Early Christian families in context : an interdisciplinary dialogue / edited by David L. Balch and Carolyn Osiek.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Balch, David L.

Osiek, Carolyn.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Families--Religious aspects--Christianity--History--Congresses.

Families.

Manners and customs.

Families--Religious aspects--Christianity.

History.

Rome--Social life and customs--Congresses.

Rome.

Families--Rome--Congresses.

Rome (Empire).

Genre:

Conference papers and proceedings.

Physical Description:

xix, 412 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Grand Rapids, Mich. : W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 2003.

Summary:

An informative interdisciplinary look at family life in the early church Typical studies of marriage and family in the early Christian period focus on very limited evidence found in Scripture. This interdisciplinary book offers a broader, richer picture of the first Christian families by drawing together research by experts ranging from archaeologists to ancient historians. By exploring the nature of households in the ancient Greco-Roman world, the contributors assemble a new understanding of ancient Christian families that is both compelling and instructive. Divided into six parts, the book covers key aspects of ancient family life, from meals and child-rearing to women's roles and the lives of slaves. Three concluding chapters explore the implications of all this information for theological education today.

Contents:

I. Archaeology of Domus and Insulae

Domus and Insulae in Rome: Families and Housefuls / Andrew Wallace-Hadrill 3

Material and Social Environment of Greco-Roman Households in the East: The Case of Hellenistic Delos / Monika Trumper 19

The Problems of Gendered Space in Syro-Palestinian Domestic Architecture: The Case of Roman-Period Galilee / Eric M. Meyers 44

II. Domestic Values: Equality, Suffering

The Language of Equality in Early Christian House Churches: A Constructivist Approach / Peter Lampe 73

Paul's Portrait of Christ Crucified (Gal. 3:1) in Light of Paintings and Sculptures of Suffering and Death in Pompeiian and Roman Houses / David L. Balch 84

III. Women

Sex and the Married Woman in Ancient Rome / Suzanne Dixon 111

Typical and Atypical Family Dynamics: The Cases of Babatha and Berenice / Ross S. Kraemer 130

Was Celsus Right? The Role of Women in the Expansion of Early Christianity / Margaret Y. MacDonald 157

Women, Slaves, and the Economy of the Roman Household / Richard Saller 185

IV. Slaves

Slave Families and Slaves in Families / Dale B. Martin 207

The Domestic Enemy: A Moral Polarity of Household Slaves in Early Christian Apologies and Martyrdoms / J. Albert Harrill 231

Female Slaves, Porneia, and the Limits of Obedience / Carolyn Osiek 255

V. Children

Death, Burial, and Commemoration of Children in Roman Italy / Beryl Rawson 277

Desperately Different? Delicia Children in the Roman Household / Christian Laes 298

VI. Implications for Theological Education

Theological Education, the Bible, and History: Detente in the Culture Wars / Amy-Jill Levine 327

Theological Education and the Analogical Imagination / Timothy F. Sedgwick 337

Why Family Matters for Early Christian Literature / Margaret M. Mitchell 345.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 359-388) and indexes.

ISBN:

080283986X

OCLC:

51582472