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Reconstructing Honor in Roman Philippi: Carmen Christi as Cursus Pudorum
This book examines Paul's letter to the Philippians against the social background of the colony at Philippi. After an extensive survey of Roman social values, Professor Hellerman argues that the cursus honorum, the formalized sequence of public offices that marked out the prescribed social pilgrimage for aspiring senatorial aristocrats in Rome (and which was replicated in miniature in municipalities and in voluntary associations), forms the background against which Paul has framed his picture of Jesus in the great Christ hymn in Philippians 2. In marked contrast to the values of the dominant culture, Paul portrays Jesus descending what the author describes as a cursus pudorum ('course of ignominies'). The passage has thus been intentionally framed to subvert Roman cursus ideology and, by extension, to redefine the manner in which honour and power were to be utilized among the Christians at Philippi.
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First published January 1, 2005
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May 30, 2023
Scholarly Context:
Hellerman’s monograph contributes to two conversations; it does so on an historical pane as well as a theological pane. On the historical pane, Hellerman spends more than half of his study demonstrating that honour is the life blood of the Roman world, including the Roman colony Philippi. From the elite to the slaves, honour was the social capital of the day. In the theological conversation, Hellerman enters quite uniquely into the Carmen Christi (Phil. 2.5-11) conversation, offering a unique ethical dimension that is not so much soteriological, but ecclesiological in nature. The application that he offers is that of mimicking the example set by Paul and, more importantly, Jesus.
Outline:
This study is divided into 6 chapters and can be categorised into three main parts that move from history to the New Testament (Acts and Philippians). The three main parts are divided as follows: the first part (chapters 1 and 2) is devoted to setting the scene of the Roman social landscape as an empire existing in a certain hierarchy that is devoted to honour. In the second part (chapters 3 and 4), Hellerman demonstrates that Philippi, though largely Greek, was preoccupied with the same desires due to its rule by Roman elites and its Roman military influence as a Roman colony. The third and final section (chapters 5 and 6) is devoted to reexamining the biblical materials found in Acts and Philippians in light of the historical discoveries, especially the Christ hymn (Phil. 2.5-11). Chapter 7 is devoted to conclusionary material and some applications drawn from the study.
I. Roman Empire
In the first chapter, Hellerman demonstrates that in the Roman empire existed extreme social stratification in all areas of life. Whether public or private, elite or non-elite, all areas were concerned with preserving or obtaining status and rank.
In the second chapter, Hellerman argues that the motive behind the desire for rank and status within this stratified empire was the quest for one social attribute: honour. Hellerman (2005, p. 37) elaborates:
“It is fair to assert...that in the solar system of ancient goods and values, honor occupied the place of the sun around which other priorities orbited. To remove honor and honor seeking from the heart of an analysis of the ancient world would therefore be to render impossible a nuanced understanding of Roman social life.”
II. Philippi
In the third chapter Hellerman shifts his investigation to the Roman colony of Philippi. Still occupied with history, Hellerman demonstrates by surveying ancient inscriptions across the land that even though Roman elites were outnumbered by the Greek non-elites and slaves, the elites still set the social values of Philippi, therefore, honour was a central value to the colony. This was primarily secured by the Roman colonisation of Philippi, which functioned as a land allotment where veteran Roman soldiers could live. This, as well as the imperial cult, contributed to the social stratification in Philippi.
In the fourth chapter, Hellerman argues that both the elite and non-elite (even the slaves) were occupied with seeking honour and rise of status in the eyes of their own social ranks. Thus, Philippi reflected the social values of the broader Roman empire where everyone in their own social setting sought honorification, often at the cost of their social peers’ honour. Hellerman observes that this quest for honour created a competitive environment in ancient Philippi in every level of its social hierarchy.
