Jesus Followers in the Roman Empire

by Paul B. Duff

Overview

When Jesus of Nazareth began proclaiming the kingdom of God early in the first century, he likely had no intention of starting a new religion, especially one that included former pagans. Yet a new religion did eventually develop—one that not only included non-Jews but was soon dominated by them. How did this happen?

Jesus Followers in the Roman Empire by Paul Duff offers an accessible and informed account of Christian origins, beginning with the teaching of Jesus and moving to the end of the first century. Duff's narrative shows how the rural Jewish movement led by Jesus developed into a largely non-Jewish phenomenon permeating urban centers of the Roman Empire.

Paying special attention to social, cultural, and religious contexts—as well as to early Christian ideas about idolatry, marriage, family, slavery, and ethnicity—Jesus Followers in the Roman Empire will help readers cultivate a deeper understanding of the identity, beliefs, and practices of early Christ-believers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802868787
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	11/21/2017
Pages:	275
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Paul B. Duff is professor of religion at the George Washington University in Washington, DC. He is also the author of Who Rides the Beast? Prophetic Rivalry and the Rhetoric of Crisis in the Churches of the Apocalypse and Paul in Corinth: The Apologetic Context of 2 Corinthians 3.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ix

Abbreviations x

Introduction 1

Section 1 Setting the Stage

Chapter 1 Hellenistic Culture, Jewish Religion, and Roman Power 13

Chapter 2 The Early Years of the Jesus Movement 39

Chapter 3 From Idols to a Living and True God 80

Section 2 Inside the Movement

Chapter 4 No Longer Jew or Greek 111

Chapter 5 No Longer Male and Female 138

Chapter 6 No Longer Slave or Free 170

Section 3 Accommodation and Resistance

Chapter 7 One in Christ Jesus 195

Chapter 8 Unstained by the World 213

Conclusion 241

Bibliography 247

Index of Names and Subjects 251

Index of Scripture and Other Ancient Texts 258

Editorial Reviews

Mark D. Given
— Missouri State University
“Paul Duff draws on a rich variety of outstanding contemporary scholarship as he presents the beliefs and practices of the early Jesus followers in an engaging and reader-friendly way. His discussions of why some pagans were attracted to the rather Jewish message of ‘religious experts’ like Paul, and decided to live as ‘sojourners,’ are especially fascinating and persuasive. I can’t wait to use this book with students!”

William Loader
— Murdoch University
“This sensible and coherent account of how Christianity emerged neither loads readers with too much detail nor retreats into the pious myopia that simply rehashes the Bible. Hearing the story in its historical and social context brings it to life and makes it real. Duff has done a sterling job in mediating the best of scholarship for a wider readership in clear and readable prose.

From the Publisher