The Earliest Christian Meeting Places: Almost Exclusively Houses?

Edward Adams

A&C Black, Oct 24, 2013 - Religion - 208 pages

Edward Adams challenges a strong consensus in New Testament and Early Christian studies: that the early Christians met 'almost exclusively' in houses. This assumption has been foundational for research on the social formation of the early churches, the origins and early development of church architecture, and early Christian worship. Recent years have witnessed increased scholarly interest in the early 'house church'.

Adams re-examines the New Testament and other literary data, as well as archaeological and comparative evidence, showing that explicit evidence for assembling in houses is not nearly as extensive as is usually thought. He also shows that there is literary and archaeological evidence for meeting in non-house settings. Adams makes the case that during the first two centuries, the alleged period of the 'house church', it is plausible to imagine the early Christians gathering in a range of venues rather than almost entirely in private houses. His thesis has wide-ranging implications.

Contents

• INTRODUCTION: 1
• 2 Shops and Workshops as House Church Settings: 5
• 3 Reassessing Early Christian Meeting Places: 8
• 4 The Aims Approach and Structure of the Book: 10
• Part I EVIDENCE FOR HOUSES AS MEETING PLACES: 15
• EPISTLES: 17
• 2 The DeuteroPauline Letters: 35
• 3 The General Epistles: 40
• 4 Conclusion: 43
• GOSPELS AND ACTS: 45
• 2 The Book of Acts: 51
• 3 Conclusion: 67
• Chapter 3 LITERARY EVIDENCE FROM 100 TO 313 CE: 68
• 1 Evidence for Houses as Meeting Places: 69
• 2 Evidence for Adapted Houses as Church Buildings: 80
• 3 Conclusion: 88
• Chapter 4 ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE: 89
• 2 The Christian Prayer Hall at Megiddo: 96
• 3 The Titular Churches of Rome: 99
• 4 Other Claimed PreConstantinian Domestic Domus Ecclesiae: 104
• 5 Conclusion: 111
• Chapter 5 COMPARATIVE EVIDENCE: 113
• 2 Houses as Schools and Places of Teaching: 116
• 3 Houses as Collegial Meeting Places: 119
• 4 House Synagogues: 124
• 5 Conclusion: 133
• Part II EVIDENCE AND POSSIBILITIES FOR NONHOUSE MEETING PLACES: 135
• Chapter 6 RETAIL INDUSTRIAL AND STORAGE SPACES: 137
• 2 Barns: 146
• 3 Warehouses: 149
• 4 Conclusion: 156
• Chapter 7 COMMERCIAL HOSPITALITY AND LEISURE SPACE: 157
• 2 Rented Dining Rooms: 166
• 3 Bathhouses: 171
• 4 Conclusion: 179
• Chapter 8 OUTDOOR SPACES AND BURIAL PLACES: 181
• 2 Watersides: 186
• 3 Urban Open Spaces: 189
• 4 Burial Sites: 192
• 5 Conclusion: 196
• CONCLUSION: 198
• Appendix 1 THE SETTING OF THE CORINTHIAN COMMUNAL MEAL: 203
• Appendix 2 FIGURES: 207
• Bibliography: 232
• Index of References: 253
• Index of Authors: 261

About the author

Edward Adams is Lecturer in New Testament Studies at King's College London, UK. He is also the author of 'Constructing the World: A Study in Paul's Cosmological Language' (2000, T&T Clark) and has co-authored 'Christianity at Corinth: The Quest for the Pauline Church'.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Earliest Christian Meeting Places: Almost Exclusively Houses?; Volume 450 of The Library of New Testament Studies
• Author: Edward Adams
• Edition: revised
• Publisher: A&C Black, 2013
• ISBN: 0567157326, 9780567157324
• Length: 208 pages
• Subjects: Religion / Biblical Studies / General; Religion / Biblical Studies / History & Culture; Religion / Biblical Studies / New Testament / Paul's Letters