Corinth
Roman Corinth provides an exceptionally rich setting for understanding early Christianity in an urban context. This handbook reconstructs the city of Corinth and the surrounding area from its Roman refoundation in 44 BCE to the fourth century CE as a dynamic environment shaped by diverse religious practices, social structures, material culture, and transregional exchange.
Drawing on approaches such as identity formation, conflict theory, network analysis, and the study of religion in urban contexts, the volume develops an integrative framework that methodologically brings together New Testament exegesis, ancient history, archaeology, documentary evidence, and the history of religion within a systematic and accessible structure.
First, it maps the literary, material, spatial, and historical contours of Roman Corinth. Then, it examines the local history of Christianity in relation to domestic and public spaces, education, spectacles, burials, trade, ethnicity, social stratification, and religious pluralism. Consequently, Corinthian Christ groups emerge not as isolated enclaves, but as deeply entangled participants in the life of the city.
Corinth proves to be a highly revealing urban laboratory for studying early Christianity, where theological reflection, religious experience, social practice, and interaction with Jewish, pagan, and imperial contexts develop in constant exchange. By combining reliable orientation with new research, including previously unpublished archaeological and historical material, the handbook offers a comprehensive introduction and makes a significant contribution to scholarship.
A. General Introduction (Andreas-Christian Heidel and Benjamin Schliesser)
B. Orientation
I. Extra-Christian Literary Sources (John K. Goodrich)
II. Documentary Sources (Christiane Zimmermann)
1. Addendum: The First Christian Basilicas: An Archaeological Context for Early Christian Inscriptions (Amelia R. Brown)
III. Archaeology
1. The Excavations at Corinth and the Historical Quest for the First Christian Communities (David K. Pettegrew)
2. The Current Challenges of Excavating the Multiperiod Site of Corinth: A Matter of Multifocal Methodologies (Rossana Valente)
C. The City of Roman Corinth
I. The History of Roman Corinth 44 BCE-400 CE (James R. Harrison)
II. Urban Space
1. Domestic Space and Residential Homes (Harry O. Maier)
2. Public Spaces (Christopher P. Dickenson)
3. Educational Infrastructure (Timothy A. Brookins)
4. Athletics, Spectacle, and Theater (David Gilman Romano)
5. Burial Places (Jeremy Ott)
III. The Corinthian Periphery (William Caraher)
IV. Everyday Life and Feast Day
1. Everyday Life: A Day in Roman Corinth (Jorunn Økland)
2. Feasts and Public Rituals: The Isthmian Games (Karl-Heinrich Ostmeyer)
V. Population & Society
1. Ethnicities: Coexistence and Interactions of Ethnicities and Ethnic Groups (Joseph Lee and Laura Nasrallah)
2. Social Stratification: Social and Economic Conditions of the Urban Population (Markus Öhler)
3. Age, Aging, and Health (Bronwen L. Wickkiser)
VI. Urban Religion
1. Demeter and Kore (Stefan Krauter)
2. Mysteries (Jan N. Bremmer)
3. Asclepius (Ghislaine van der Ploeg)
4. Emperor Cult (Adam Winn)
5. Aphrodite and Sacral Prostitution (Barbette Stanley Spaeth)
6. Magic (Joseph E. Sanzo)
7. Local Traditions (Andreas-Christian Heidel)
VII. Transregional Networks, Transport Links, and Trade Relations (Hannah Lents)
D. Local History of Christianity
I. Christian Literary Sources
1. Paul's Letters to the Corinthians and Acts (Eckhard J. Schnabel)
2. 1 Clement (Jacob N. Cerone)
3. Romans and 1-2 Thessalonians as Letters from Corinth (Michael F. Bird)
4. The Acts of Andrew and the Acts of Paul (Tobias Nicklas)
II. Social Stratification of the Early Christian Community (David J. Downs)
III. Prominent Figures
1. Paul (Alexandra Brown)
2. Apollos (Adam G. White)
3. Priska and Aquila (Susan Hylen)
4. Gaius, Titius Justus, Erastus, Crispus, Sosthenes, and Stephanas (Andrew D. Clarke)
5. Phoebe and Chloe (Annette Merz)
6. Peter (in Corinth?) (Stephan Witetschek)
7. Prominent Christian Figures from the Second Century Onwards (Richard M. Rothaus)
IV. Nameless and Marginalized Figures (Sascha Cosandey)
V. »Local Theologies,« History of Ideas, Philosophy & Theology
1. The Parties in the Corinthian Church (Brian Rosner)
2. Religious Experience, Glossolalia, Prophecy, Visions, and ekstasis (John Christopher Thomas)
3. Influence of Philosophical Schools and Movements (Johan C. Thom)
4. Theology of the Cross (Jörg Frey)
5. Corinth's Contribution to the Development of Early Christian Theology and Hermeneutics (Margret M. Mitchell)
6. Corinth's Contribution to Our Knowledge of Early Christian Customs and Behavior (Armin D. Baum)
VI. Social Forms and Meeting Places
1. Social Forms (Richard Ascough)
2. Meeting Places (Andreas Dettwiler)
VII. Interactions with the Jewish Population (Socrates Koursoumis)
VIII. Corinthian Christians among a Polytheist Population (Amelia R. Brown)
IX. Trans-local Interactions and Networks with Other Early Christian Communities (Christoph Stenschke)
X. Relationship to Roman Empire
1. Relationship to the Roman Empire: First and Second Century (Christoph Heilig)
2. Relationship to Roman Empire: Third and Fourth Century (Richard M. Rothaus)
E. Synthesis: Corinth as an Early Christian Center (Andreas-Christian Heidel and Benjamin Schliesser)