REVISED EDITION Associations in the Greco-Roman World

A Sourcebook

Richard S. Ascough, Philip A. Harland, and John S. Kloppenborg

Associations in the Greco-Roman World provides students and scholars with a clear and readable resource for greater understanding of the social, cultural, and religious life across the ancient Mediterranean. The authors provide new translations of inscriptions and papyri from hundreds of associations, alongside descriptions of more than two dozen archaeological remains of building sites. Complemented by a substantial annotated bibliography and accompanying images, this sourcebook fills many gaps and allows for future exploration in studies of the Greco-Roman religious world, particularly the nature of Judean and Christian groups at that time.

RICHARD S. ASCOUGH is Professor of Religion at the School of Religion, Queen’s University.

PHILIP A. HARLAND is Professor of Humanities and History at York University, Toronto.

JOHN S. KLOPPENBORG is Professor of Religion and University Professor at the University of Toronto.

“All engaged in research on the Greco-Roman world will find this collection valuable.”

RICHARD I. PERVO, Review of Biblical Literature

“A book that will open doors into further work and stimulate reflection and engagement with the social settings of earliest Christianity.”

STEVE WALTON, Review of Biblical Literature

“The volume is far more than merely informative, and it offers a rich and reliable basis for comparative work across disciplines.”

MICHAEL W. HOLMES, Religious Studies Review

ALSO AVAILABLE:

CHRIST GROUPS AND ASSOCIATIONS

Foundational Essays

Paperback | $49.99 | Hardback | $59.99

GRECO-ROMAN ASSOCIATIONS, DEITIES, AND EARLY CHRISTIANITY

Paperback | $59.99

“Indispensable. A splendid resource for students at several levels, not merely in religious studies, but for anyone exploring the society and culture of the Hellenistic and Roman worlds.”

WAYNE A. MEEKS (1932–2023), Woolsey Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies, Yale University

MARKUS ÖHLER is Professor for New Testament Studies at the Faculty for Protestant Theology, University of Vienna, Austria.

Contents

Preface

1 Basic Questions of a History of Early Christianity

2 Rule, Society, Religion

3 Religion and Culture of the Judeans: Judaism in the Early Imperial Period

4 Chronology of Early Christianity

5 Jesus of Nazareth

Excursus: Peter

6 The New Beginning: Easter and Pentecost

Excursus: Mary Magdalene

7 The First Communities in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria

8 The Spread of Faith in Christ to Syria

9 The Early Days of Paul

10 The Ongoing Dispute over Law and Judean Identity

Excursus: Barnabas

11 The Spread of the Gospel in Asia Minor and Greece by Paul

12 The Pauline Communities

Excursus: Timothy

13 The Continuation and Recording of Judean Identity in Early Christianity from 47 to 135 CE

Excursus: James, the Brother of Jesus

14 Early Christianity in Greco-Roman Society between 60 and 135 CE

15 Internal Crises in Early Christianity between 60 and 135 CE

16 Internal Transformations in Early Christianity between 60 and 135 CE