In this Book
- The Crosses of Pompeii: Jesus-Devotion in a Vesuvian Town
- Book
- 2016
- Published by: Augsburg Fortress Publishers
Through a twist of fate, the eruption that destroyed Pompeii in 79 CE also 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 W. Longenecker reviews that evidence, in comparison with other possible evidence of first-century Christian presence elsewhere, and reaches the conclusion that there were indeed Christians living in the doomed town. Illustrated with maps, charts, photographs, and line drawings depicting artifacts from the town, The Crosses of Pompeii presents an elegant case for their presence. Longenecker’s arguments require dramatic changes to our understanding of the early history of Christianity.
Table of Contents
- Part I: Introduction
- pp. 1-2
- 1. Questions and Answers
- pp. 3-18
- 2. In Advance
- pp. 19-34
- Part II: Setting Up
- pp. 35-36
- 3. The Starting Point
- pp. 37-48
- 4. The Debate
- pp. 49-62
- 6. The Perpendicular Equilateral
- pp. 79-98
- Part III: The Primary Evidence
- pp. 99-100
- 7. Jesus-Devotion in Relief
- pp. 101-116
- 8. Jesus-Devotion in the Insula
- pp. 117-144
- 9. Jesus-Devotion in the Letters
- pp. 145-152
- 10. Jesus-Devotion and the Inn
- pp. 153-166
- 11. Jesus-Devotion in Transactions
- pp. 167-188
- Part IV: The Supplemental Evidence
- pp. 189-190
- 12. Crossing the Streets
- pp. 191-216
- 13. Jesus-Devotion in the Streets
- pp. 217-250
- Part V: And So
- pp. 251-252
- 14. Belief and Skepticism
- pp. 253-260
- 15. Here and Beyond
- pp. 261-284
- Credits and Abbreviations
- pp. 307-310
- Bibliography
- pp. 311-340
- Index of Ancient Sources
- pp. 341-348
- Index of Modern Authors
- pp. 349-354
- Index of Vesuvian Locations
- pp. 355-358