"Culture" is a broad term - one that can have many different meanings when referring to a collective group of people. For this blog post, I will limit the definition to religion (s), language, social rules and travel methods that are common in the Roman Empire during the first century AD. How and why did these four aspects of culture specifically have such an impact? First, the Jewish diaspora set the stage for Christianity to flourish throughout the empire through proselytizing. Second, the widespread use of Greek made it much easier to understand the message of Christianity. Third, the apostle Paul exercised his right as a Roman citizen to travel to places he could not otherwise have, and fourth, the Roman road and sea systems were protected by the Pax Romana, thus protecting Christian missionaries.
Jewish diaspora
The spread of the Jews throughout the Mediterranean and beyond established communities where the apostle Paul would first travel to preach the gospel. Egypt was the first area the Jews settled in after King Nebuchadnezzar deported them from Judah in the 590-580s BC. In Alexandria, Jewish society expanded rapidly, including Jews from all walks of life:peasants, emissaries, merchants, generals, and wealthy political officials. The various conquests of the Roman Empire in Judea led to many Jews being taken to Rome as slaves. As trade routes around the Mediterranean became more and more popular, Jews began to flourish in coastal cities along Asia Minor, Greece, and even southern France. This set the stage for Jesus' Jewish disciples who became missionaries to spread the teachings of Christianity.
Converts the Jews
As the Bible tells us, the apostle Paul always went to a Jewish synagogue when he visited a new city. While many Jews hoped for a messiah and tried to persecute Paul and his fellow missionary Barnabas, others became fascinated by the Christian message and became believers. "On Iconium [today's Turkey] Paul and Barnabas entered the Jewish synagogue as usual. There they spoke so effectively that a large number of Jews and Greeks believed" (Acts 14:1). Often the cities Paul preached in were divided over these new teachings.The traditional Jewish community felt threatened by the newcomers, but the more modern Jews embraced Christianity with open arms.When tensions arose, violence arose and forced Paul and Barnabas to move on.However, Paul later returned to many of the same cities he first preached the gospel to, and strengthened the churches he helped found.
A practical reason why Jews became Christians near or in the Jewish temples was their proximity to baptismal basins. At Pentecost Jerusalem (the Jewish festival of Shavuot ), “Pious pilgrims would ritually immerse themselves in baptismal basins and ascend the steps to the platform, where they could enter through the Hulda gates into the portico of the temple” (Young, 2012, p. 55). Peter and the apostles baptized three thousand people after preaching to them on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:41). The ritual pools that were once used by the Jewish people as part of a purifying ritual, became a springboard to a new lifestyle for believers. This is a good example of how a part of Jewish culture led to the growth of Christianity.
Greek language
Alexander the Great's conquests in the 330s and 320s BC spread the Greek language and customs wherever he went. When the first century AD. rolled around, Greek was " Lingua franca of the Mediterranean world, ”and it was uttered exclusively in some Jewish communities. These groups became known as Hellenistic Jews. A problem arose for the first disciples when these Hellenists saw that their widows were being ignored in the daily distribution of food (Acts 6:1). Seven disciples were chosen to focus on the needs of the Hellenists, while the rest continued in prayer and service. As this situation shows, the Greek language was important to reach more groups of people, even within the Jewish community.
The entirety of the New Testament was written in Koine Greek, albeit from the perspective of bilingual / multilingual writers. ' Koine "Means" ordinary "in English. Greek was first used for government announcements adopted by ordinary people living around the Mediterranean. New Testament writers chose this form of Greek for their universal appeal. Choosing Hebrew or Aramaic would have alienated much of the growing Jewish diaspora, not to mention the wider pagan population.
Bilingualism in the first century
The apostle Paul spoke fluently both Greek and Hebrew. He was born in Tarsus and grew up in Jerusalem. Paul learned Hebrew by studying with Gamaliel, a leading elder in the Sanhedrin, a Jewish congregation. Paul used his bilingual skills in Jerusalem when he spoke to a Roman commander in Greek and the crowds in Hebrew when they accused him of desecrating the temple (Acts 21). Paul's role as a Jewish Christian was crucial in dealing with the Jews of Jerusalem and other Jewish communities around the Mediterranean with his knowledge of Hebrew and the Torah. His knowledge of Greek also served him well when he addressed the wider non-Jewish population through his letters to the churches. Christianity would not have spread as fast as it did if Greek was not often spoken in the regions Paul traveled through.
Apostle Paul
Although his other missionary companions were probably bilingual, Paul had another advantage in traveling throughout the region — he was most likely a Roman citizen. New Testament scholarship does not accept Paul's Roman citizenship as a purely historical fact, but the Bible suggests much evidence. Paul mentions his citizenship explicitly in situations where he is in prison. In Acts 16:37, he says, "They have struck us openly, condemned Romans ..." and in Acts 22:25, "Is it lawful for you to whip a man who is a Roman and unjudged?" The commander in charge of him in the latter case notes that he obtained his Roman citizenship through a lot of money. Paul answers, "But I was born a citizen ”(Acts 22:28).
