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Early Christianity in Athens, Attica, and Adjacent Areas
From Paul to Justinian I (1stâ6th cent. AD)
Series:
This volume focuses on Christianity in Attica and its metropolis, Athens, from Paulâs initial visit in the first century up to the closing of the philosophical schools under the reign of Justinian I in the sixth century. Underscoring the relevance of epigraphic resources and the importance of methodological sophistication in analysing especially archaeological evidence, it readdresses many questions on the basis of a larger body of evidence and aims to combine literary, epigraphic, and archaeological evidence in order to create the outlines of a narrative of the rise and development of Christianity in the area. It is the first interdisciplinary study on the local history of Christianity in the area.
Cilliers Breytenbach (Dr. theol. 1983; Dr. theol. habil. 1986, both LMU Munich) is Professor Emeritus for New Testament at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Professor Extraordinary for New Testament and for Ancient Studies at Stellenbosch University. He is inter alia the co-author of Early Christianity in Lycaonia and Adjacent Areas (Leiden, 2018) and author of The Gospel according to Mark as Episodic Narrative (Leiden, 2021).
Elli Tzavella (PhD in Byzantine Studies 2013, University of Birmingham) is archaeologist at the Ephorate of Antiquities of Boeotia, Hellenic Ministry of Culture. She has published many articles on Athens and Attica during late antiquity and the Byzantine period and she is author of Byzantine Attica: An Archaeology of Settlement and Landscape (4thâ12th c. AD) (Turnhout, in press).
Elli Tzavella (PhD in Byzantine Studies 2013, University of Birmingham) is archaeologist at the Ephorate of Antiquities of Boeotia, Hellenic Ministry of Culture. She has published many articles on Athens and Attica during late antiquity and the Byzantine period and she is author of Byzantine Attica: An Archaeology of Settlement and Landscape (4thâ12th c. AD) (Turnhout, in press).
âThe book is a solid piece of scholarship on Christianization of Athens and Attica. It is a significant achievement as it utilizes an immense amount of research to offer a panoramic and detailed picture of the development of Christianity [â¦] The authors persuasively combine historical, literary, archaeological and epigraphical information, to give specialists in Late Antiquity a comprehensive picture of Christianity in Athens from its beginnings in the first century. At the same time, the enormous and systematically collected information opens the way to further research into a variety of other related subjects and stimulates discussion on many controversial issues.â
Helen Saradi, Professor of Byzantine History and Byzantine Civilization, University of the Peloponnese, Kalamata. In: Plekos 26 (2024) 155â170
"The authors should be congratulated on the huge amount of primary and secondary literature they have managed to bring together, present, and discuss. Remaining loyal to the philosophy of the series, Breytenbach and Tzavellaâs project proves to be mostly aggregative and expository [...] The most important ancient texts and all the Christian inscriptions discussed are cited in full and have been translated. The quality of the English and the editing is excellent."
Georgios Deligiannakis, Open University of Cyprus. In: Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 2024.03.26
"Das Werk bietet [â¦] einen einfachen und übersichtlichen Zugang zu den vielzähligen verarbeiteten Quellen und Diskursen. In dieser Bereitstellung eines Zugangs zum frühen Christentum in Athen und Umgebung, seinen Quellen und den in den vergangenen Jahrzehnten verfassten Forschungspositionen besteht die groÃe Leistung der Autoren, der sich so als Ausgang weiterer Ãberlegungen anbietet. Dem eingangs formulierten Anspruch, einen Ãberblick über die relevante Evidenz verschaffen zu wollen, wird das Werk in seiner Gesamtheit gerecht, wobei die erstmalige synoptische Präsentation des archäologischen Materials diesen Charakter abrundet." Felix Schäfer, Universität Münster. In: The Byzantine Review 6 (2024) 86-98.
âBreytenbach and Tzavella [produce] an extensively argued analysis, compendiously rooted in evidence which is made straightforwardly available to the reader, enabling their book to function both as synthesis and, to a great extent, as a topically arranged catalogue and repository. [⦠They] have produced what will undoubtedly be the definitive resource for the foreseeable future for evidence and discussion about early Christianity in this region.â â Peter Oakes, Manchester, UK. In: Theologische Literaturzeitung 149 (2024) 12, 1165-1166.
"This book contributes significantly to current scholarly debates surrounding the development of Christianity in the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly the complex transition from polytheistic to Christian practices. Breytenbach and Tzavella offer a fresh perspective by focusing on material evidence rather than relying solely on literary sources. Their careful documentation of archaeological sites and inscriptions adds depth to our understanding of how Christianity was physically embedded in the urban and rural landscapes of Attica.â
â Richard S. Ascough, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada. In: Religious Studies Review 50/3 (2024) 615.
