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Who were the first Christians? : dismantling the urban thesis / Thomas A. Robinson.
LIBRA BR166 .R635 2017
Available from offsite location
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Robinson, Thomas A. (Thomas Arthur), 1951- author.
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Church history--Primitive and early church, ca. 30-600.
- Church history.
- Church history--Primitive and early church.
- Christians.
- Cities and towns--Religious aspects--Christianity.
- Cities and towns.
- Physical Description:
- x, 297 pages ; 24 cm
- Place of Publication:
- New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2017]
- Contents:
- 1 Introduction: Must Historians Count? 1
- The Need for Numbers 1
- Counting Romans, Jews, and Christians 4
- Religion as an Aspect of Identity 6
- The Rural Factor 12
- 2 The "Urban" Thesis 14
- The Current Consensus 14
- The Problem with the Urban Thesis 18
- Dissenting Voices 20
- 3 Counting Romans and Christians 24
- The Accepted Numbers 24
- The Population of the Roman Empire 27
- The Problem of the Christian Numbers 31
- The Rural Christianity Factor 35
- 4 Counting the Jewish Population 41
- Jews in the Roman Empire 41
- Jews in the Eastern Empire 50
- The Urban Character of Diaspora Judaism 52
- A Rural Jewish Diaspora? 56
- A Proposed Solution 60
- 5 Urban and Rural Relationships 65
- General Views 65
- The Problem of Definition 70
- Status 71
- Size 72
- Structure 73
- Arbitrary Boundaries 74
- Rural/Urban Contacts 75
- Supplying the Cities with Food 79
- Supplying the Cities with Clothing and Manufactured Goods 80
- Supplying the Cities with People 80
- Supplying the Cities with Religion 86
- Soldiers, Slaves, Convicts, and Exiles 88
- Conclusion 90
- 6 Supposed Barriers to Christian Success in the Countryside 91
- The Urban Character of Paul's Mission 91
- The Conservative Nature of the Countryside 100
- The Case of Alexander, the "Oracle Monger" 102
- Urban and Rural Conservatism 104
- Linguistic Barriers 107
- Evidence for Christian Worship in the Rural Vernacular 107
- Bilingualism 115
- Urban Dislocation and Religious Conversion 121
- Urban Views of Rural Inhabitants 123
- Conclusion 130
- 7 The Pre-Constantinian Evidence 131
- Finding Evidence 131
- A Great Divide: 250 C.E. 135
- Theories of the Origins of a Rural Christianity 136
- Imperial Crises and the Weakening of Paganism 136
- Persecution 139
- Imperial Toleration 141
- Increasing Social Status of Bishops 142
- Making Romans out of Rurals 142
- Failed Explanations 144
- Evidence for a Rural Church (50 C.E.-250 C.E.) 144
- Early General Evidence 145
- Specific Statements Regarding the Rural Situation 146
- Asia Minor 152
- Egypt 156
- North Africa 168
- Syria 174
- Other Areas within the Empire 175
- Beyond the Empire 176
- Problems for the Urban Thesis 177
- 8 Dismissing the Evidence of Christianity in the Countryside 181
- Restricting Rural Christianity to the Late Third Century 182
- Treating Rural Christianity as Abnormal 182
- Treating Christianity in Rural Areas as Urban 189
- The Pagan Countryside 191
- The Term "Pagan" 193
- Conclusion 197
- 9 The Country Bishop 198
- The Chorepiscopos 198
- First Mention and Earliest Evidence 199
- Chorepiscopoi and the Early Councils 200
- The Spread and the Range of the Office 203
- Determining the Origins 206
- 10 Conclusion 208
- The Numbers 209
- The Rural Element 210
- The Rustic Element 214
- Back to the Countryside 222.
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 253-281) and index.
- Other Format:
- Online version: Robinson, Thomas A. (Thomas Arthur), 1951- author. Who were the first Christians?
- ISBN:
- 9780190620547
- 0190620544
- OCLC:
- 948339007
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