III. New Testament
In the fifth chapter, Hellerman focuses his study on the New Testament. His first investigation is the book of Acts, where he demonstrated that Philippi was the only Roman colony of eight other colonies that are explicitly identified as such in the book of Acts. Similarly, Paul and Silas’ actions as recorded in Acts are considered; when persecuted, they did not call upon their citizen status–which would have exempted them from harsh punishment–until after they were beaten. For this reason, it was argued that they did not see their citizen status as something to be exploited, instead they endured suffering for the benefit of others who did not share the honorific status of citizen (2005, p. 116). Paul similarly represents himself in Philippians; Paul doesn’t refer to himself as an apostle, this would be counterproductive to his aims, instead he identifies himself as a slave of Christ Jesus (Phil. 1.1). Indeed, in his own cursus honorum in Phil. 3.5-6, he counts these honorific gains as loss for the sake of Christ.
In the sixth chapter, Hellerman lands his study in a climactic focus on the so-called Carmen Christi (Phil. 2.5-11). He demonstrates convincingly that in the representation of Christ, there is a clear three-step delineation of class, or a cursus podorum, a course of shame (2.5-8). This is a reversal of the Roman cursus honorum, the path to honour. The first step (v. 6) is that of sharing equality with God; the second step (v. 7) is the divine becoming human and taking on slave status; and the third step (v. 8) is the most shameful expression imaginable to a Roman mind: death on a cross. Hellerman points out that Jesus did not use his divine social status in a Roman way as something to be exploited, rather he surrendered it for the service of others. Through his humiliation, he received the ultimate honorification: a reconstructed honour in Phil. 2.9-11: “Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (NRSV). “The implication, then, is that God will fully and finally vindicate–that is, greatly honor–all who, like Jesus, use their status and power for the benefit of others in the community” (Hellerman, 2005, p. 154).
IV. Conclusion
Hellerman concludes with a brief overview of all his findings, then moves into a section where he draws out some applications for a modern context living in a world that is still marked with social stratification with no end in sight:
Instead of rejecting in principle the social realities of honor and shame, therefore, Paul and those who shared his sentiments sought to reconstruct the cultural values and social codes of the Roman world by substituting, for those attitudes and kinds of behavior deemed honorable by the dominant culture, a radically alternative set of attitudes and kinds of behavior to be honored in the Christian ekklesia. That God himself had profoundly honored these very attitudes and behavior in the life of his servant Jesus assures Paul’s readers that the alternative vision for social relations which he offers them is, in the final analysis, far superior to–and much more enduring than–the public pomp and status-conscious value system of the Roman world (Hellerman, 2005, p. 165).
Evaluation
This is a relatively short study (about 167 pages), however, it provides the student with copious amounts of primary source material from ancient Rome and its social fabric, especially pertaining to honour as a central cultural value. Hellerman convincingly demonstrates by surveying ancient materials (e.g. inscriptions, literature, and statues) that honour permeated the Roman empire at every level of its social hierarchy. His investigation into similar inscriptions in Philippi leads him to conclude that this colony was no different; it was just as much concerned with honour as other parts of the Roman empire. By linking these findings to the New Testament, more specifically to Acts and Philippians, Hellerman opened up whole new insights and reasons for why Luke and Paul might have articulated their recordings in certain ways when discussing or addressing their context, especially Acts 16.16-40, Philippians 3.3-8, and most prominently Philippians 2.5-11. In all of these passages, Hellerman helpfully demonstrates that the status and class that so occupied the Roman consciousness was turned on its head; instead of gaining honour and status for personal gain, these examples (Paul and Silas in Acts 16.16-40 and Phil. 3.3-8 who were Roman citizens by birth, and Jesus in Phil. 2.5-11, who shares equality with God) show that one’s honour and status ought to be inverted in order to serve the other. He helpfully extracts an ecclesiological ethical paradigm as application for these passages.
