{"product_id":"greco-roman-associations-deities-and-early-christianity-9781481315166","title":"Greco-Roman Associations, Deities, and Early Christianity","description":"\u003cp\u003eUnderstanding associations in the Greco-Roman world enhances the study of the rise of early Christianity--whether at the micro-level of interpreting particular texts or at the macro-level of assessing the spread of Christ-devotion in the pre-Constantinian era. The twenty-four contributions contained within \u003ci\u003eGreco-Roman Associations, Deities, and Early Christianity\u003c\/i\u003e enlarge our perspectives on the extent to which Greco-Roman associations bring features of Christian origins into relief.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThematic studies include associational social reputation; women in associations; deities and devotion; financial strategies of group maintenance; care for the poor; varieties of group identity; refinements of terminological and conceptual apparatus; funerary practices; occupational groups; and the alleged role of Christianity in the demise of associations. Studies of particular phenomena include 1 Thessalonians, 1 Corinthians, Paul's Collection, Hebrews, a late first-century Christian family, 1 Clement, and Clement of Alexandria.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile the essays cover a wide spectrum of topics, they retain a clear focus on aspects of corporate life within ancient associations as \u003ci\u003ecomparanda\u003c\/i\u003e for the study of early Christ-groups within their social milieu. These essays, all kept to a disciplined length, represent the work of impressive scholars from a range of interdisciplinary, intergenerational, and international contexts. The volume's symposium of voices and lively scholarly exchange productively expand current conversations about Greco-Roman associations, deities, and early Christianity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eBruce W. Longenecker (Ph.D. University of Durham) is Graduate Professor of Religion and W. W. Melton Chair in the Baylor University Department of Religion. He is the author or editor of numerous books including \u003ci\u003eIn Stone and Story: Early Christianity in the Roman World\u003c\/i\u003e (2020), \u003ci\u003eThe Cross before Constantine: The Early Life of a Christian Symbol\u003c\/i\u003e (2015), \u003ci\u003eRemember the Poor: Paul, Poverty, and The Greco-Roman World\u003c\/i\u003e (2010), \u003ci\u003eRhetoric at the Boundaries: The Art and Theology of New Testament Chain-Link Transitions\u003c\/i\u003e (2005), and \u003ci\u003eLuke, Paul and the Graeco-Roman World \u003c\/i\u003e(2002).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Baylor University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50486379479314,"sku":"9781481315166","price":65.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_e61bc48f-fc4d-4795-8214-ecbc0296c99f.jpg?v=1730427616","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/greco-roman-associations-deities-and-early-christianity-9781481315166","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}