Announcements First blog response due on Wednesday, January 25th (that’s TODAY) by MIDNIGHT (11:59pm)- The Roman Context, Lynch Ch. 3 + Ehrman Ch. 3 See list on WordPress for Ehrman chapter titles (under “supplementary”) Paper assignment discussion on Monday, January 30th

The Greco-Roman Context: Religious Diversity + Competing Ideologies RELS 3300: Early Christianity Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Realities of the Greco-Roman World Greco-Roman World: Lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea from the time of Alexander the Great to the first three centuries of the Roman Empire No middle class (mostly)- few upper class, majority lower class/poor Estimates up to 1/3 of the population were slaves Limited social mobility Disease Lack of education Travel was dangerous Polytheism vs. Religious skepticism This is the world in which Christianity first develops…and it had many rivals.

Discussion Question How would you explain the varying waves of religiosity and skepticism that characterized Greco-Roman culture?

Religious Landscape of the G-R World In the Greco-Roman world, religious life was dynamic, and a wide variety of religiosity + criticism flourished! Polytheistic vs. Monotheistic Present life vs. Afterlife Cultic devotion vs. Doctrine Church + State Tolerance vs. Intolerance

The Greco-Roman World: A Hierarchy GOD GREAT GODS DEMONS, LOCAL GODS DEMIGODS, HEROES, OTHER DIVINE BEINGS HUMANS

Cults and Cultic Devotion Cult/Cultic: “Care of the gods”; Correct worship of the gods (primarily through prayer and sacrifice) in return for divine favor. Proper worship was more important than doctrine. Daily rituals + Festival celebrations Augurs + Extispicy Official and voluntary cults

Official Cults Religious practice to benefit the society as a whole. Supported and funded by the government. Cult practice carried out by government officials + lore experts. Laypeople did not play a large role, other than as spectators. Festivals were held across the Empire to worship state gods.

Voluntary Cults Cultic worship that focused on the development of the individual in relation to a particular deity. Promises: rebirth, purification, immortality Components: location, myth, ritual, explanation/personal revelation Emotional connection and response Examples: Eleusinian mysteries Mithras Isis The Great Mother Dionysus

“Religious Entrepreneurs” astrology- daimonia in the stars oracles: mouthpiece of the gods magic: the “dark” side of religion

Philosophy: “What is really real?” Reflection on existence, morals + ethics, outside of the cultic Different concerns than the popular religious practice Focus on doctrines Valued education and discipline Discussion of individual well-being in the world Writings for educated (literate), public proclamations more typical of the time Less tolerance Goals of conversion Stoics, Epicureans, Platonists

Roman Religious Tolerance…And Its Limits YAY! Understanding of different gods Avoid rebellion Wanted support of conquered peoples’ deities NAY! Early debates about inclusion of foreign gods in Rome itself No anti-Roman sentiments Rituals thought too barbaric Groups meeting in secret

Bringing It All Together Judaism in the Greco-Roman Context Differences God of Israelites specifically- covenant Worship distant homeland god, rather than local The Temple was the only temple No images Similarities Ancient form of cultic devotion Hierarchy of less powerful immortal beings Divine beings could appear in human form Christianity emerges as a movement that shares several characteristics with other rival movements at the time.

The Emergence of Christianity: Critical Analysis of Sources The first written accounts of the life of Jesus emerged 30-60 years after his death. There is no mention of Jesus in any of the pagan literature from the first century CE. What were the benefits of following Jesus? Observable results. Spreading the message- a massive game of telephone People who had never seen Jesus passing on the story of his life and works “Truth” not based in observable historical fact.

Discussion Question: Moral Truth vs. Historical Fact How can something be “true” but not factual or historically accurate? Can you think of any examples where this is the case?

NEXT WEEK: Monday, January 30th Paper assignment discussion Introducing… Jesus! The man, the mystery. Wednesday, February 1st Jesus in Context- speculations about how his contemporaries understood his message. (Blog response due)