Revelation and the Marble Economy of Roman Ephesus : A People's History Approach Hardback
by Anna M. V., Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary Bowden
Hardback
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Description
In an effort to bring the (im)practicalities of John’s command for withdrawal from cultural participation in 18:4 to the forefront of scholarly discourse, this book reconstructs the marble economy of ancient Ephesus and proceeds to read Revelation by foregrounding the daily lives of its marble-workers.
This book argues that Ephesus was a major center of the marble economy in the Roman world and that the infrastructure that went into creating, building, and sustaining such an enterprise generated the need for a large workforce.
Anna M. V. Bowden further demonstrates that the majority of marble-workers endured poor working conditions and struggled on a daily basis to ensure subsistence.
Finally, Bowden explores the ways marble-workers participated in empire “through the work of their hands†(9:20) and questions John’s characterization of marble-workers as idolaters, sorcerers, murderers, fornicators, and thieves.
Bowden concludes that the praxis Revelation requires from its audience of complete withdrawal is pragmatically not sustainable and is ultimately a manifesto leaving marble-workers jobless, hungry, and with a heightened risk for malnutrition, disease, injury, and even death.
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Available to Order - This title is available to order, with delivery expected within 2 weeks
- Format:Hardback
- Pages:246 pages
- Publisher:Rowman & Littlefield
- Publication Date:10/12/2020
- Category:
- ISBN:9781978710177
Information
-
Available to Order - This title is available to order, with delivery expected within 2 weeks
- Format:Hardback
- Pages:246 pages
- Publisher:Rowman & Littlefield
- Publication Date:10/12/2020
- Category:
- ISBN:9781978710177