Adam Chambers | Tusculum University (original) (raw)

Papers by Adam Chambers

To Patricia xi Acknowledgements I would like to thank my advisor, Edwin Yamauchi, for his encoura... more To Patricia xi Acknowledgements I would like to thank my advisor, Edwin Yamauchi, for his encouragement and support of my research. His commitment to scholarly excellence has been a source of inspiration to me in my work dealing with the history of the church in the Decapolis region. This study was enriched by the involvement of James C. Hanges and Steven L. Tuck, both of whom provided guidance and insights that enhanced the clarity and focus of my discussion. I am also grateful to Charlotte Newman Goldy and Mary Kupeic Cayton for their contributions in the fine-tuning of the argument and the editing process. I owe much to the late W. Harold Mare, the fomer director of excavations at Abila of the Decapolis, and to Covenant Theological Seminary, for the opportunity to be involved in the excavation of the churches at Abila. Dr. Mare's successor, David Chapman, continued to provide much appreciated interest and encouragement for my research. Through the Abila excavation, I have had the opportunity to work with fine scholars, including Reuben Bullard, W. W. Winter, and Bastiaan Van Elderen. Finally, I am thankful for my family and friends who have never wavered in their support of me during this project. My father, Roger Chambers, demonstrated what it meant to be an excellent scholar and a man of character and integrity. I will always be grateful for having had his example to follow. I have also been blessed by the love and support of my mother, Linda Chambers, and my sisters and brother, their families, and my wife's family, all of whom have been a source of encouragement during my years of study. Above all, this work is dedicated to my wife and best friend, Patricia, without whom this would have remained a dream.

... While edicts issued by Constantine began the process by which traditional Roman cults were di... more ... While edicts issued by Constantine began the process by which traditional Roman cults were directly challenged, the Theodosian mandates created an ... Document number: miami1250353069 Permalink: http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1250353069. ...

Drafts by Adam Chambers

This study examines the emergence and expansion of church construction in the Decapolis from the ... more This study examines the emergence and expansion of church construction in the Decapolis from the fourth to the seventh centuries. The number of churches in these communities during the Byzantine period suggests a significant Christian presence in cities on the fringes of the eastern provinces. The understanding of the development of Christianity in these cities has been limited to brief analyses in the discussion of archaeological remains, and historical assessments have tended to overstate the conflict between pagans and Christians until the traditional cult were eventually defeated as a predominant theme of the fourth century. More recent research has challenged this concept, arguing that it relies on the biased accounts of Christian writers and indicating that older cults survived well into the fifth and sixth century in the eastern provinces, particularly within the countryside. While edicts issued by Constantine began the process by which traditional Roman cults were directly challenged, the Theodosian mandates created an atmosphere in the East that became intolerant of residual paganism. In the Decapolis cities, this ushered in a period that would bring about a large expansion of churches.

This study argues that the churches of the Decapolis from the fourth to the seventh century were at the center of discourse between Christian authorities and non-Christians on the periphery that focused on the continuities and discontinuities with classical culture as a process of re-sacralizing religious and civic spaces within the city. They were also essential in redefining group identities of the community. Theoretical perspectives addressing sacred space and postcolonial perspectives of group identity formation provide insight into this process that reshaped these communities into Byzantine cities, reflecting the complex relationships between church and state that had developed in the post-Constantinian period. While it may be suggested that the church construction in these cities was related to the Christianization of the region, often understood to mean the conversion of its inhabitants, a more significant factor was their continuity with classical society suggesting the necessity of a more nuanced understanding of the origin of the churches in these communities. The churches in the Decapolis emerged and expanded, in part, because of their capacity to fulfill certain civic functions once the province of the local temple that were necessary for the religious and social cohesion of eastern cities.

To Patricia xi Acknowledgements I would like to thank my advisor, Edwin Yamauchi, for his encoura... more To Patricia xi Acknowledgements I would like to thank my advisor, Edwin Yamauchi, for his encouragement and support of my research. His commitment to scholarly excellence has been a source of inspiration to me in my work dealing with the history of the church in the Decapolis region. This study was enriched by the involvement of James C. Hanges and Steven L. Tuck, both of whom provided guidance and insights that enhanced the clarity and focus of my discussion. I am also grateful to Charlotte Newman Goldy and Mary Kupeic Cayton for their contributions in the fine-tuning of the argument and the editing process. I owe much to the late W. Harold Mare, the fomer director of excavations at Abila of the Decapolis, and to Covenant Theological Seminary, for the opportunity to be involved in the excavation of the churches at Abila. Dr. Mare's successor, David Chapman, continued to provide much appreciated interest and encouragement for my research. Through the Abila excavation, I have had the opportunity to work with fine scholars, including Reuben Bullard, W. W. Winter, and Bastiaan Van Elderen. Finally, I am thankful for my family and friends who have never wavered in their support of me during this project. My father, Roger Chambers, demonstrated what it meant to be an excellent scholar and a man of character and integrity. I will always be grateful for having had his example to follow. I have also been blessed by the love and support of my mother, Linda Chambers, and my sisters and brother, their families, and my wife's family, all of whom have been a source of encouragement during my years of study. Above all, this work is dedicated to my wife and best friend, Patricia, without whom this would have remained a dream.

... While edicts issued by Constantine began the process by which traditional Roman cults were di... more ... While edicts issued by Constantine began the process by which traditional Roman cults were directly challenged, the Theodosian mandates created an ... Document number: miami1250353069 Permalink: http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1250353069. ...

This study examines the emergence and expansion of church construction in the Decapolis from the ... more This study examines the emergence and expansion of church construction in the Decapolis from the fourth to the seventh centuries. The number of churches in these communities during the Byzantine period suggests a significant Christian presence in cities on the fringes of the eastern provinces. The understanding of the development of Christianity in these cities has been limited to brief analyses in the discussion of archaeological remains, and historical assessments have tended to overstate the conflict between pagans and Christians until the traditional cult were eventually defeated as a predominant theme of the fourth century. More recent research has challenged this concept, arguing that it relies on the biased accounts of Christian writers and indicating that older cults survived well into the fifth and sixth century in the eastern provinces, particularly within the countryside. While edicts issued by Constantine began the process by which traditional Roman cults were directly challenged, the Theodosian mandates created an atmosphere in the East that became intolerant of residual paganism. In the Decapolis cities, this ushered in a period that would bring about a large expansion of churches.

This study argues that the churches of the Decapolis from the fourth to the seventh century were at the center of discourse between Christian authorities and non-Christians on the periphery that focused on the continuities and discontinuities with classical culture as a process of re-sacralizing religious and civic spaces within the city. They were also essential in redefining group identities of the community. Theoretical perspectives addressing sacred space and postcolonial perspectives of group identity formation provide insight into this process that reshaped these communities into Byzantine cities, reflecting the complex relationships between church and state that had developed in the post-Constantinian period. While it may be suggested that the church construction in these cities was related to the Christianization of the region, often understood to mean the conversion of its inhabitants, a more significant factor was their continuity with classical society suggesting the necessity of a more nuanced understanding of the origin of the churches in these communities. The churches in the Decapolis emerged and expanded, in part, because of their capacity to fulfill certain civic functions once the province of the local temple that were necessary for the religious and social cohesion of eastern cities.