Order and (Dis)order in the First Christian Century: A General Survey of Attitudes

Articulate first century Mediterranean society, Jewish and Christian included, expressly favoured harmonious order in society, in individuals, in communication, and in thought. Its common basis was the patriarchal family, the rule of law, rational self-control, and rational thought. Yet there was also resistance to oppressive and unjust order in all spheres; and while law could be held educative, yet there were substantial first century critiques of law, not just Paul’s, and awareness that judicial procedures could be chaotic and biassed. Strands of such dissidence appear in Jesus and in Paul, with significant relevance for any understanding of the early Christian movement(s) and contemporary Judaism(s) in Graeco-Roman context, but also with important implications for any practical reflections and application.

F. Gerald Downing, M.A. (Oxford), Hon. Research Fellow, University of Manchester, has taught Biblical Studies to ordinands (mostly Anglican), between times as parish priest, but is now retired. He has contributed to many international journals and essay collections, and produced a dozen books, six in series, most recently, God with Everything. The Divine in the Discourse of the First Christian Century (SWBA 2/2; Sheffield Phoenix, 2008).