use insights from cultural geography to illuminate how Christian writers coopted Christians in Caesarâs household to create a place for their communities in the Mediterraneanâs cultural landscape. Yet, what was lost from memory was how those imperial slaves in Rome who were Christians by the third century defied traditional Christian ideals by participating in the worship of the divine emperor. I uncover this reality by interpreting imperial slave and freedperson inscriptions in the context of new archaeological and anthropological frameworks. Christian communities, I conclude, fostered a sense of âworldwide Christianityâ by claiming as Christian those imperial slaves and freedpersons who had, paradoxically, accepted a conflicting, imperial cosmology. Against traditional explanations, therefore, this project thus presents new ways of understanding Christianityâs ostensible rise in the Empire while shedding important new light on the social context of Paulâs early reference to Caesarâs household (familia Caesaris).Religious Studie
Marcia, Commodusâ âChristianâ Concubine and CIL X 5918
Since 1883, the Roman emperor Commodusâ (180-192 CE) famed concubine Marcia has been identified as Marcia Aurelia Ceionia Demetrias, a woman honored on a statue base in ancient Anagnia, Italy (CIL X 5918). This article reexamines the inscription in light of other epigraphic evidence and corrects a longstanding mistake in historical reconstructions of the late-Antonine dynasty. It shows that the woman known as Marcia the powerful courtier and ostensible Christian-sympathizer was not the same as the woman honored on the inscription. They were two different women entirely, as the inscriptionâs nomenclature, status indication, and date indicate. The Marcia Aurelia Ceionia Demetrias honored on the inscription was a local elite likely married to the imperial freedman who was also honored with her as a civic benefactor in ancient Anagnia (CIL X 5917)
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No longer a slave : manumission in the social world of Paul
textThe Roman Empire was a slave society. New Testament and Early Christian scholars have long recognized that slaves formed a substantial portion of the earliest Christian communities. Yet there has been extensive debate about manumission, the freeing of a slave, both in the wider context of the Roman Empire and more specifically in Paulâs context. 1 Cor. 7:20-23 is a key passage for understanding both slavery and manumission in Pauline communities, as well as Paulâs own thoughts on these two contentious issues. The pivotal verse is 1 Cor. 7:21. The majority opinion is that Paul is suggesting slaves should become free, i.e., manumitted, if they are able. In order to better understand this biblical passage and its social implications, this project explores the various types of manumissions operative the Roman world: the legal processes and results; the factors that galvanized and constrained manumissions; the political and social environment surrounding manumission in Corinth during Paulâs ministry; as well as the results of manumission as it relates to Paulâs communities. Finally, the project returns to the passage in 1 Cor. 7:20-23 and offers a new interpretation.Religious Studie