Paul And Imperial Divine Honors

Description

D. Clint Burnett examines copious evidence—literary, epigraphic, numismatic, and archaeological—to reconstruct Christian engagement with imperial cultic activity in the Roman Empire. Examining imperial divine honors in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Corinth, Burnett argues that early Christianity was not specifically antigovernment but more broadly countercultural, and that responses to this stance ranged from conflict to apathy. Burnett’s compelling argument adds much-needed nuance to common scholarly narratives about the first Christians’ relationship with the Roman Empire.