History

Plato – an Introduction

Plato I. Background information: 1. Family -Plato 427 – 347 BC -Father – Ariston – stepfather – Pyrilampes -Mother – Perictione -Somehow linked to Solon, the great reformer and lawgiver. -Brothers – Galucon and Aedimantus, who have parts in the Republic. -After 404 BC after the defeat of Athens in the Peloponnesian War, the Thirty [...]


Roman Slavery

Here is a presentation on Roman Slavery. Please click thumbnail to see slides and use the arrow to go back and forth.


Julius Caesar vs. Cato the Younger – Sallust

One of the most eloquent and penetrating analysis of idealistic personalities is found in Sallust’s Bellum Catilinae. It is well worth reading. Great prose is always a treat to read. What are your thoughts? Bellum Catilinae 53-54. But within my own memory there have appeared two men of towering merit, though of diverse character, Marcus [...]


Clement and Views of Marriage – Sex Education

// < ![CDATA[ google_ad_client = "ca-pub-3044338903586449"; /* 250 x 250 image */ google_ad_slot = "0019880501"; google_ad_width = 250; google_ad_height = 250; // ]]> // < ![CDATA[ // ]]> A paper I wrote in my first year in graduate school – many moons ago. 1. Introduction When one examines the early church’s view of marriage and [...]


How do you find someone in the ancient world?

Terence – The Brothers 582-585 Ubi eas praeterieris, ad sinistram hac recta platea, ubi Dianae veneris, ito ad dextram. Prius quam ad portam venias, apud ipsum lacum est pistrilla et exadvorsum fabrica: ibist. When you have passed this, go left, straight down the street and when you arrive at the temple of Diana, go right. [...]


M. Kuefler – The Manly Eunuch – Review

Summary: Matthew Kuefler’s The Manly Eunuch: Masculinity, Gender Ambiguity, and Christian Ideology in Late Antiquity traces the development and transformation of notions of masculinity from the early Roman Empire to late antiquity. The basic thesis is that notions of masculinity were essential to the proper functioning of the Roman Empire.


W. H. C. Frend – The Donatist Church – Book Review

Summary: William H. C. Frend has produced a magisterial book (The Donatist Church: A Movement of Protest in Roman North Africa) on the rise, stubborn perseverance, and decline of the Donatist movement in North Africa. The great value of Frend’s work is that it shows not only how persistent the Donatist movement was, but also why [...]


John North’s Roman Religion – Book Review

In many ways, John A. North’s book, Roman Religion, is a slimmed down version of his larger collaborative work, Religions of Rome, with Mary Beard and Simon Price. He makes this point clear in his introduction by referring his readers to it for more detailed information.


David Dugan – Constantine’s Bible – Review

David Dungan’s book, Constantine’s Bible: Politics and the Making of the New Testament, examines the historical process surrounding the canonization of the New Testament. Dungan begins with a discussion on the difference between scripture and canon. He states that many religions have scriptures, but few religions have a canon.


Philippians – Bible Study – Background

1. Background Information a. Authorship When it comes to the book of Philippians, there is little doubt that Paul wrote the letter.  Both internal and external evidence lead to this fact. For example, the theology of the letter is consistent with what we know of Paul’s theology, the many personal references point to intimate knowledge [...]


Review of First Urban Christians by Wayne Meeks

I just reread Wayne Meeks’ The First Urban Christians for the third time. It gets better each time and I am always impressed with his breadth of knowledge, theoretical sophistication, and self-awareness. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Christian origins. He starts with a few theoretical considerations and underlines the [...]


A Short Note on Romans 16:1-2 “Phoebe a Patroness”

Here is my translation of Romans 16:1-2: I commend to you Phoebe, our sister, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea[1] that you receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and help her in whatever matter she may have need of you, for she was a patron (prostatis) [...]


Review of Politics of Immorality – Catherine Edwards

Catherine Edwards’ The Politics of Immorality in Ancient Rome concerns the theme of immorality in ancient texts. In particular, she examines how these texts on immorality functioned within Roman society. In this respect, one can say that her book is about what the Romans said, rather than what the Romans did. Her basic point is [...]


Church and Society – A Lesson from Rome

The Romans were unapologetically religious. For instance, they had religious calendars that guided the seasons and rhythms of life, spatial demarcations of sacred space, public festivals and sacrifices, religious exempla in their history books that taught the rewards of piety and the punishments of impiety, religious personnel that sought to make sense of the world, [...]


The Manly Eunuch – Matthew Kuefler – An Application

About two years ago I read a fascinating book, The Manly Eunuch: Masculinity, Gender Ambiguity, and Christian Ideology in Late Antiquity by Matthew Kuefler.[1] Here is a brief synopsis: Kuefler’s work straddles ancient history and gender studies. His basic thesis is that traditional Roman views of masculinity, based on military and political success,[2] experienced a [...]