Front matter
The Social Setting of the Ministry as Reflected in the Writings of Hermas, Clement and Ignatius
Studies in Christianity and Judaism / Etudes sur le christianisme et le judaïsme : 11
Studies in Christianity and Judaism ί Études sur le christianisme et le judaïsme publishes monographs on Christianity and Judaism in the last two centuries before the common era and the first six centuries of the common era, with a special interest in studies of their interrelationship or the cultural and social context in which they developed.
GENERAL EDITOR:
Peter Richardson University of Toronto
EDITORIAL BOARD:
Paula Fredriksen Boston University John Gager Princeton University Olivette Genest Université de Montréal Paul-Hubert Poirier Université Laval Adele Reinhartz McMaster University Stephen G. Wilson Carleton University
Studies in Christianity and Judaism / Études sur le christianisme et le judaïsme 11
The Social Setting of the Ministry as Reflected in the Writings of Hermas, Clement and Ignatius Harry O. Maier Published for the Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion /
Corporation Canadienne des Sciences Religieuses by Wilfrid Laurier University Press
The original printing of this book was published with the support of the Dissertation series prize of the Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry
Development Program for our publishing activities.
National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication Data Maier, Harry O., 1959The social setting of the ministry as reflectd in the writings of Hermas, Clement and Ignatius (Studies in Christianity and Judaism = Études sur le christianisme et le judaïsme
ESCJ; v. 12) First published 1991.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-88920-411-X
I. Church polity—History—Early church, ca. 30-600, 2. Pastoral theology— History of doctrines—Early church, ca. 30-600. 3. Hermas, 2nd cent. Shepherd.
4. Clement I, Pope. First epistle of Clement to the Corinthians. 5. Ignatius, Saint,
Bishop of Antioch, d. ca. 100. I. Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion.
II. Title. III. Series.
BV648.M26 2002
253\09'015
C2002-900795-X
© 1991 Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion I Corporation Canadienne des
Sciences Religieuses Second impression 2002 Cover design by Leslie Macredie. Cover image The Consecration of the Tabernacle and Its Priests (Panel WB2) from the final report 8, pt. 1 in the series: Excavations at DuraEuroposy originally published in 1956 by Yale University Press. β Printed in Canada Every reasonable effort has been made to acquire permission for copyright material used in this text, and to acknowledge all such indebtedness accurately. Any errors and omissions called to the publisher's attention will be corrected in future printings.
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To my Father Edmund Mater Was du ererbt von deinen Vätern hast, erwirb es, um es zu besitzen.
— Goethe
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Contents Acknowledgments ίχ Introduction
ATopic With a Long History '
The Early Ministry and the Household:
A House-Church Trajectory
The Methodology
The Strategy
Notes .
I* Chapter One The Household in the Ancient World
The Traditional Graeco-Roman Household
The Household and Mystery Religions and Foreign Cults, Philosophical Schools, Associations, and Jewish Synagogues
Summary .
Notes
Chapter Two The Pauline Epistles
Part One: The Genuine Pauline Epistles
The Early Pauline Church ai Sectarian
The Household Context of the Christian Sect
House-Church Leadership
Part Two: The Pseudonymous Pauline Epistles
Colossians and Ephesians
The Pastoral Epistles ..
Summary
Notes..
Chapter Three The Shepherd of Hermas
Date
Purpose of the Work ..
Relation between the Church and the World
Ethics and Separation from the World
Notes
viii The Social Setting of the Ministry Chapter Four 1 Clement
The Setting of the Corinthian Dispute
I Clement and Sect Development
Institutionalization
Legitimation
Notes...
Chapter Five Ignatius
The Social Setting of the lgnatian Epistles
Charisma in the lgnatian Epistles...
Ignatius and Community-Protecting Charisma
Legitimation
Notes......
Chapter Six Epilogue
Notes
Abbreviations
Bibliography.....
Edition of Primary Sources
Secondary Sources
Acknowledgments Foremost among the many people I should like to thank for contributing to this thesis is my supervisor Professor M. F. Wiles. Since I embarked on this topic three years ago he has provided me with both personal support and constructive criticism, without which the following chapters would not have been possible. I have been privileged to study under him and am grateful for his excellent supervision.
I should also like to thank Dr. Bryan R. Wilson who supervised the sociological portions of this thesis. The contemporary sectarian phenomena to which he drew my attention stimulated my imagination and led me to a new approach of early Christian texts. The Reverend Robert Morgan kindly read the N e w Testament chapter. He was generous with his time and provided valuable criticisms. It was under his tutelage that this topic first took shape and I am grateful for his active interest as it has developed.
To David J. Reimer I also express my heartfelt thanks. By plodding through pages of often rebarbative prose and suggesting more fluent ways of stating my case, he helped remove many stylistic asperities.
A Commonwealth Scholarship has enabled me to study in the United Kingdom. I thank the Association of Commonwealth Universities for supporting my academic endeavor in this university.
Finally, I should like to thank my wife Faith. She has faithfully supported and cared for me during our stay in Oxford. Her confidence in me and enthusiasm for my topic, as well as the hours she sacrificed to type revisions and proofread, contributed greatly to the completion of this project. 1 am thankful for her dedication, and for sharing in my passion for early church history; sola fide.
Oxford 23 July 1987
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