Wayne A. Meeks, The First Urban Christians: The Social World of the Apostle Paul, 2nd ed. (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1983). Pp. ix + 303. ISBN: 0300098617. Nathan C. Johnson Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton, NJ Meeks’ groundbreaking social historical study attempts to locate earliest Christianity in its urban environs. Instead of the bucolic images of fishermen and peasants that earliest Christianity might call to mind for modern readers, Meeks argues persuasively that Pauline Christianity “was an urban cult that spread through the empire,” of which the earliest evidence comes “from the documents associated with Paul” (x). The book stems from Meeks’ own curiosity, especially after receiving only blank looks from fellow biblical scholars after asking: “What was it like to become and be an ordinary Christian in the first century?” (2). His method is simple: first, he discerns the “texture of life in particular times and places,” then he describes the life of an ordinary Christian within that environment (2). Thus there is a double entendre in “the social world of early Christianity”: it adverts both to the early Christians’ environment and how they perceived and shaped that very environment. In Ch. 1, “The Urban Environment of Pauline Christianity,” Meeks argues that Paul and his movement were thoroughly urban. Meeks first amasses evidence for what Paul’s cities were like. Paul’s work took place along the Via Egnatia and the “common route” (koinē hodos [17]), the excellent Roman road network which enabled unprecedented mobility.1 The cities would have been predominantly Hellenophone,2 with the exception of the two Roman colonies in which Paul founded communities, Philippi and Corinth.3 Paul’s cities, Philippi excepted, were also all centers of trade open to foreigners, a crucial detail for his entry into urban social life. Socially, the cities were “stratified and stable,” with a handful of men occupying equestrian (< 200) and senatorial (600) posts and most others in generational positions.4 Manumission was the most common status change, and freedmen could do well, especially in an up-and-coming city like Corinth. These cities were also full of diversity and complexity. Women were theoretically accorded equal status with men by some Stoics,5 though they most often were fitted into traditional roles. Still some were active in selling luxury goods, and others were involved in religious associations or as founders of men’s clubs (24). Jews would have constituted an estimated 10-15% of
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Meeks estimates that Paul traveled over ten thousand miles (!) during his career (16). He adds other interesting tidbits to the discussion: sea travel was faster (100 mi/day) and cheaper; horses yielded 25-30 mi/day; walking only 15-20 (18). 2 As “Greek was the universal urban language of the eastern Roman provinces” (15). 3 Yet Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra might also be included if they are to be considered within the referent of “Galatia” (49). 4 Malherbe notes that these orders, combined, make up less than one-fifth of one percent of the Roman Empire. 5 Quoting an epigram attributed to the Cynic founder Antisthenes: “Virtue is the same for man and for woman” (23).
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