Revelation and the Marble Economy of Roman Ephesus: A People&#039;s History Approach

Anna M. V. Bowden

doi:10.5771/9781978710184

Summary

In an effort to bring the (im)practicalities of John’s command for withdrawal from cultural participation in 18:4 to the forefront of scholarly discourse, this book reconstructs the marble economy of ancient Ephesus and proceeds to read Revelation by foregrounding the daily lives of its marble-workers. This book argues that Ephesus was a major center of the marble economy in the Roman world and that the infrastructure that went into creating, building, and sustaining such an enterprise generated the need for a large workforce. Anna M. V. Bowden further demonstrates that the majority of marble-workers endured poor working conditions and struggled on a daily basis to ensure subsistence. Finally, Bowden explores the ways marble-workers participated in empire “through the work of their hands” (9:20) and questions John’s characterization of marble-workers as idolaters, sorcerers, murderers, fornicators, and thieves. Bowden concludes that the praxis Revelation requires from its audience of complete withdrawal is pragmatically not sustainable and is ultimately a manifesto leaving marble-workers jobless, hungry, and with a heightened risk for malnutrition, disease, injury, and even death.

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Bibliographic data

Edition: 1/2020
Copyright Year: 2020
ISBN-Print: 978-1-9787-1017-7
ISBN-Online: 978-1-9787-1018-4
Publisher: Lexington, Lanham
Language: English
Pages: 210
Product Type: Monograph

1. Contents No access
2. List of Figures and Tables No access
3. Acknowledgments No access
Chapter 1 Rev 18:4 and Societal Participation No access Pages 1 - 40
Chapter 2 A People’s History Approach No access Pages 41 - 56
Chapter 3 The Ephesian Marble Economy No access Pages 57 - 108
Chapter 4 The Marble-Workers No access Pages 109 - 138
Chapter 5 The Work of Their Hands No access Pages 139 - 170
Chapter 6 The Marble-less New Jerusalem No access Pages 171 - 180
Conclusion No access Pages 181 - 186
Bibliography No access Pages 187 - 204
Index No access Pages 205 - 208
About the Author No access Pages 209 - 210