The crosses of Pompeii : Jesus-devotion in a Vesuvian town / Bruce W. Longenecker.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Longenecker, Bruce W., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Christianity--Italy--Pompeii (Extinct city).

Christianity.

Italy--Pompeii (Extinct city).

Physical Description:

358 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Minneapolis, MN : Fortress Press, [2016]

Summary:

Through a twist of fate, the eruption that destroyed Pompeii in 79 CE also preserved a wealth of evidence about the town, buried for centuries in volcanic ash. Since the town's excavations in the eighteenth century, archaeologists have disputed the evidence that might attest the presence of Christians in Pompeii before the eruption. Now, Bruce W. Longenecker reviews that evidence, in comparison with other possible evidence of first-century Christian presence elsewhere, and reaches the conclusion that there were indeed Christians living in the doomed town. Illustrated with maps, charts, photographs, and line drawings depicting artifacts from the town, The Crosses of Pompeii presents an elegant case for their presence. Longenecker's arguments require dramatic changes to our understanding of the early history of Christianity.

Contents:

Part I. Introduction

Questions and answers

In advance

Part II. Setting Up

The starting point

The debate

The cross in early Christianity and beyond

The perpendicular equilateral

Part III. The Primary Evidence

Jesus-devotion in relief

Jesus-devotion in the insula

Jesus-devotion

Jesus-devotion in the letters

Jesus-devotion and the inn

Jesus-devotion in transactions

Part IV. The Supplemental Evidence

Crossing the street

Jesus-devotion in the streets

Part V. And So

Belief and skepticism

Here and beyond.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 311-340) and indexes.

ISBN:

1451490127

9781451490121

OCLC:

933438392