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Subject: Corpus-Paul
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- From: "Jeffrey B. Gibson" <jgibson000 AT mailhost.chi.ameritech.net>
- To: Corpus-paul <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
- Subject: Christianity in Rome
- Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1999 00:22:14 -0500
Jon Peter wrote:
[much snipped]
If you'd care to go back to my post of Wed. July 7 entitled "the occasion of Romans" and to Mark Nanos' post of the same date (with the heading Re:Neil Elliott, Liberating Paul"), you would see that what you claim above regarding our views of when there were Christ believers in Rome, let alone that there is any evidence for the existence of Christians in Rome prior to 64) is a gross misrepresentation of what we hold to be the case; As evidence for this I quote my post:
... I am interested in how and when the Roman
Christian Church began. Nanos and Gibson were arguing that no evidence for
it pre-dated 64. But the Suetonius reference to events in 49 counts as
evidence, NOT because of who Chrestus might be, but because the author of
Acts knows that Pricilla and Aquila were refugees of the expulsion (Acts
18.2). Regardless of who "Chrestus" was, and regardless of why the
expulsion occurred, here are two Christians who were in Rome during the 40s.
What you are ignoring here, Jon, is that the issue is *not* the fact that Christians were called Christians before Claudius (if that is indeed what the Acts text indicates), or even that they existed in Rome and elsewhere before 64, but whether there was **knowldege** of the existence of this group called Christians on the part of Nero and the elites of Rome before 64.:
Along these same lines Mark noted that
There is no evidence contemporary with Paul for Rome that this label was in use. (emphasis added)
Please note that the only issue that we were dealing with was not
whether we believed there were Christians in Rome prior to 64 or -- even
49 (I for one do believe this, and though I do not wish to speak for Mark,
I think it's safe to say that he does too). Rather it was whether there
was any knowledge of their existence in Rome on the part of Roman elites
prior to 64.
Yours,
Jeffrey
--
Jeffrey B. Gibson
7423 N. Sheridan Road #2A
Chicago, Illinois 60626
e-mail jgibson000 AT ameritech.net
-
Christianity in Rome,
Jeffrey B. Gibson, 07/14/1999
- <Possible follow-up(s)>
- Re: Christianity in Rome, Jon Peter, 07/14/1999
- Re: Christianity in Rome, Jeffrey B. Gibson, 07/15/1999
- Re: Christianity in Rome, Mark D. Nanos, 07/15/1999
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