Religious Studies

How did early Christians navigate daily life in the Roman Empire? Leading experts introduce innovative methodological approaches and demonstrate through detailed textual analyses that this question requires nuanced consideration and is essential for understanding early Christian texts.

Chang Seon An examines temporal frames in the Johannine Gospel and letters and traces the ways that these texts employed temporality to shape belief in Christ. The author indicates that ancient writers used claims about temporality to distinguish their audiences from other groups.

Merely supporting characters? Danielle Stocker examines the role of female figures in the Acts of the Apostles and asks to what extent the Pentecost outpouring of the Holy Spirit on both men and women enables women to speak as equal witnesses of faith at decisive moments.

Mark Jeong examines scenes in the New Testament book of Acts where members of the church are banished or exiled from cities. He argues that the author of Luke-Acts presents the church as a community of political exiles, whose exilic way of life is presented as part of following Jesus.