Religious Rivalries and the Struggle for Success in Caesarea Maritima

by Terence L. Donaldson (Editor)

Overview

We know how the story of the Roman Empire ended with the "triumph" of Christianity and the eventual Christianization of the Roman Mediterranean. But how would religious life have appeared to an observer at a time when the conversion of the emperor was only a Christian pipe dream? And how would it have appeared in one particular city, rather than in the Roman Empire as a whole?

This volume takes a detailed look at the religious dimension of life in one particular Roman city Caesarea Maritima, on the Mediterranean coast of Judea. Caesarea was marked by a complex religious identity from the outset. Over time, other religious groups, including Christianity, Mithraism and Samaritanism, found a home in the city, where they jostled with each other, and with those already present, for position, influence and the means of survival.

Written by a team of seasoned scholars and promising newcomers, this book brings a new perspective to the study of religion in antiquity. Along with the deliberate goal to understand religion as an urban phenomenon, Religious Rivalries and the Struggle for Success in Caesarea Maritima studies religious groups as part of the dynamic process of social interaction, spanning a spectrum from coexistence, through competition and rivalry, to open conflict. The cumulative result is a fresh and fascinating look at one of antiquity’s most interesting cities.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781554586707
Publisher:	CCSR
Publication date:	05/11/2000
Series:	Studies in Christianity and Judaism , #8
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	410
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Terence L. Donaldson is the Lord and Lady Coggan Professor of New Testament Studies at Wycliffe College (University of Toronto). He is author of two other books — Jesus on the Mountain and Paul and the Gentiles — and is one of the co-chairpersons of the "Religious Rivalries" Seminar.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents for
Religious Rivalries and the Struggle for Success in Caesara Maritima, edited by Terence L. Donaldson

Preface

Abbreviations

Maps

1. Introduction | Terence L. Donaldson

EVIDENCE

2. Archaeological Evidence for Religion and Urbanism in Caesarea Maritima | Peter Richardson, University of Toronto

3. A Literary Guide to Caesarea Maritima | Lee A. Johnson, University of Toronto

4. Epigraphical Evidence in Caesarea Maritima | Bradley H. McLean, University of Western Ontario

5. Archaeological Study of Caesarea Maritima: An Annotated Bibliography | Elaine A. Myers, University of Toronto

RELIGION

6. Greco-Roman Religion in Caesarea Maritima | R. Jackson Painter, Alliance Biblical Seminary

7. Jews and Judaism in Caesarea Maritima | Michele Murray, Bishop’s University

8. Christianity in Caesarea Maritima | Richard S. Ascough, Queen’s University

9. Samaritanism in Caesarea Maritima | Reinhard Pummer, University of Ottawa

PERSPECTIVES

10. The Origins and Social Context of Mithraism at Caesarea Maritima | R. Jackson Painter, Alliance Biblical Seminary

11. Ethnic and Political Factors in the Conflict at Caesarea Maritima | John S. Kloppenborg, University of Toronto

12. The Conflict over Isopoliteia: An Alexandrian Perspective | Dorothy I. Sly, University of Windsor

13. Architecture and Conflict in Caesarea Maritima | Stephen Fai, Carleton University

14. Cornelius, the Roman Army and Religion | Wendy Cotter, C.S.J., Loyoyla College of Chicago

15. Origen’s Hexapla and Christian-Jewish Encounter in the Second and Third Centuries | Ruth A. Clements, Hebrew University

16. Concluding Reflections | Terence L. Donaldson, University of Toronto

Works Cited

Index of Ancient Texts

Index of Modern Authors

Editorial Reviews

...this book tells a fascinating and powerful story....Professor Donaldson and his collaborators have crafted a wide-ranging but coherent study that merits careful attention from a broad readership interested in biblical studies, the history of religions, ancient urbanism, and processes of identity formation.

Kenneth G. Holum