Roman citizenship could be obtained in three ways:granted to the elite, earned through slavery, or handed over from parents who were citizens. Since Paul suggests the latter option, his parents were probably freed slaves with citizenship from Tarsus. Being a Roman citizen meant having privileges and rights that others could only dream of. One could appeal to the emperor of Rome (as Paul did) if you thought you were being treated unfairly. You gained respect from government officials and better protection during the journey. For people living in newly conquered countries, the status of "ally" was as close as they could get. The government gave them protection against invaders, but they still had to pay homage to Rome and provide soldiers for the army. Paul's citizenship, on the other hand, was essentially a 'going out of jail' card and crucial to his mission of spreading Christianity.
Roman road system
Whether traveling by sea or by sea, Paul and the apostles trusted that the Roman government would move quickly and unharmed from one place to another. The first of the great Roman roads was Via Appia, the "Queen of Roads", built in 312 BCE, from Rome to Brindisi - a length of approx. Roman roads were constructed in four steps. First, a smooth surface. Second, mortar and stones over the top. Third, add gravel. And fourth:a large, interlocking placed on top for a (mostly) smooth surface. These roads were made to last, which has proven to be true 2000+ years later! Towards the end of the second century BC. Roman highways crossed the Italian peninsula. Asia Minor already had roads built by the Assyrians, the Persians and the Greeks. Roman engineers improved by connecting east and west with a comprehensive, well-maintained road system (Casson, 1994, p. About 165).
Christianity on the Roads
The roads were built primarily for the Roman army and government officials, but wealthy elites sent servants with messages to and from cities, the sick traveled to health centers or oracles, and merchants / merchants found an alternative year-round to sea voyages to transport goods. As a professional tentmaker (Acts 18:3), the apostle Paul fell into the category of craftsmen. In Corinth he worked during the day and preached in the synagogue on the Sabbath (v. 4). He lived with other Jews and tentmakers, Priscilla and Aquila. During the Pax Romana (27 BCE to 180 BCE), roads were generally safe to travel alone. Paul showed an example of this in Acts 20:13-14 when he walked twenty-five miles alone from Troas to Assos to meet with the disciples. The Roman government oversaw the maintenance of roads and quickly dispatched robbery roads and provided protection for travelers such as Paul.
Pax Romana at sea
Yet, Roman roads were not the only means of transportation available to new Christians who were ready to share the gospel. Sea routes were mapped across the Mediterranean hundreds of years before car journeys. But violent storms, a six-month sailing window in the summer and pirates were seafarers' biggest concerns. However, "Rome's effective administration, at least during the first two centuries AD, swept the sea free of pirates and drove most bandits away from the main roads" (Casson, 1994, p. 149). While nature's storms could not be avoided (Paul was sunk in Malta on his way to Rome), the timing of the Pax Romana was perfect for the beginning of Christianity. Had the Roman Empire not been in place in the time of Jesus and the apostles, Christianity would not have spread as fast as it did.
During these important years, the Roman Empire expanded from England south to Morocco and east to present-day Iraq. This was the time when the Roman Empire was its greatest. The estimated population was close to 70 million people. Emperor Augustus started Pax Romana after the Senate appointed him "first citizen", and the period of relative peace lasted until Marcus Aurelius died in 180 AD. With the Mediterranean at the center of this vast empire, an already impressive trading network grew exponentially during the peace. Trade routes reached as far as Germany, Egypt and China. Coastal destinations included Carthage, Alexandria, Damascus, Byzantium (Istanbul) and Gades in Spain. Grain, wine, ceramics, oil, fish and marble were the largest exports from all over the Mediterranean. Rome was undoubtedly the center of trade, as six major routes converged in the city.
Religion in the first century
Paul and the apostles encountered a variety of beliefs as they traveled around the Mediterranean. Within the Jewish faith, the faithful Jewish community existed at one end, and exclusive Greek-speaking Hellenized Jews at the other. Slightly beyond being considered Jewish were "godly". This group of people were interested in and practiced many Jewish customs, but did not completely convert. Then there were the Gentiles, or "idolaters" of Greek / Roman gods, who were the most common form of religion. Temples of Greco-Roman gods and goddesses were in all major cities along the Aegean and Adriatic seas. The majority culture meant worshiping and honoring the revered gods in the city in question. Those who chose to worship the Jewish God were viewed and excluded from events, guilds, and more.
For the Roman Empire in the first century, atheism hardly existed. The Greeks and Romans were very religious, and it would have been very unusual not to worship any god (s). Syncretism - a mixture of faiths - was very common. Sometimes philosophy became the new religion. When Paul visited Athens (Acts 17:16-34), he came across an inscription on an altar:"TO AN UNKNOWN GOD." Epicurean and Stoic philosophers debated with him. Paul took the opportunity to introduce the Christian God, but he tailored his message with their faith in mind. The first Christian missionaries had their hands full when it came to serving their neighbors in the Mediterranean.
Culture and Christianity
Paul certainly benefited from being a citizen of Pax Romana, but this does not mean that he wholeheartedly supported the empire. Among scholars of Pauline theology, there is a debate about the subliminal messages Paul wrote to the Roman Empire in his letters to the churches. However, what is important for our understanding of the spread of Christianity is “Paul did not shape its gospel in conscious opposition to the Roman imperial order, but saw the empire as potentially good - since its stabilizing rule provided the political infrastructure for Paul to travel safely and preach Christ (Lee). From the Jewish communities scattered throughout the Mediterranean, to the universality of the Greek language, to the protection afforded to Paul as a Roman citizen, to the development of Roman roads and the effect of the Pax Romana at sea, the role of culture played a critical role in the spread of Christianity. / P>