From Paul to Valentinus: Christians at Rome in the First Two Centuries [Hardcover]

Peter Lampe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2003

In this pathbreaking study of the rise and shape of the earliest churches in Rome, Lampe integrates history, archaeology, theology, and social analysis. He also takes a close look at the inscriptional evidence to complement the reading of the great literary texts: from Paul's Letter to the Romans to the writings of Clement of Rome, Justin Martyr, Montanus, and Valentinus. Thoroughly reworked and updated by the author for this English-language edition, this study is a groundbreaking work, broad in scope and closely detailed. In six parts, comprised of 51 chapters and four appendices. Lampe greatly advances our knowledge of the shape of leadership and the Christians' relation to the Judeans living in Rome.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Lampe shows that there are both archaeological and literary grounds for saying that the early Roman Christian community was at first indistinguishable from the Jewish one, from which it emerged as perhaps a less affluent underclass of God-fearer. Lampe's book will impress all who read it as a well-informed attempt to synthesize a vast amount of data in a serious, informed, and scholarly way." -- ---Alan F. Segal, Journal of Biblical Literature

"This impressive work puts our study of early Roman Christianity on a new and more certain empirical basis and must now serve as the point of departure for all subsequent research. . . . Lampe has expanded our database and has provided the most extensive social profile of Roman Christianity currently available." -- ---John H. Elliott, Catholic Biblical Quarterly

"This study is so masterful in its grasp of a vast array of evidence, so solid and innovative in its methodology, and so audacious in conception that it is bound to become a classic. It is the most important historical and sociological study ever written on roman Christianity." -- ---Robert Jewett, Interpretation

About the Author

Peter Lampe is Professor of New Testament at the University of Heidelberg, Germany.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 544 pages
• Publisher: Augsburg Fortress Publishers; 1st Fortress Press Ed edition (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800627024
• ISBN-13: 978-0800627027
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,089,460 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Detailed and Thorough, August 18, 2005

By 

Bu-Chan (Aotearoa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From Paul to Valentinus: Christians at Rome in the First Two Centuries (Hardcover)

Being fairly ignorant of the early history of Roman Christianity, (or any early Christian history for that matter), "From Paul to Valentinus: Christians at Rome in the First Two Centuries" was just begging to be read. The book did not fail to impress or keep me interested.

Let me just say to begin with that Peter Lampe is very thorough in his approach and the scope of his study. Through this book, he looks into a variety of aspects within the Roman Christian community, using many different sources. Lampe looks at the locations within Rome where Christians tended to live, using a few different criteria. He also covers aspects of economic well-being within the Christian groups, and also what he calls "social stratification". Lampe also traces the origins of Christians, and tries to show where they tended to come from in terms of background and geographical origins. Lampe additionally looks at individuals, and how indicative they are of the community as a whole.

Lampe's use of different sources is impressive, and he is very thorough in this respect. Sources include literary sources, (Jewish, Christian, pagan, philosophical, etc), along with archealogical sources from the catacombs to quite detailed discussions on grave sites around Rome and more. Lampe also uses computer-compiled lists of names found in the region, as well as other scholar's work. Lampe also makes use of the New Testament, though is is far from uncritical, and he is quite cautious and careful in his application of its data. Overall, I have found Lampe to be a careful and methodical scholar in his use of sources.

Lampe also uses a lot of sources from Latin, Koine Greek and some other languages, (including French). While laudable, Lampe does not always provide translations in English, which can be somewhat frustrating at times. His quotations in Greek can be a paragraph long, and if you can't understand the language, you may miss out on some of the details.

Peter Lampe also has some interesting chapters on individual people, including Marcion, the woman in Justin's "Apology", (some interesting theories here from Lampe), the author of "The Shepherd of Hermas" and others. I personally enjoyed these aspects of Lampe's study immensely, as he was able to throw some light onto the more individual and personal aspects of early Roman Christian life.

Apart from the point about untranslated languages above, I found this book to be both informative and dynamic. At times, it can get a little swamped in the details, (such as tracing phrases and common motifs through various sources), but this is a rare thing. Usually, the book covers a lot of ground with flair and skill.

For a look at Roman Christianity as the evidence seems to point, Peter Lampe's book is very good and it is very thorough, with lots of references and good, generous helpings of footnotes. I am rather glad that I read it, and I recommend it wholeheartedly.

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extensively researched and superbly presented, February 3, 2004

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From Paul to Valentinus: Christians at Rome in the First Two Centuries (Hardcover)

From Paul To Valentinus: Christians At Rome In The First Two Centuries by Peter Lampe (Professor of New Testament, University of Heidelberg, Germany), amalgamates world history, archaeology, theology, and social analysis in a scholarly and informationally impressive presentation on the rise and shape of the earliest Christian churches in Rome. Extensively researched and superbly presented, From Paul To Valentinus successfully strives to present a multifaceted picture of a once-struggling faith's crucial formative era that would be of immense interest to both academia and the non-specialist general reader with an interest in the history of the Christian church.

13 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A brillant illustration of early church life, June 8, 2004

By 

irene hughbar (spain) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From Paul to Valentinus: Christians at Rome in the First Two Centuries (Hardcover)

I was fascinated by the analysis of the early Christian house churches in Rome and by the fact that the office of a monarchical bishop developed relatively late (in the second half of the 2nd century) in the city of Rome. The social world of the early Christians and Jews in Rome becomes very much alive.