Early Christian Encounters with Town and Countryside : : Essays on the Urban and Rural Worlds of Early Christianity.

• Superior document: Novum Testamentum et Orbis Antiquus / Studien zur Umwelt des Neuen Testaments ; v.126
• Author: Tiwald, Markus.
• TeilnehmendeR: Zangenberg, Jürgen.; Ebner, Martin.; Lampe, Peter.; Schreiber, Stefan.; Mader, Heidrun E.
• Place / Publishing House: Gottingen : : Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht,, 2021.; ©2021.
• Year of Publication: 2021
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Series: Novum Testamentum et Orbis Antiquus / Studien zur Umwelt des Neuen Testaments
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (417 pages)

"Against the background of ongoing research on the diversity of social environments during the Early Roman Empire, this volume focuses on various early Christian 'worlds' as they appear in canonical and non-canonical writings. How did Early Christians experience 'rural' and 'urban' life? How did they react to them? Starting with methodological reflections on urbanity and early Christian beginnings, special attention is devoted to the Jesus-tradition. In what sense did the perception of Jesus, the 'Galilean village Jew', change when his message was carried into the cities of the Mediterranean world from Jerusalem to Athens or Rome? Subsequent articles deal with various personalities or literary works whose attitudes towards urban life shaped nascent Christianity. In 18 interdisciplinary articles the book explores the great diversity of local Christian milieus in their Mediterranean contexts and demonstrates the wide range of Christian cultural perspectives." -- Back Cover.

Table of Contents

Intro -- Title Page -- Copyright -- Body -- Markus Tiwald / Jürgen K. Zangenberg: "Early Christian Encounters with Town and Countryside" -- 1. Methodological Reflections -- 2. Jesus and the Early Jesus Movement -- 3. "Pauline Christianity" -- 4. Early Christian Environments from the First to the Second Century -- 5. Beyond Christianity -- 6. Acknowledgements -- "Town" and "Countryside" - Complement or Contrast? Methodological Reflections -- Frits Gerard Naerebout: ˋUrban' and ˋRural' in Early Christianity: Opposition or Complement? -- 1. Early Christianity: The Urban Hypothesis -- 2. Questioning the Urban Hypothesis: Demographics -- 3. Questioning the Urban-Rural Dichotomy -- 4. "Urban Religion": Does it Actually Exist? -- 5. The Urban-Rural Divide in Ancient Sources -- 6. Rural Christians in our Sources -- 7. Conclusions -- Bibliography -- Reinhard von Bendemann: Interrelations between Urbanity and Rurality -- 1. Man: A City-Building Animal? -- 2. Basic Perspectives of the History of Research -- 3. Historical Perspectives -- 4. The Complementarity of City/Town/Urbanity and Country‍(side)/Rurality and its Hermeneutic Relevance for the History and Literature of Early Christianity -- 4.1 The Complementarity of Town and Country‍(side): Consequences for the Reconstruction of the History of Early Christianity -- 4.2 The Dimension of Literary/Narrative Concepts of Early Christian Documents -- 5. Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Martin Ebner: Das frühe Christentum und die Stadt -- 1. Methodisch-hermeneutische Grundsatzfragen -- 1.1 Ein empirisches Faktum: Christliche Gemeinden in Städten des Imperium Romanum -- 1.2 Gattung "Stadt" und historische Veränderungen -- 1.3 Gottes Herrschaft im Imperium Romanum -- 1.4 Methodik und Vorgehen -- 2. Exemplarische Analysen -- 2.1 Römische Territorialstruktur und die Mental Map des Paulus.

