Studying the New Testament through Inscriptions: An Introduction

by D. Clint Burnett

Publisher:

Hendrickson

, 2020

Overview

Studying the New Testament through Inscriptions is an intuitive introduction to inscriptions from the Greco-Roman world. Inscriptions can help contextualize certain events associated with the New Testament in a way that many widely circulated literary texts do not. This book both introduces inscriptions and demonstrates sound methodological use of them in the study of the New Testament. Through five case studies, it highlights the largely unrecognized ability of inscriptions to shed light on early Christian history, practice, and the leadership structure of early Christian churches, as well as to solve certain New Testament exegetical impasses.

Key Features

• Includes three appendices to provide additional information for those who want to learn more
• Provides a practical and much-needed tool for graduate students, seminarians, and pastors
• Showcases five detailed case studies, designed to show students exactly how to use inscriptions

Contents

• Engraved for All Time: An Introduction to Inscriptions
• Jesus, the Royal Lord: Inscriptions and Local Customs
• “Devour” or “Go Ahead with” the Lord’s Banquet? Inscriptions and Philology
• Imperial Loyalty Oaths, Caesar’s Decrees, and Early Christianity in Thessalonica: Contextualizing Inscriptions
• Benefactresses, Deaconesses, and Overseers in the Philippian Church: Inscriptions and Their Insights into the Religious Lives of Women in the Roman World
• Calculating Numbers with Wisdom: Inscriptions and Exegetical Impasses
• Conclusion
• Appendix 1. Important Printed Collections of Inscriptions
• Appendix 2. Online Search Engines and Collections of Inscriptions
• Appendix 3. Abbreviations in Inscriptions

Praise for the Print Edition

Clint Burnett has written a necessary introduction to inscriptions for New Testament students that has been lacking for some time. The opening chapter offers a very useful and appropriately detailed survey of the topic, and the following chapters offer helpful studies of various sorts. Each of these studies is directly relevant to the study of the New Testament and not only offers insights into these particular issues but suggests how inscriptions may be used for interpreting other passages and topics. I warmly recommend this work.

—Stanley E. Porter

Anyone interested in the civic life and religions of first-century CE GrecoRoman cities will treasure this book. It provides fascinating snapshots of that vast world of letters that were not confined in books and libraries but written on buildings, monuments, gravestones, coins, and even graffiti. Burnett has chosen some special examples in which this evidence sheds important new light on the New Testament. To encourage others in studying this underused resource, the appendices provide guides to the published collections of inscriptions as well as the extensive system of Latin abbreviations.

—Pheme Perkins

With this book, Clint Burnett builds a bridge between two disciplines that have long ignored each other, epigraphy and New Testament studies. Inscriptions are and, with hundreds of new finds every year, will continue to be a crucial source for illuminating our understanding of many aspects of antiquity. Through five case studies ranging from lexicography, to onomastics, and to social history, Burnett demonstrates the relevance of considering epigraphic evidence for the language and social realities of the New Testament. As such, this book is a must-have for any student dealing with the study of early Christianity within its social, cultural, and political context.

—Cédric Brélaz

Product Details

• Title: Studying the New Testament through Inscriptions: An Introduction
• Author: D. Clint Burnett
• Publisher: Hendrickson
• Print Publication Date: 2020
• Pages: 216
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Resource ID: LLS:STDYNGNWNTRDCTN
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2023-07-21T21:49:30Z

About D. Clint Burnett

D. Clint Burnett is an independent scholar with research interests in early Christianity and Greco- Roman material culture. He holds a PhD in Biblical Studies from Boston College. His previous books include Studying the New Testament through Inscriptions: An Introduction and Christ's Enthronement at God's Right Hand and Its Greco-Roman Cultural Context.

Sample Pages from Studying the New Testament through Inscriptions: An Introduction