Helen Saradi, Professor of Byzantine History and Byzantine Civilization, University of the Peloponnese, Kalamata. In: Plekos 26 (2024) 155â170
"The authors should be congratulated on the huge amount of primary and secondary literature they have managed to bring together, present, and discuss. Remaining loyal to the philosophy of the series, Breytenbach and Tzavellaâs project proves to be mostly aggregative and expository [...] The most important ancient texts and all the Christian inscriptions discussed are cited in full and have been translated. The quality of the English and the editing is excellent."
Georgios Deligiannakis, Open University of Cyprus. In: Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 2024.03.26
"Das Werk bietet [â¦] einen einfachen und übersichtlichen Zugang zu den vielzähligen verarbeiteten Quellen und Diskursen. In dieser Bereitstellung eines Zugangs zum frühen Christentum in Athen und Umgebung, seinen Quellen und den in den vergangenen Jahrzehnten verfassten Forschungspositionen besteht die groÃe Leistung der Autoren, der sich so als Ausgang weiterer Ãberlegungen anbietet. Dem eingangs formulierten Anspruch, einen Ãberblick über die relevante Evidenz verschaffen zu wollen, wird das Werk in seiner Gesamtheit gerecht, wobei die erstmalige synoptische Präsentation des archäologischen Materials diesen Charakter abrundet." Felix Schäfer, Universität Münster. In: The Byzantine Review 6 (2024) 86-98.
âBreytenbach and Tzavella [produce] an extensively argued analysis, compendiously rooted in evidence which is made straightforwardly available to the reader, enabling their book to function both as synthesis and, to a great extent, as a topically arranged catalogue and repository. [⦠They] have produced what will undoubtedly be the definitive resource for the foreseeable future for evidence and discussion about early Christianity in this region.â â Peter Oakes, Manchester, UK. In: Theologische Literaturzeitung 149 (2024) 12, 1165-1166.
"This book contributes significantly to current scholarly debates surrounding the development of Christianity in the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly the complex transition from polytheistic to Christian practices. Breytenbach and Tzavella offer a fresh perspective by focusing on material evidence rather than relying solely on literary sources. Their careful documentation of archaeological sites and inscriptions adds depth to our understanding of how Christianity was physically embedded in the urban and rural landscapes of Attica.â
â Richard S. Ascough, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada. In: Religious Studies Review 50/3 (2024) 615.
Preface
List of Figures
Abbreviations
1 Introduction: The Christianization of Athens, Attica, and Adjacent Areas from Paul to the End of the Reign of Justinian I (527â565)
â1âPrevious Research on the Christianization of Athens, Attica, and Adjacent Areas
â2âLiterary Sources for the Study of Christianity in Athens
â3âChristian Inscriptions from Athens, Attica, and Adjacent Areas
â4âArchaeological Evidence on Christianity in Athens, Attica, and Adjacent Areas
â5âSetting Limits and Crossing Boundaries
2 Stability and Crisis in Athens and Attica from Paulâs Visit to the End of Justinianâs Rule (a Geographical and Historical Overview)
â1âThe Physical Environment: Introduction
â2âGeographical Overview
â3âPopulation and Settlement
â4âAdministration
â5âHistorical Outline of Attica between the First and the Sixth Centuries
3 Christianity and Philosophy in Polytheistic Athens, Attica, and Adjacent Areas
â1âIntroduction
â2âLukeâs Paul and Athenian Polytheism
â3âSecond-Century Christian Apologists
â4âReligion in Athens in the Third and Fourth Centuries
â5âChristian Theologians and Athenian Paideia in the Fourth Century
â6âChristianity and the City of Athena: From the Late Fourth until the Mid-Sixth Century
â7âConclusion
4 The Expansion of Christianity: Archaeological Evidence
â1âIntroduction
â2âThe Transformation of Cultic Spaces
â3âThe Transformation of Burial Spaces
5 Christianity in Athens, Attica, and Adjacent Areas: A Survey of the Epigraphic Evidence
â1âIntroduction to the Christian Inscriptions of Athens, Attica, and Adjacent Areas
â2âChristian Identity Markers
â3âPersons Identified as Christian by Inscriptions on Monuments from Athens and Surroundings
â4âPersons Identified as Christian by Inscriptions on Locatable Monuments from the Territory of Athens
â5âPersons Identified as Christian by Inscriptions on Monuments from Piraeus
â6âAttic Christianity beyond Athens
