Indisputable Historical Facts About Early Christianity

[Jax]

I think Jax is referring to the Aramaic כיפא and the old understanding that it meant stone not rock. But there are a few examples of it meaning large rock - Com. TgO Num20:8 : מַיָא מִן כֵיפָא‏ water from the rock. P Gn29:3 : ܘܡܥܓܠܝܢ ܟܐܦܐ ܡܢ ܦܘܡܗܿ ܕܒܪܐ‏ they were rolling the rock off the mouth of the well.

No. Peter had it right.

I can barely handle Greek, Aramaic is waaaaaaaayyyy above my pay scale.

[Jax]

14: The early Christians were in the forefront of using the codex over the scroll.

Would this indicate that early Christians were in a higher economic/social strata than the general public?

[Jax]

How about Christian symbiology? Do we have any facts as to what came first and when?

[Aleph One]

I think the info from Pliny the Younger's Letter to Emperor Trajan should fit this bill as well anything. We learn that in 110 AD there was a notable Christian presence, some of whom having been adherents for 20 years, in the Roman province of Bithynia. Christians were persecuted (though not systematically) under the Roman prohibition on secret clubs. The Christians referred to themselves as such (or at least others referred to them by that name) and they participated in some kind of communal meal and pre-dawn ritual.

[Peter Kirby]

I think the info from Pliny the Younger's Letter to Emperor Trajan should fit this bill as well anything. We learn that in 110 AD there was a notable Christian presence, some of whom having been adherents for 20 years, in the Roman province of Bithynia. Christians were persecuted (though not systematically) under the Roman prohibition on secret clubs. The Christians referred to themselves as such (or at least others referred to them by that name) and they participated in some kind of communal meal and pre-dawn ritual.

There were also "two female slaves who were called deaconesses," evincing a leadership structure and that women were leaders.

[Jax]

I think the info from Pliny the Younger's Letter to Emperor Trajan should fit this bill as well anything. We learn that in 110 AD there was a notable Christian presence, some of whom having been adherents for 20 years, in the Roman province of Bithynia. Christians were persecuted (though not systematically) under the Roman prohibition on secret clubs. The Christians referred to themselves as such (or at least others referred to them by that name) and they participated in some kind of communal meal and pre-dawn ritual.

There were also "two female slaves who were called deaconesses," evincing a leadership structure and that women were leaders.

Although Διακονοις does mean "servant".

[Jax]

I think the info from Pliny the Younger's Letter to Emperor Trajan should fit this bill as well anything. We learn that in 110 AD there was a notable Christian presence, some of whom having been adherents for 20 years, in the Roman province of Bithynia. Christians were persecuted (though not systematically) under the Roman prohibition on secret clubs. The Christians referred to themselves as such (or at least others referred to them by that name) and they participated in some kind of communal meal and pre-dawn ritual.

I don't remember anything about secret clubs in the account just an prohibition against gatherings of any kind.

[Aleph One]

There were also "two female slaves who were called deaconesses," evincing a leadership structure and that women were leaders.

Good catch I forgot that.

Although Διακονοις does mean "servant".

I believe slave makes sense here because the letter says information was tortured out of them which was apparently Roman legal practice.

I don't remember anything about secret clubs in the account just an prohibition against gatherings of any kind.

In an earlier letter in the same collection (Trajan to Pliny Letter 43) Trajan says in response to Pliny's request for permission to create an official fire department (of a sort):

YOU are of opinion it would be proper to establish a company of firemen in Nicomedia, agreeably to what has been practiced in several other cities. But it is to be remembered that societies of this sort have greatly disturbed the peace of the province in general, and of those cities in particular. Whatever name we give them, and for whatever purposes them may be founded, they will not fail to form themselves into factious, assemblies, however short their meetings may be. It will therefore be safer to provide such machines as are of service in extinguishing fires, enjoining the owners of houses to assist in preventing the mischief from spreading, and, if it should be necessary, to call in the aid of the populace.

From what I've read he uses the same word for "club" as he uses to describe the Christians', so that's why it is thought to be a specific prohibition on (secret?) societies.

[Ben C. Smith]

From what I've read he uses the same word for "club" as he uses to describe the Christians'...

Correct. The word is hetaeria, a loanword from the Greek ἑταιρεία.

[Jax]

There were also "two female slaves who were called deaconesses," evincing a leadership structure and that women were leaders.

Good catch I forgot that.

Although Διακονοις does mean "servant".

I believe slave makes sense here because the letter says information was tortured out of them which was apparently Roman legal practice.

My point was that Διακονοις means servant and slave is surely a servant.

In any household of Romans that the Roman authorities wanted information about, they would torture the slaves in that household for the information as Roman citizens were exempt from such practices. This tells us that the Christians with these Διακονοις were probably Roman households, or at least citizens of Rome, and the fact that Pliny is sending some of them to Rome for further processing is more proof of this in my opinion.