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Flee from the Worship of Idols: Becoming Christian in Roman Corinth

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2015, BA, Kent State University, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of History.
This thesis discusses what it meant to become a Christian in first century Roman Corinth for Corinthians from Jewish, Roman, Greek, or Egyptian religious backgrounds. Because the first generation of Christian converts came directly from other religious constructs, these religious constructs were strongly influential in the development of early Christianity in Corinth. Evidence for this influence can be seen in the Apostle Paul's letters to the Corinthians, where the presence of argumentation indicates that some of the Christians disagreed with Paul on various topics, many of which were related to contemporary Corinthian religious practices. As the early Christians distinguished themselves from the Diaspora Jewish communities in which they originated and actively pursued Gentile converts, the fusion of believers with differing religious backgrounds caused uncertainty and conflict over acceptable beliefs and practices within Christian communities, such as the need for Jewish rites of circumcision and dietary restrictions or the freedom of believers to continue interacting with idols. By discussing Paul's Corinthian letters alongside other ancient sources and archaeological evidence, this thesis shows how the religious diversity in first century Corinth influenced the Christian community, demonstrating that Christianity was not formed in a vacuum but in conversation with contemporary religious constructs.
Lindsay Starkey, PhD (Advisor)
100 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Byler, D. (2015). Flee from the Worship of Idols: Becoming Christian in Roman Corinth [Undergraduate thesis, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ksuhonors1431446369

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Byler, Dorvan. Flee from the Worship of Idols: Becoming Christian in Roman Corinth. 2015. Kent State University, Undergraduate thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ksuhonors1431446369.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Byler, Dorvan. "Flee from the Worship of Idols: Becoming Christian in Roman Corinth." Undergraduate thesis, Kent State University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ksuhonors1431446369

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)