Christian Attitudes to Rome at the Time of Paul's Letter

Abstract

In the late fifties, Christianity was a provincial religious movement rooted in Jewish beliefs, practice, and history. This gives to a model of Christian attitudes to Rome three natural dimensions: provincial, Jewish, and distinctively Christian. A provisional list of attitudes is constructed by considering issues that were significant for each group. The resulting list has six elements: awe at Rome's prestige, power and wealth; appreciation of Roman peace, economic prosperity, partial protection of Diaspora communities, and laws permitting Jewish practice; resentment at taxation, occupation of Israel, and poor governing of Judaea; contempt for Roman religious beliefs and certain aspects of morality; denial of ultimate authority; and expectation of overthrow. This combination could be used as a grid for interpreting the Roman dimension of Paul's letter.