The Crosses of Pompeii: Jesus-Devotion in a Vesuvian Town

Description

The eruption that destroyed Pompeii in 79 preserved a wealth of evidence about the town, buried for centuries in volcanic ash. Since the town's excavations in the eighteenth century, archaeologists have disputed the evidence that might attest the presence of Christians in Pompeii before the eruption. Now, Bruce Longenecker reviews that material evidence and introduces artifacts previously unrecognized for their relevance to the issue. Illustrated with maps, charts, photographs, and line drawings depicting artifacts from the town, The Crosses of Pompeii presents an elegant case for the presence of Jesus-devotion in the Vesuvian town. Longenecker's arguments require dramatic changes to our understanding of the history of earliest Christianity. Part I. Introduction 1. Questions and Answers 3 2. In Advance 19 Part II. Setting Up 3. The Starting Point 37 4. The Debate 49 5. The Cross in Early Christianity and Beyond 63 6. The Perpendicular Equilateral 79 Part III. The Primary Evidence 7. Jesus-Devotion in Relief 101 8. Jesus-Devotion in the Insula 117 9. Jesus-Devotion in the Letters 145 10. Jesus-Devotion and the Inn 153 11. Jesus-Devotion in Transactions 167 12. Crossing the Streets 191 13. Jesus-Devotion in the Streets 217 Part V. And So 14. Belief and Skepticism 253 15. Here and Beyond 261 Appendix: Positioning Pompeii’s Street Crosses 285 Credits and Abbreviations 307 Bibliography 311 Index of Ancient Sources 341 Index of Modern Authors 349 Index of Vesuvian Locations 355