Investigate the challenges, threats, and opportunities experienced by the early church in Ephesus

The third installment of The First Urban Churches focuses on the urban context of Christian churches in first-century Ephesus. As with previous volumes, contributors illustrate how an investigation of the material evidence will help readers understand properly the challenges, threats, and opportunities that the early Ephesian believers faced in that city. Brad Bitner, James R. Harrison, Michael Haxby, Fredrick J. Long, Guy M. Rogers, Michael Theophilos, Paul Trebilco, and Stephan Witetschek demonstrate decisively the difference that such an approach makes in grappling with the meaning and context of the New Testament writings, particularly Ephesians, Acts, and Revelation.

Features

• Analysis of urban evidence of the inscriptions, papyri, archaeological remains, coins, and iconography
• Proposed reconstructions of the past and its social, religious and political significance
• A nuanced, informed portrait of ancient urban life in Ephesus

This volume of the New Documents Illustrating Early Christianity series introduces scholars and students to the historical, political, civic, religious, cultural, and social context of Ephesian inscriptional evidence. Each of the twenty-five entries in this volume includes one or more original inscriptions, English translation, and a commentary that sheds light on early Christianity, particularly as it relates to Ephesians, Acts, Revelation, and the Pastoral Epistles. Contributors Bradley J. Bitner, James R. Harrison, Phillip Ort, and Isaac T. Soon examine topics such as the gods and the founder of Ephesus, the political and economic relationship between Ephesus and Rome, Ephesian elites and the dynamics of honor, building activity, local sites, and graffiti.

This volume of the New Documents Illustrating Early Christianity series includes essays exploring aspects of the political, religious, social, and cultural life of ancient Ephesus and surrounding villages as well as essays that address exegetical issues in Acts, Ephesians, and 1 Timothy from a documentary and historical perspective. Contributors Richard S. Ascough, Bradley J. Bitner, James R. Harrison, Michael Immendorfer, Elif Hilal Karaman, R. A. Kearsley, Stephen Llewelyn, Will Robinson, Guy MacLean Rogers, and Stephan Witetschek examine a range of topics, including the goddess Artemis, the imperial cult, civic associations, women, widows, slaves, confession inscriptions, benefaction and citizenship, and virtue.