The Politics of Patronage and the Politics of Kinship: The Meeting of the Ways

Osiek, Carolyn

doi:10.1177/0146107909106758

Cited by 9 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…The New Testament also presents frequent and varied challenges to the patronage/clientage system (Crook 2004;Osiek;Horsley 1997;Neufeld & DeMaris). As David deSilva notes (153-54), quite often God performs the duties typically associated with powerful patrons, and thus is the one who deserves accolades and loyalty.…”

Section: Patronage/clientagementioning

confidence: 99%

Social Stratification

Johnson

2013

Biblical Theology Bulletin: Journal of Bible and Culture

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Every society has an organizational structure that reflects what is valued by that society. Those members of the society that are deemed more valuable or that contribute more to society are rewarded with a larger share of the goods and services. The ancient Mediterranean world functioned within a rigid hierarchical structure, in which the most valued members were openly designated-in the family, the city, the empire, and the cosmos. The virtues of the social stratification system were made apparent through the patronage/clientage system as the means of distribution of goods, the cultural battle for honor and the aversion to shame, and the patriarchal structure of the family, to name a few instances. Recognition of the prevailing hierarchical structure in the ancient Mediterranean world sheds light upon biblical writings, some of which affirm, and others of which challenge the cultural customs arising from the hyper-stratification of the societies from which they emerged. . She has published articles on Paul's letter collection and women in the New Testament era, and is completing a monograph on Paul as letter-writer in a non-literate culture.

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Section: Patronage/clientagementioning

confidence: 99%

Social Stratification

Johnson

2013

Biblical Theology Bulletin: Journal of Bible and Culture

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“…Boissevain 1966; Saller 1982; Neyrey 2005). But if classicists and ancient historians want to understand how this system functioned among ordinary people of the lower classes, a critical analysis of early Christian literature (for example, Paul’s letters) is essential:[W]hile patronage and benefaction among Roman elites has been well studied, little has been done to study the same social structures among non-elites… [W]hat we have in the literary remains of the early Jesus followers is some of the best evidence for the social relations of non-elites in the early Empire, granted, with certain peculiarities not shared with their other contemporaries, but probably having more in common with [than differences from] them (Osiek 2009: 146).…”

Section: How Can New Testament Exegesis Have Relevance For Other Disciplines?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[W]hile patronage and benefaction among Roman elites has been well studied, little has been done to study the same social structures among non-elites… [W]hat we have in the literary remains of the early Jesus followers is some of the best evidence for the social relations of non-elites in the early Empire, granted, with certain peculiarities not shared with their other contemporaries, but probably having more in common with [than differences from] them (Osiek 2009: 146).…”

Section: How Can New Testament Exegesis Have Relevance For Other Disc...mentioning

confidence: 99%

New Testament Exegesis as an Academic Discipline with Relevance for Other Disciplines

Kelhoffer

2013

Currents in Biblical Research

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Reciprocity as Salvation: Christ as Salvific Patron and the Corresponding ‘Payback’ Expected of Christ's Earthly Clients according to theSecond Letter of Clement

Kelhoffer

2013

New Testam. Stud.

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This article analyzes the widely misunderstood concept of ‘payback’ or ‘repayment’ (ἀντιμισθία) that, according to the so-called Second Letter of Clement, believers owe to Christ. Much of the secondary literature is laden with theological polemics (e.g. the author perverts Paul's gospel of grace), rather than an attempt to understand this concept relative to social relationships in antiquity. I argue that Second Clement presents Christ as salvific benefactor and patron. Christ offers salvation to those who accept the terms of his patronage, terms that include the obligation to render ‘payback’—for example, in the form of praise, witness, loyalty, and almsgiving. A failure to accept these terms would jeopardize the relationship between Christ and his earthly clients and thus call their salvation into question. As a corollary, I propose that a likely purpose for Second Clement was to convince a Christian audience that the benefits of salvation come with recurring obligations to Christ, their salvific patron.

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The Politics of Patronage and the Politics of Kinship: The Meeting of the Ways

Cited by 9 publications

References 12 publications

Social Stratification

Social Stratification

New Testament Exegesis as an Academic Discipline with Relevance for Other Disciplines

Reciprocity as Salvation: Christ as Salvific Patron and the Corresponding ‘Payback’ Expected of Christ's Earthly Clients according to theSecond Letter of Clement

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