Ancient Christianity on Stone: Greek Inscriptions and the Early Church

In histories of early Christianity, the use of the evidence provided by inscriptions produced by or for Christians has long remained marginal. However, emerging from the late second century onwards, such inscriptions are indispensable for reconstructing the development of Christian communities, particularly in regions where literary sources are scarce or entirely absent. They offer insights into the distinctive regional characteristics of early Christian groups, their leadership structures, building activities, and theological concerns. Above all, they reveal the striking diversity that marked these communities, each shaped by its own cultural and geographical setting. Dedicated to the distinguished historian of the Roman Empire, the late Stephen Mitchell, this volume provides an introduction to Greek inscriptions that may be identified as Christian and explores their significance for historiography. It brings together fifteen selected Christian inscriptions from Asia Minor and Greece. Thirteen contributors from different disciplines - Cilliers Breytenbach, Timo Christian, Georgios Deligiannakis, Klaus Hallof, James R. Harrison, Ulrich Huttner, Stephen Mitchell, Markus Öhler, Julien Ogereau, Philipp Pilhofer, Daniela Summa, Paul Trebilco, and Christiane Zimmermann - present a carefully curated set of especially noteworthy inscriptions dating from the second to the sixth centuries AD, highlighting both the individuality and the breadth of these texts and their messages. Four concluding essays by Andreas Merkt (ancient church history), Hartmut Leppin (ancient history), Sylvain Destephen (epigraphy), and Heinz-Günther Nesselrath (classical philology) place the selection within its wider historical and literary contexts.