2.2 Die Ordnung im Theater und die paulinische Gemeindeordnung in der Ekklesia -- 2.3 Partizipation an Entscheidungsprozessen -- 2.4 Ein reguliertes Verhältnis mit Rom und die Stellung des pater familias -- 2.5 Die Gottesstadt, die auf die Erde niedersteigt (Offb 21,1-22,5) -- 3. Ausblick -- Bibliography -- Jesus and the Early Jesus Movement -- Jodi Magness: How Romanized Was Galilee in the Time of Jesus? -- 1. Urban Monuments: Sepphoris, Tiberias and Magdala -- 2. Interior Decoration -- 3. Pottery -- 3.1 Imported Wares -- 3.2 Italian Pans and Galilean Bowls -- 4. Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Jürgen K. Zangenberg: Walking along the Lakeshore (Mt 4:18) -- 1. Sources -- 2. Some Basic Characteristics of Jesus' Galilee -- 3. Settlement Patterns -- 3.1 Villages and Rural Life -- 3.2 Cities -- 3.3 Towns -- 4. Jesus the Galilean Jew in Context -- Bibliography -- Markus Tiwald: The Rural Roots of the Jesus Movement and the ˋGalilean Silence' -- 1. Sepphoris, Tiberias, and Magdala in the Time of Jesus -- 1.1 Sepphoris -- 1.2 Tiberias -- 1.3 Magdala -- 1.4 Contrast: Capernaum -- 2. Possible Explanations for Jesus' Selective Geographical Range -- 2.1 Selectivity of Sources? -- 2.2 Political Pressure? -- 2.3 Cultural Split? -- 2.4 Difficulties of Understanding? -- 2.4.1 Way of Life -- 2.4.2 Language -- 2.4.3 Urban Dimensions -- 2.4.4 Short Duration of Jesus' Ministry -- 2.5 Retrieving the Diaspora - Jesus in Diaspora Towns? -- 3. Epilogue: Rural Afterglow in the Galilee -- Bibliography -- Gerd Theißen: The Transition from Countryside to City -- 1. The Spread of Early Christianity in Town and Countryside -- 1.1 The Spread of Christianity from the Countryside into the Cities -- 1.2 The Spread of Christianity from City to City -- 1.3 Christianity's Expansion from the Cities to the Countryside -- 2. The Transformation of Christianity in the Cities.

2.1 Paul's Social Mysticism and the Sacralization of Club Life -- 2.2 The High Christology of Paul as a Gate to a Multi-religious Society -- 2.3 The Combination of Asceticism and Marriage in Paul's Complementary Family Ethos -- 3. Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Pauline Christianity -- Bert Jan Lietaert Peerbolte: Pauline Christianity as an Urban Phenomenon -- 1. What Defines a City? -- 2. Living Conditions and Socio-Economic Location -- 3. Models for the ἐκκλησία -- 4. Continuity in Ritual, Worship, and Education -- 5. The Question of Rural Christianity -- 6. Conclusion and Future Research -- Bibliography -- Lukas Bormann: Early Christians in the Lycus Valley -- 1. Introduction: State of Research and Hypothesis -- 2. Hierapolis, Laodicea, Colossae: Cities in a Triangle -- 3. The Lycus Valley Triangle Cities and the (Pseudo-)Pauline Letters (Colossians, Philemon) -- 4. Names and People in the First Century -- 5. Ethnicity, Languages and Law in the Lycus Valley -- 6. Conclusion: Urban Christians in the Lycus-Valley -- Bibliography -- Early Christian Environments from the First to the Second Century -- Jörg Frey: Urbanity in the Gospel of John? -- 1. Ephesus and Asia as the Traditional Context of the Johannine Circles -- 2. Countryside and Urban Center in the Johannine Narration -- 3. The Intellectual Milieu Represented or Presupposed in the Fourth Gospel -- 3.1 Philosophical Terms and Education? -- 3.2 Knowledge of LXX and Christian Traditions -- 3.3 The Bewildering Liberty in John's Usage of Traditions -- 4. Some Speculative Afterthoughts -- Bibliography -- Tobias Nicklas in collaboration with Luigi Walt: Anti-Urban Sentiments in Early Christianity? Revelation and the Ascension of Isaiah -- 1. "Come out of her, my people!" (Rev 18:4b) - The Great Whore of Babylon and the People of God.

