Paul, the Praetorium and the Saints from Caesar’s Household: Philippians Revisited in Light of Migration Theory

This article premises that Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians while he was detained in Ephesus, not Rome as has been the traditional view, and that the πραιτώριον mentioned in Phil. 1.13 is a topographical reference – that is, a reference to a Roman administrative building, not the Imperial Gu...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Subtitles:Special Issue: Paul and the Praetorium, Guest Editors: Ryan S Schellenberg and Heidi Wendt
Main Author: Omerzu, Heike 1970- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Sage 2021
In: Journal for the study of the New Testament
Year: 2021, Volume: 43, Issue: 4, Pages: 450-467
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Paul Apostle / Pretorium / Migration / Bible. Philipperbrief 1,13 / Bible. Philipperbrief 4
IxTheo Classification:HC New Testament
HH Archaeology
KAB Church history 30-500; early Christianity
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:This article premises that Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians while he was detained in Ephesus, not Rome as has been the traditional view, and that the πραιτώριον mentioned in Phil. 1.13 is a topographical reference – that is, a reference to a Roman administrative building, not the Imperial Guard in Rome. This πραιτώριον is likely also the place where Paul met the members of ‘Caesar’s household’ mentioned in Phil. 4.22. Engaging with Michael Flexsenhar III’s recent study Christians in Caesar’s Household (2019a), I explore the social profile of this group of imperial slaves as well as Paul’s place as a social actor in the Eastern Mediterranean in light of recent trends in Migration Studies. Both Paul himself and also the members of the familia Caesaris to whom he refers embody typical features of migration such as interconnectedness, multiple belongings and super-diversity; these are shown to be important prerequisites for Paul’s conception of early Christian identity formation.
ISSN:1745-5294
Reference:Kommentar in "The Provenance of Philippians (2021)"
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal for the study of the New Testament
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1177/0142064X21990615