Early Christianity in Asia Minor Author(s): Sherman E. Johnson Reviewed work(s): Source: Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 77, No. 1 (Mar., 1958), pp. 1-17 Published by: The Society of Biblical Literature Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3264325 . Accessed: 09/04/2012 10:15 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact
[email protected]. The Society of Biblical Literature is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of Biblical Literature. http://www.jstor.org EARLY CHRISTIANITY IN ASIA MINOR* SHERMAN E. JOHNSON CHURCH DIVINITY SCHOOL OF THE PACIFIC ANATOLIA, that great extension of the Asiatic continent toward the Aegean and Europe, was second only to Italy in the first cen- tury of our era in commercial, intellectual, and artistic life. No one needs to argue its importance for the origins of Christianity. Here the Apostle Paul was born and carried on much of his missionary work. Some of his most important letters arose out of problems with churches in Galatia and the city of Colossae. The Apocalypse, the First Epistle of Peter, and the correspondence between Pliny and Trajan reflect the conflict between emperor worship and Christianity in Asia Minor.