Early Christian Centers

Ein neuer Gott für Roms Imperium | Official Trailer Warum hat das Christentum die Antike überlebt? Wie konnte aus einer kleinen jüdischen Sekte eine Weltreligion werden? Und warum entschied sich im ersten Jahr...

In unserer zweiten Postcastfolge sprechen Benjamin und Jan mit Niklas über das Zeugnis des werdenden Christentums in der antiken Stadt und darüber, was wir möglicherweise als Kirche und Gesellschaft davon heute lernen können.

As the year draws to a close, it is a good opportunity to look back and see what has happened this year and to thank you for all the good things that have happened to us. 🙏

Thank you all for your support! 🙌
And a big thank you to the whole team. It's great to be travelling together - as part of our project and the friendships that have developed along the way.
Here's to a great next year from the ECCLESIAE team! 🥂🍾
Happy New Year!!! Have a nice celebration

PS: We will also be able to announce news soon 🥳😏 So stay tuned. ☝️

📸.ch
1-8: Some impressions of the team

🎁🌟 As the festive season approaches, the ECCLESIAE team would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. 🎄✨

Thank for your support and Thank you for all your support throughout the year. We wish you and your loved ones a blessed holiday season filled with joy.

As a small thank you, here are some pictures of some of the places we were able to visit as a project...

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01: Rome - Forum Romanum
02: Kenchrea (Corinth)
03: Ephesos
04: Corinth
05: Ostia
06: Didyma
07: Epidauros

The Temple of Artemis of Ephesus stands majestically on the banks of the Meander River, a monument of unparalleled grandeur and splendour. The remains of this venerable sanctuary bear witness to a time when the goddess Artemis was worshipped and dominated urban life in Ephesus.

Acts 19:23-40 tells of a confrontation between the Christian movement and the local cult of Artemis. Because of Paul's overwhelming missionary success, the silversmiths feared for their business as sales of their Artemis statues threatened to collapse. In defence of their Artemis and their craft, the craftsmen, together with a mob from the city, turned against Paul.

Whatever the historical content of this passage in the Acts of the Apostles, it testifies to the tension and competition in the urban environment between the established cults and the nascent Christian movement.
The marble blocks from the destroyed temple of Artemis, which were used as spolia in the Basilica of St John, bear witness to a much later chapter in this competition for religious authority in the urban space.

🖊️📜 Corona Langjahr

📸 .ch

01-02: The two statues of Artemis that were found in Ephesos
03: An ephesian inscription mentioning "Silversmiths (ἀργυροκόποι)"
04: The ruins of the Temple of Artemis
05: The Basilica of St. John, built with visible spolia

Looking back on the wonderful days we spent in Erfurt last week during the Advent season. Together with the research group "Religion & Urbanity" of the Max-Weber-Kolleg (University of Erfurt) we, the ECCLESIAE project, organised a conference on the early Christian movement in the context of urban centres.

We enjoyed many inspiring papers and presentations, exciting encounters, good conversations over meals and a magical snow-covered Erfurt. Richly gifted, we were able to make our way home.

Thanks to all who attended and contributed.
Special thanks to Jörg Frey for initiating the contact between the two projects and to Jörg Rüpke and his team for their kind hospitality.

Some impressions:
01: The conference :)
02: Benjamin giving his presentation
03: "Krämerbrücke"
04: On a tour of Erfurt's Jewish history
05: A stained glass window in the Augustinian monastery where Luther became a monk with the rose that would later become his symbol (Lutherrose)

A massive arch still stands in the city center of Thessaloniki today, serving as a reminder of an era when the city was the residence of the Roman emperor. In the late 3rd century, it was Galerius Valerius Maximianus, holding the position of tetrarchic Caesar from 293 and Augustus of the East from 305. The arch commemorates his victory against the Persians in 298 A.D. During late antiquity, the arch was integrated into the most important roads of the city: it arched over the decumanus maximus and accentuated the entrance to the imperial palace grounds. Anyone attending events in the Hippodrome would undoubtedly pass through this imposing structure, which served as a visible symbol of imperial rule in the cityscape.
The city's Christian population was also confronted with this, enduring the Diocletian persecution at the beginning of the 4th century—a persecution allegedly incited by Galerius and only concluding in 311 with the Edict of Toleration issued by Galerius.
Adorned with numerous images celebrating Galerius' victory as the protector of the pax romana and the tetrarchic system, the arch's imagery reflects a hierarchical social structure, depicting victories through martial scenes of subjugation. To the Christians in Thessaloniki, the images, though now seemingly unfamiliar, formed part of their visual language. It is, therefore, unsurprising to find many similar motifs in Christian art, which was concurrently developing. Christ is depicted as a cosmic ruler, enthroned above Caelus and Tellus, while the magi in the adoration scene bear resemblance to defeated barbarians from the East.

🖊️📜 Lara Mührenberg

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01: The Arch of Galerius by night (Rotunda in the back)
02: The Arch of Galerius in its current state of preservation in the city center of Thessaloniki
03: Caelus and Tellus grasp arched sheets with both hands, the two Augusti place their feet on them
04: The defeated barbarians from the east wearing pants and Phrygian caps