Contribution
Hellerman’s study is of great value to any student concerned with honour in the Roman world, the letter to the Philippians, or just Philippians 2.5-11. This study is helpful in providing socio-historical data. It is an immense resource that provides the student with a web of primary source material on honour in the Roman context. More specifically, he provides students of Philippians with valuable historical background information. Hellerman also produces a convincing argument for seeing the Christ hymn in Philippians 2.5-11 as paradigmatic. He does this by showing that Rome's prevalent cursus honorum––as it existed in the militarised Roman colony Philippi––was being directly critiqued and reversed by Paul in both his own life (Acts 16.16-40 & Phil. 3.5-6) and, more saliently, the life of Jesus (Phil. 2.5-11), thus bearing implications on the lives of those following their teachings.
Hellerman’s monograph contributes to two conversations; it does so on an historical pane as well as a theological pane. On the historical pane, Hellerman spends more than half of his study demonstrating that honour is the life blood of the Roman world, including the Roman colony Philippi. From the elite to the slaves, honour was the social capital of the day. In the theological conversation, Hellerman enters quite uniquely into the Carmen Christi (Phil. 2.5-11) conversation, offering a unique ethical dimension that is not so much soteriological, but ecclesiological in nature. The application that he offers is that of mimicking the example set by Paul and, more importantly, Jesus.
Outline:
This study is divided into 6 chapters and can be categorised into three main parts that move from history to the New Testament (Acts and Philippians). The three main parts are divided as follows: the first part (chapters 1 and 2) is devoted to setting the scene of the Roman social landscape as an empire existing in a certain hierarchy that is devoted to honour. In the second part (chapters 3 and 4), Hellerman demonstrates that Philippi, though largely Greek, was preoccupied with the same desires due to its rule by Roman elites and its Roman military influence as a Roman colony. The third and final section (chapters 5 and 6) is devoted to reexamining the biblical materials found in Acts and Philippians in light of the historical discoveries, especially the Christ hymn (Phil. 2.5-11). Chapter 7 is devoted to conclusionary material and some applications drawn from the study.
I. Roman Empire
In the first chapter, Hellerman demonstrates that in the Roman empire existed extreme social stratification in all areas of life. Whether public or private, elite or non-elite, all areas were concerned with preserving or obtaining status and rank.
In the second chapter, Hellerman argues that the motive behind the desire for rank and status within this stratified empire was the quest for one social attribute: honour. Hellerman (2005, p. 37) elaborates:
“It is fair to assert...that in the solar system of ancient goods and values, honor occupied the place of the sun around which other priorities orbited. To remove honor and honor seeking from the heart of an analysis of the ancient world would therefore be to render impossible a nuanced understanding of Roman social life.”
II. Philippi
In the third chapter Hellerman shifts his investigation to the Roman colony of Philippi. Still occupied with history, Hellerman demonstrates by surveying ancient inscriptions across the land that even though Roman elites were outnumbered by the Greek non-elites and slaves, the elites still set the social values of Philippi, therefore, honour was a central value to the colony. This was primarily secured by the Roman colonisation of Philippi, which functioned as a land allotment where veteran Roman soldiers could live. This, as well as the imperial cult, contributed to the social stratification in Philippi.
In the fourth chapter, Hellerman argues that both the elite and non-elite (even the slaves) were occupied with seeking honour and rise of status in the eyes of their own social ranks. Thus, Philippi reflected the social values of the broader Roman empire where everyone in their own social setting sought honorification, often at the cost of their social peers’ honour. Hellerman observes that this quest for honour created a competitive environment in ancient Philippi in every level of its social hierarchy.
III. New Testament
In the fifth chapter, Hellerman focuses his study on the New Testament. His first investigation is the book of Acts, where he demonstrated that Philippi was the only Roman colony of eight other colonies that are explicitly identified as such in the book of Acts. Similarly, Paul and Silas’ actions as recorded in Acts are considered; when persecuted, they did not call upon their citizen status–which would have exempted them from harsh punishment–until after they were beaten. For this reason, it was argued that they did not see their citizen status as something to be exploited, instead they endured suffering for the benefit of others who did not share the honorific status of citizen (2005, p. 116). Paul similarly represents himself in Philippians; Paul doesn’t refer to himself as an apostle, this would be counterproductive to his aims, instead he identifies himself as a slave of Christ Jesus (Phil. 1.1). Indeed, in his own cursus honorum in Phil. 3.5-6, he counts these honorific gains as loss for the sake of Christ.
