Papyri and the Social World of the New Testament

by Sabine R. Huebner

In this book, Sabine R. Huebner explores the world of the protagonists of the New Testament and the early Christians using the rich papyrological evidence from Roman Egypt. This gives us unparalleled insights into the everyday lives of the non-elite population in an area quite similar to neighboring Judaea-Palestine. What were the daily concerns and difficulties experienced by a carpenter's family or by a shepherd looking after his flocks? How did the average man or woman experience a Roman census? What obstacles did women living in a patriarchal society face in private, in public, and in the early Church? Given the flight of Jesus' family into Egypt, how mobile were the lower classes, what was their understanding of geography, and what costs and dangers were associated with travel? This volume gives a better understanding of the structural, social, and cultural conditions under which figures from the New Testament lived.

Genres: History, Theology, Biblical Studies

203 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 11, 2019

About the author

Sabine R. Huebner is a German ancient historian. She is professor of ancient history at the University of Basel (Switzerland).

Reviews

[John Hayward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed my bonus Advent reading of Sabine Huebner's "Papyri and the Social World of the New Testament", recommended by DrPJWilliams, especially the insights into the lives of shepherds, although Pete says other evidence undermines her theory that Quirinius might have been procurator. p.46: "The Greek translation of procurator used by Josephus is hegemon or epitropos; the term procurator never refers to a governor. Luke also uses the present participle hegemoneuon, "to be hegemon" (ἡγεμονεύοντος τῆς Συρίας), to refer to the role of Quirinius, indicating that he might in fact have held the position of procurator. Luke certainly does not call Quirinius a governor, a term normally rendered in Greek as strategos. Quirinius could, then, have taken a census in the function of a procurator of finance, a treasurer, subordinate to the governor of Syria [Gaius Sentius Saturninus]." p.67: "According to Diocletian's Edict on Maximum Prices, a carpenter earned 50 denarii a month - as much as a mason, or twice as much as a shepherd, water carrier, or unskilled day labourer." p.72: "The Gospels thus depict Jesus growing up in a comfortably off craftsman's household, certainly not belonging to the landowning elite, but better off than the unskilled landless majority of the population." p.123: "Many families engaged in arable farming seem also to have owned a few sheep and goats, which supplied wool, milk, and occasionally meat ... which were entrusted to a shepherd – the declarations give numbers ranging from two to forty-two animals." p.124: "The term normally used in the small livestock declarations to describe those employed to watch over animals belonging to others is nomeus. In the exceptional case in which the owner is himself the shepherd, he declares himself poimēn. ... The Greek of Luke's Gospel in turn uses the word poimenes to refer to the shepherds who tended their flocks by night close to Bethlehem in Judaea, thereby implying that they were the actual owners of the animals." p.125: "large landowners...could easily own several hundred or several thousand head of livestock. These animals were divided into flocks of between eighty and a hundred, which were each entrusted to individual shepherds. A head shepherd [archipoimēn] oversaw and coordinated this work." p.126: "the great majority of the flocks consisted of sheep and lambs and at least one goat. ... flocks with between fifty and a hundred animals were usually accompanied by two or three goats. But goats comprised up to a quarter of some flocks." p.133: "Living for long stretches in remote or hilly pastures far from the centres of social interaction, shepherds had no fixed abode, were often entirely without family, and interacted only with animals or the socially excluded. Furthermore, they were often suspected of being thieves or robbers. ... Paid in cash and a certain quantity of surplus wool and milk products, shepherds rarely owned their own animals, and if they did, only in small numbers."

[jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boy oh boy I pick good books to read and Hubner’s book is a jewel. Elegantly presented with high quality binding, paper, pictures, typeset, and scholarship—well end-noted and very we’ll written. If you ever wonder “what’s life was like for the ‘little people’” and what were life's conditions and rhythms for the common and lower classes, this is a book of highly readable research on topics derived from questions raised by figures and episodes from the life of Jesus and the New Testament. Papyri from the period do not speak for themselves, but in Hubner’s capable hands, what they have to say offers new commentary on the social world of everyday people, the household, women, craftsmen, shepherds and others on the margins of society, tracing answers to specific questions but getting more in pursuit. This is a book I will reference over and again.

[Evan Þ. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book compares Egyptian papyrus texts - some of our few examples of writings from common Roman peasants - to see what background they can give to New Testament accounts. What would the life of a village carpenter be like? What was a Roman census like? What would travel be like? Of course, it's still debated how much Egypt can be extrapolated to other provinces (let alone client kingdoms like Herod's), but these extrapolations are at least largely plausible - and probably the best we can do.

The main flaw of this book is its brevity. This's meant not for historians but for quick background for Bible students. Trying to cover so many topics in ~150 pages means we breeze quickly over each chapter, giving only quick overviews of each analogy and topic. I'd avidly read more.

[Adam Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really fascinating book, giving insight into the everyday lives of people in New Testament times, especially those involved in the Gospel accounts of Jesus' birth. With a dearth of sources from Judea/Galilee itself, Sabine Huebner turns to papyrological evidence from Roman Egypt, whose climate has enabled more documents to survive. I especially enjoyed the discussions of the census, the social circumstances of a carpenter's family, and the lives of shepherds. An academic book, but generally accessible - and with pictures!

[Timothy Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

worth Reading

Huebner raises important issues regarding the value of studying the social context of the New Testament. Her work on The Roman Census is particularly valuable.