How 'Democratic' Was the Pauline Ekklesia? An Assessment with Special Reference to the Christ Groups of Roman Corinth
Several recent studies have argued for the importance of democratic practices and ideology for a proper understanding of the issues and debates reflected in Paul's Corinthian correspondence. This new perspective stands in tension with older scholarship which emphasised the role of patronage in...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Cambridge Univ. Press
[2019]
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| In: |
New Testament studies
Year: 2019, Volume: 65, Issue: 3, Pages: 289-309 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
ekklēsia
/ Democracy
/ Clientilism
/ Oligarchy
/ Demonstrations
/ Roman Empire
/ Pauline letters
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| RelBib Classification: | HC New Testament KAB Church history 30-500; early Christianity TB Antiquity ZB Sociology ZC Politics in general |
| Further subjects: | B
oligarchy
B soma Christou B Ecclesia B Democracy B Demonstrations B Patronage |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Several recent studies have argued for the importance of democratic practices and ideology for a proper understanding of the issues and debates reflected in Paul's Corinthian correspondence. This new perspective stands in tension with older scholarship which emphasised the role of patronage in the structure and dynamics of the house churches that made up the ekklesia of Christ-believers at Corinth. This essay draws upon new research into the political sociology of Greek cities in the early Empire, which highlights evidence of the continuing vitality of democratic assemblies (ekklesiai) in the first and second centuries, despite the limitations imposed upon local autonomy by Roman rule. Special attention is devoted to the epigraphic evidence of first-century Corinth, whose political institutions and social relations were those of a Roman colony. The essay seeks to ascertain whether the politics of the Christ groups mimicked those of the city in which they were located or represented an alternative. |
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| ISSN: | 1469-8145 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: New Testament studies
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1017/S0028688519000092 |