Empire Criticism of the New Testament

The question of how early Christians navigated their daily existence within the Roman Empire, and to what degree they expressed criticism of their imperial surroundings, has become a subject of heated debate in recent years. This volume gathers experts who focus on one methodological approach each to shed new light on this question. In doing so, this collection moves from simply debating whether or not early Christians expressed criticism of the Roman Empire to offering detailed analyses of complex dynamics. It turns out that precisely by applying empire criticism as an analytical lens to these texts - critically sifting through them from various angles with an eye to all kinds of interaction with the Roman sphere - empire criticism within these texts becomes visible time and again. Each contribution offers an important perspective to a multifaceted image - one that allows for variegated forms and fronts of critical interaction by early Christian writers. The volume thus shows that situating these texts within their imperial contexts by considering material culture and up-to-date theoretical frameworks is a crucial task for New Testament and early Christian studies. Due to its distinctive layout, with each specialist first introducing an analytical tool before then applying it in a nuanced way to primary texts, this volume not only provides both a definitive account of where the field stands and charts new territory for future research but also serves as a textbook for advanced students.

Born 1990; 2009-14 studied theology as well as biblical languages and literature (Gießen, St Andrews, Göttingen); 2020 Dr. theol. (University of Zurich); 2024 Habilitation (University of Basel); research group leader at the University of Munich; member of the Young Academy of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities.

Christoph Heilig : Narratology. Analyzing Subversive Counternarratives - Justin Winzenburg : Speech Act Theory. Analyzing Subversive Speech Acts - Laura J. Hunt : Semiotics. An Avenue for Discerning Anti-Imperial Language - Erin M. Heim : Metaphor Theories. Metaphors as Tools of Resistance - Christopher A. Porter : Social Identity Theory. Wrestling with the Social Complexity of Empires - Nils Neumann : Historical Psychology. Fear of the Empire and Its Opposites - Laura Robinson : Hidden Transcripts. Revisiting Paul's Political Theology in Light of Early Christian Social Practices - Najeeb T. Haddad : Ancient Rhetoric. Figured Speech as Hidden Transcripts - Gillian Asquith : Papyrology. Perspectives on Empire in Everyday Documents - D. Clint Burnett : Epigraphy. Engraved for All Time - Michael P. Theophilos : Numismatics. Heads of State, Tails of Resistance - Harry O. Maier : Iconography. Imperial Imagery and New Testament Depiction