In the sixth chapter, Hellerman lands his study in a climactic focus on the so-called Carmen Christi (Phil. 2.5-11). He demonstrates convincingly that in the representation of Christ, there is a clear three-step delineation of class, or a cursus podorum, a course of shame (2.5-8). This is a reversal of the Roman cursus honorum, the path to honour. The first step (v. 6) is that of sharing equality with God; the second step (v. 7) is the divine becoming human and taking on slave status; and the third step (v. 8) is the most shameful expression imaginable to a Roman mind: death on a cross. Hellerman points out that Jesus did not use his divine social status in a Roman way as something to be exploited, rather he surrendered it for the service of others. Through his humiliation, he received the ultimate honorification: a reconstructed honour in Phil. 2.9-11: “Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (NRSV). “The implication, then, is that God will fully and finally vindicate–that is, greatly honor–all who, like Jesus, use their status and power for the benefit of others in the community” (Hellerman, 2005, p. 154).
IV. Conclusion
Hellerman concludes with a brief overview of all his findings, then moves into a section where he draws out some applications for a modern context living in a world that is still marked with social stratification with no end in sight:
Instead of rejecting in principle the social realities of honor and shame, therefore, Paul and those who shared his sentiments sought to reconstruct the cultural values and social codes of the Roman world by substituting, for those attitudes and kinds of behavior deemed honorable by the dominant culture, a radically alternative set of attitudes and kinds of behavior to be honored in the Christian ekklesia. That God himself had profoundly honored these very attitudes and behavior in the life of his servant Jesus assures Paul’s readers that the alternative vision for social relations which he offers them is, in the final analysis, far superior to–and much more enduring than–the public pomp and status-conscious value system of the Roman world (Hellerman, 2005, p. 165).
Evaluation
This is a relatively short study (about 167 pages), however, it provides the student with copious amounts of primary source material from ancient Rome and its social fabric, especially pertaining to honour as a central cultural value. Hellerman convincingly demonstrates by surveying ancient materials (e.g. inscriptions, literature, and statues) that honour permeated the Roman empire at every level of its social hierarchy. His investigation into similar inscriptions in Philippi leads him to conclude that this colony was no different; it was just as much concerned with honour as other parts of the Roman empire. By linking these findings to the New Testament, more specifically to Acts and Philippians, Hellerman opened up whole new insights and reasons for why Luke and Paul might have articulated their recordings in certain ways when discussing or addressing their context, especially Acts 16.16-40, Philippians 3.3-8, and most prominently Philippians 2.5-11. In all of these passages, Hellerman helpfully demonstrates that the status and class that so occupied the Roman consciousness was turned on its head; instead of gaining honour and status for personal gain, these examples (Paul and Silas in Acts 16.16-40 and Phil. 3.3-8 who were Roman citizens by birth, and Jesus in Phil. 2.5-11, who shares equality with God) show that one’s honour and status ought to be inverted in order to serve the other. He helpfully extracts an ecclesiological ethical paradigm as application for these passages.
Contribution
Hellerman’s study is of great value to any student concerned with honour in the Roman world, the letter to the Philippians, or just Philippians 2.5-11. This study is helpful in providing socio-historical data. It is an immense resource that provides the student with a web of primary source material on honour in the Roman context. More specifically, he provides students of Philippians with valuable historical background information. Hellerman also produces a convincing argument for seeing the Christ hymn in Philippians 2.5-11 as paradigmatic. He does this by showing that Rome's prevalent cursus honorum––as it existed in the militarised Roman colony Philippi––was being directly critiqued and reversed by Paul in both his own life (Acts 16.16-40 & Phil. 3.5-6) and, more saliently, the life of Jesus (Phil. 2.5-11), thus bearing implications on the lives of those following their teachings.
February 26, 2012
You can find my review here: http://www.bookreviews.org/pdf/5598_5...
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