2. "And many of the faithful who believed in the ascension into heaven, withdrew and dwelt on the mountain" (AscIsa 2:9b) - Looking from Outside into the Cities -- 3. Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Markus Öhler: Pliny and the Expansion of Christianity in Cities and Rural Areas of Pontus et Bithynia -- Introduction -- 1. Book X - History or Literature? -- 1.1 The "Historical Approach" to Book X -- 1.2 The "Literary Approach" to Book X -- 2. Pliny's Remarks on the Spread of Christianity (X 96.9f) -- 9a: dilata cognitione - "postponing the investigation" -- 9b: maxime propter periclitantium numerum - "above all because of the number of accused" -- 9c: multi - "many" -- 9c: multi omnis aetatis, omnis ordinis, utriusque sexus etiam, vocantur in periculum et vocabuntur - "many of every age, every rank, also of both sexes, are and will be accused" -- "every age or generation" - omnis aetatis -- "every rank" - omnis ordinis -- both sexes - utriusque sexus etiam -- 9d: neque civitates tantum, sed vicos etiam atque agros ... - "not only to the cities but also to the villages and farms ..." -- civitates - "cities" -- vici - "villages" -- agri -"farms" -- 9d-e: ... superstitionis istius contagio pervagata est. quae videtur sisti et corrigi posse - "... the contagion of this superstition has spread. But it seems possible to check and cure it." -- 10a-c: Certe satis constat prope iam desolata templa coepisse celebrari et sacra sollemnia diu intermissa repeti passimque venire victimarum [carnem], cuius adhuc rarissimus emptor inveniebatur. - "It is certainly quite clear that the temples, which had been almost deserted, have begun to be frequented, that the established religious rites, long neglected, are being resumed, and that meat of sacrificial animals is being sold again at many places, for which until now very few purchasers could be.

"deserted temples and neglected rituals" -- "the decline in sale of sacrificial meat" -- 10d: Ex quo facile est opinari, quae turba hominum emendari possit, si sit paenitentiae locus. "Hence it is easy to imagine what a multitude of people can be reformed if an opportunity for repentance is afforded." -- 3. Evidence for Christianity in Pontus and Bithynia -- Conclusions -- Bibliography -- Primary Literature -- Secondary Literature -- Karen P.S. Janssen: "All Turned on Us Like Beasts" -- 1. Rome and the Provinces -- 2. The Origin of the Persecution -- 3. Charges and Accusations -- 4. Punishment and Imperial Involvement -- 5. Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Heidrun E. Mader: "Bigger Than a Little One". Rural Christianity in Asia Minor, Second Century CE -- 1. Introducing Christianity in Rural Phrygia -- 2. The Troubled "Little Ones" -- 3. Jerusalem -- 4. Results -- Bibliography -- Beyond Christianity -- Daniel Schowalter: Gods in the Neighborhood: Proximate Religion in the Roman Empire -- 1. Gods on the Road -- 2. On the Road with Tombs -- 3. Water, Water Everywhere -- 4. Gods Next Door -- 5. You Are what You Eat -- 6. There Goes the Neighborhood -- Bibliography -- Günter Stemberger: The Urban World of Rabbis in post-Bar Kochba Palestine -- 1. Cities as Rabbinic Centres in the post Bar Kokhba-Period -- 2. Effects of the City on the Rabbinic Movement -- 2.1 Compromise with "Paganism" -- 2.2 Advantages for Rabbinic Cooperation -- Bibliography -- Ze'ev Weiss: Urban and Rural Synagogues in Late Antique Palestine -- 1. Architecture -- 2. Orientation and Liturgical Furnishings -- 3. Mosaics -- 4. Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Illustrations -- Contributors -- Indices -- Index of Persons, Places and Subjects -- Index of Primary Sources -- Old Testament -- Qumran -- New Testament (including Sayings Source) -- Flavius Josephus -- Ancient Sources.

Rabbinic Writings.