New anthology challenges conventional view of early Christianity

Private lecturer Dr. Christoph Heilig of LMU’s Faculty of Protestant Theology has edited the anthology “Empire Criticism of the New Testament,” which provides a fundamentally new reassessment of the relationship between early Christianity and the Roman Empire. Published by Mohr Siebeck and available via open access, the work brings together articles by twelve international experts who employ innovative methodological approaches – ranging from narratology to numismatics to historical psychology – to deliver a nuanced view of how early Christians interacted with Roman rule.

Various forms of criticism

Enlarge

Heilig explains that the anthology contradicts a widespread misunderstanding: It has long been assumed that early Christians were not critical of political matters and supported Roman rule – as indicated by the passage in Romans 13 that is cited in political debates to this day, in which Paul appears to call for a submissive attitude: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.” (Romans 13:1-2; ESV)

By contrast, the new research indicates that the first Christians did indeed express views that were critical of the Roman Empire – in many and often subtle forms. “This has far-reaching consequences: It fundamentally changes the material basis that underpins how we think about the relationship between state and church and about resistance to oppressive regimes from a Christian perspective,” explains Heilig, whose multiple monographs have already laid a foundation for this paradigm shift, and who, in 2018, won the Mercator Award for the Humanities and Social Sciences for this work. The research compiled in his new volume is thus highly relevant to society, as underscored, for example, by the pivotal role currently played by the Bible in US political discourse.

New scientific ground

“While the anthology seeks to break new scientific ground, it is also intended as a handbook for advanced students,” Heilig stresses. One aim is to anchor this new research paradigm more firmly in theological curricula internationally in order to shape the discussion for years to come.

At the same time, Heilig, who also studies the impact of AI on the humanities in his role as a member of the Young Academy at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, is also seeking to help advance a transition that he sees as an urgent necessity: “In the age of AI agents that increasingly simulate research processes in the humanities and generate ever more impressive output, we, as researchers, must not limit our self-understanding as researchers to producing essays and books,” he argues. “As a matter of urgency, we must devote more thought to the educational dimension, that is to the transfer of knowledge and the enabling of mature participation in public discourse.”

Publication:

Christoph Heilig (editor.): Empire Criticism of the New Testament: New Approaches. WUNT I 550. Mohr Siebeck 2025. Available under the open access model.

Christoph Heilig: Website