Empire, Economics, and the New Testament

Download or read book Empire, Economics, and the New Testament written by Peter Oakes and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2020-11-12 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Peter Oakes has long been recognized for his illuminating use of Greco-Roman material culture and social-scientific criticism to interpret the New Testament. This volume brings together his best work and introduces a substantial new essay that challenges current scholarly approaches to paradoxical teachings of the New Testament. Of special interest to Oakes throughout this book is the concrete impact of economic realities and Roman imperialism on first-century Christian communities meeting in house churches. To address this, Oakes considers an array of textual and archaeological resources from first-century non-elite life, including extensive archaeological evidence available from Pompeii. Readers will find here a deep trove of wisdom for understanding the New Testament in the context of the Greco-Roman world.