The New Testament Background: Selected Documents -
ed. C.K. Barrett
This poor book is falling apart. A well used paperback from the 60's...I'm afraid I'm it's last reader. Split in two. A dozen pages unglued from each section. It had a good life, I hope!
It's a cool selection of passages from Jewish, Roman, and Greek writings - religious, political, historical stuff. Two things really stood out to me.
1 - Peace and war aren't opposites, at least from the perspective of empires and kingdoms. They're more or less complimentary methods of power and prosperity. The opposite of peace is rebellion or division, which can sometimes lead to war. To "bring peace" means to crush the rebellion or end the opposition. Wars of conquest don't seem to threaten the maintenance of peace.
2 - The concept of slavery - someone owning someone else - is all over ancient religious writing, Pagan, Jewish, and Christian. It's a central metaphor for the relationship between the divine and human. Is it fair to call it the fundamental "hierarchy" (holy rule) of the ancient world? Did the rapid growth of slavery during the Roman Empire increase the frequency of it's metaphorical use?
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