The First Urban Christians: The Social World of the Apostle Paul

This monumental volume was widely read and discussed shortly after it appeared in 1983 (see, e.g., Bruce J. Malinas review in JBL 104 [1985]: 34649). However, because it provides an excellent theoretical foundation for the discussion of the environment of the Pauline churches, mainly the community of Corinth, the book has been translated into many languages. Meekss major contribution to the study of Paul was the accumulation of data derived from social description. Thus, there is now no scholar in the field of New Testament studies who does not know Meekss The First Urban Christians. In the past two decades the world of New Testament scholarship has seen a number of important publications applying the social-science models of interpretation that have fundamentally transformed the way New Testament scholars view the early Christians. Meeks is certainly one of the first who started this way of reading the texts. Thus, the second edition of this classic work is quite welcome. For those already familiar with the various sociological methods of New Testament interpretation, this volume provides one of the first attempts to describe the life of the early Christians through social history. After the first publication of this book, scholarly research widely adopted Meekss understandin g of the socioeconomic status of the first urban Christians. [Full Review]