â7âChristianity in Areas Adjacent to Attica
6 Aspects of Christianity in Athens, Attica, and Adjacent Areas
â1âIntroduction
â2âGender and Family Relations
â3âOccupations and Social Status
â4âChurches as Loci
â5âChurches as Organized Institution
â6âThe Role of the Bible and Theology in Inscriptions
â7âReligious Violence
â8âOrganization of Cemeteries
â9âChristian Hope for Life after Death
â10âChanging the Religious Landscape
7 Résumé: Expansion of Early Christianity in Athens, Attica, and Adjacent Areas
â1âA Summary of the Contents
â2âAn Exemplary Résumé of the Characteristics of Christianity in Athens, Attica, and Adjacent Regions
â3âFactors Determining the Rise of Christianity in Athens, Attica, and Adjacent Regions
â4âConclusion
Appendix: Catalogues
Catalogue A: Early Christian Churches in Athens, Attica, and Adjacent Areas
âPart I: The Urban Zone of Athens (asty)
âPart II: Minor Towns and the Rural Countryside
âPart III: Adjacent Areas
Catalogue B: Late Antique Cemeteries of Athens, Attica, and Adjacent Areas
âPart I: The Urban Zone of Athens (asty)
âPart II: Attica and Adjacent Areas
Bibliography
Concordance of Inscriptions
Index of Ancient Sources
Index of Personal Names
Index of Places
Index of Buildings and Monuments
Index of Selected Subjects and Persons
List of Figures
Abbreviations
1 Introduction: The Christianization of Athens, Attica, and Adjacent Areas from Paul to the End of the Reign of Justinian I (527â565)
â1âPrevious Research on the Christianization of Athens, Attica, and Adjacent Areas
â2âLiterary Sources for the Study of Christianity in Athens
â3âChristian Inscriptions from Athens, Attica, and Adjacent Areas
â4âArchaeological Evidence on Christianity in Athens, Attica, and Adjacent Areas
â5âSetting Limits and Crossing Boundaries
2 Stability and Crisis in Athens and Attica from Paulâs Visit to the End of Justinianâs Rule (a Geographical and Historical Overview)
â1âThe Physical Environment: Introduction
â2âGeographical Overview
â3âPopulation and Settlement
â4âAdministration
â5âHistorical Outline of Attica between the First and the Sixth Centuries
3 Christianity and Philosophy in Polytheistic Athens, Attica, and Adjacent Areas
â1âIntroduction
â2âLukeâs Paul and Athenian Polytheism
â3âSecond-Century Christian Apologists
â4âReligion in Athens in the Third and Fourth Centuries
â5âChristian Theologians and Athenian Paideia in the Fourth Century
â6âChristianity and the City of Athena: From the Late Fourth until the Mid-Sixth Century
â7âConclusion
4 The Expansion of Christianity: Archaeological Evidence
â1âIntroduction
â2âThe Transformation of Cultic Spaces
â3âThe Transformation of Burial Spaces
5 Christianity in Athens, Attica, and Adjacent Areas: A Survey of the Epigraphic Evidence
â1âIntroduction to the Christian Inscriptions of Athens, Attica, and Adjacent Areas
â2âChristian Identity Markers
â3âPersons Identified as Christian by Inscriptions on Monuments from Athens and Surroundings
â4âPersons Identified as Christian by Inscriptions on Locatable Monuments from the Territory of Athens
â5âPersons Identified as Christian by Inscriptions on Monuments from Piraeus
â6âAttic Christianity beyond Athens
â7âChristianity in Areas Adjacent to Attica
6 Aspects of Christianity in Athens, Attica, and Adjacent Areas
â1âIntroduction
â2âGender and Family Relations
â3âOccupations and Social Status
â4âChurches as Loci
â5âChurches as Organized Institution
â6âThe Role of the Bible and Theology in Inscriptions
â7âReligious Violence
â8âOrganization of Cemeteries
â9âChristian Hope for Life after Death
â10âChanging the Religious Landscape
7 Résumé: Expansion of Early Christianity in Athens, Attica, and Adjacent Areas
â1âA Summary of the Contents
â2âAn Exemplary Résumé of the Characteristics of Christianity in Athens, Attica, and Adjacent Regions
â3âFactors Determining the Rise of Christianity in Athens, Attica, and Adjacent Regions
â4âConclusion
Appendix: Catalogues
Catalogue A: Early Christian Churches in Athens, Attica, and Adjacent Areas
âPart I: The Urban Zone of Athens (asty)
âPart II: Minor Towns and the Rural Countryside
âPart III: Adjacent Areas
Catalogue B: Late Antique Cemeteries of Athens, Attica, and Adjacent Areas
âPart I: The Urban Zone of Athens (asty)
âPart II: Attica and Adjacent Areas
Bibliography
Concordance of Inscriptions
Index of Ancient Sources
Index of Personal Names
Index of Places
Index of Buildings and Monuments
Index of Selected Subjects and Persons
Ancient Historians, Church Historians, Theologians, Early Byzantine Studies, Archaeologists