Persecution in 1 Peter

Differentiating and Contextualizing Early Christian Suffering
Erscheinungsjahr 2012
ISBN: 978-90-04-24189-3
Verlag: Brill

Buch, Englisch, Band 145, 484 Seiten, Format (B × H): 159 mm x 241 mm, Gewicht: 912 g

Reihe: Novum Testamentum, Supplements

In Persecution in 1 Peter, Travis B. Williams offers a comprehensive and detailed socio-historical investigation into the nature of suffering in 1 Peter. While interpreters commonly portray the conflict situation addressed by the epistle as "unofficial" persecution consisting of discrimination and verbal abuse, Williams demonstrates the inadequacy of this modern consensus by situating the letter against the backdrop of conflict management in first-century CE Asia Minor. Drawing on a wide range of historical evidence and on modern social-psychological perspectives, this work reconstructs the conflict situation of the Anatolian audience and offers important insights regarding the legal culpability of Christians following the Neronian persecution, the roles of local and provincial authorities in the judicial process, and the variegated conflict experiences of different socio-economic groups within the Christian communities.

Zielgruppe

All interested in the epistle of 1 Peter, and anyone concerned with the social, political, economic, and legal dimensions of early Christian persecution.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Williams, Travis B

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Bibelwissenschaften

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Introductory Matters
a. The Persecutions of 1 Peter in Previous Research
b. Purpose of the Study
c. Resolving the Difficulties of Historical Reconstruction
d. Authorship and Date

2. Social Conflict in Social-Psychological Perspective
a. Contribution of Social-Psychological Inquiry
b. Defining Social Conflict
c. Stages of Social Conflict
d. Conclusion

I: A “Social Profile” of the Addressees of I Peter

3. The Geographical Setting of 1 Peter
a. The Local Setting of 1 Peter
b. The Impact of Roman Rule in Anatolia
c. Conclusion

4. The Addressees of 1 Peter
a. Ethnic Composition
b. Socio-Economic Status(es)
c. Conclusion

II. Contextualizing the Conflict in 1 Peter

5. Conflict Management in Roman Anatolia
a. Separate Action Strategies in Roman Anatolia
b. Third-Party Strategies in Roman Anatolia
c. Conclusion

6. The Legal Status of Christians in the Roman World
a. The Christian Church and the Roman State
b. Reconciling Legal Status and Christian Persecution
c. Conclusion

III: The Nature of Conflict in 1 Peter

7. The Cause(s) of Conflict in 1 Peter
a. Behavioral Cause(s) of Conflict in 1 Peter
b. Legal Cause(s) of Conflict in 1 Peter
c. Conclusion

8. The Form(s) of Conflict in 1 Peter
a. Explicit/Implicit Forms of Conflict in 1 Peter
b. Conjectured Forms of Conflict in 1 Peter

CONCLUSION

Appendix 1: Suffering and the Unity of 1 Peter
Appendix 2: Roman Annexation of Asia Minor
Appendix 3: Cities of First-Century CE Anatolia
Appendix 4: Ancient Economics in Recent Discussion
Bibliography

Über Autor(innen)

Williams, Travis B
Travis B. Williams, Ph.D. (2011), University of Exeter, is Visiting Professor of Religious Studies at Tusculum College.