chapter 32 Soteriology in Early Christian Inscriptions from Minor and Greece

Julien M. Ogereau

1 Introduction

Among Cilliers Breytenbach’s many achievements, the initiation of a multi- volume revision and expansion of Adolf von Harnack’s monumental two- volume study, Die Mission und Ausbreitung des Christentums in den ersten drei Jahrhunderten,1 and the development of the Inscriptiones Christianae Graecae (icg), a digital database of early Christian Greek inscriptions from Asia Minor and Greece dated between the second and the sixth centuries, stand without a doubt as two of the most significant accomplishments of the later part of his career (even though the geographical scope of these projects is somewhat less ambitious than that of Harnack’s original survey).2 The impetus to revisit Harnack’s opus grew from the recognition that it had been “overtaken by the developments in the field of epigraphy, archaeology and the edition of early Christian texts.”3 In particular, the discovery of literally hundreds of Christian inscriptions throughout the twentieth century called for a comprehensive investigation of the new material, which effectively constitute our principal source of information on early Christianity in Asia Minor and Greece, and a thorough reconsideration of the historical developments of Christianity in these regions. To accomplish such a monumental task would require close col- laboration between specialists from various disciplines, as well as designing new tools, such as the icg database, to facilitate the collection and analysis of the primary material. Thanks to the financial and technical support of the Excellence Cluster 264 Topoi, Berlin, and, thanks to the leadership of Cilliers Breytenbach and Klaus Hallof, the director of the Inscriptiones Graecae at the Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften, significant steps were taken to fulfil this vision between 2008 and 2018. These have led to a

1 The work went through four revisions between 1902 and 1924. 2 On the rationale and history of both projects, see Breytenbach, “Rise and Expansion”; Breytenbach and Ogereau, “Inscriptiones Christianae Graecae.” 3 Breytenbach, “Rise and Expansion,” 547.

© koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2019 | doi:10.1163/9789004396883_033 Soteriology in Early Christian Inscriptions 617 number of important publications by Ulrich Huttner,4 Cilliers Breytenbach and Christiane Zimmermann,5 amongst others,6 and to the release of the icg database on a publicly accessible online platform in 2016.7 These ought to be considered as the first fruits of a multi-volume historical survey encompassing the whole of Asia Minor and Greece, which will be complemented with the projected publications of a number of additional studies on , , Macedonia, , Attica, and the Corinthia. While the project as a whole is still a long way from completion, it cannot be denied that it has already ad- vanced significantly our understanding of early Christianity, or, rather, of early Christianities, in Asia Minor and Greece, and is helping scholars reconsider the rise and expansion of Christianity/-ies in the light of newly discovered, or hitherto neglected, primary evidence.8 For the most part, this work has been philological and historical in nature, relying on an empirical survey of the primary epigraphic and archaeological sources, rather than theologically and theoretically motivated. Yet this does not mean that it is of no theological value or consequence, as the first two vol- umes on the Lycus valley and have illustrated,9 for inscriptions can offer precious and unsuspected insight into early Christian beliefs and popular biblical or liturgical traditions. This essay collection on soteriology in honor of Cilliers Breytenbach thus provides the opportunity to explore further the concept of salvation in early Christianity and antiquity in the light of Christian inscriptions from Asia Minor and Greece dated between the second and the sixth centuries, and to determine, if it is at all possible, what soteriological view(s) the first Christians from these regions might have had. As we proceed, it is important to remain circumspect towards the material and to approach

4 Huttner, Lycus Valley. 5 Breytenbach and Zimmermann, Lycaonia. 6 See the volume of essays presented at international conferences in Berlin in 2015 and 2017: Breytenbach and Ogereau, Identity and Authority. 7 The database can be freely consulted through a guest login on its server at http://www .epigraph.topoi.org/, and has been published under a Creative Common license on the open- access digital repository of the Edition Topoi at http://repository.edition-topoi.org/collec tion/ICG. Each icg entry features the original Greek text, a German or English translation, a concise critical apparatus and commentary, one or several images (whenever available), all the relevant information pertaining to dating, typology, current repository location, an- cient and modern provenances, as well as a succinct bibliography. For more information, see Breytenbach and Ogereau, “Inscriptiones Christianae Graecae.” 8 The first two volumes on the Lycus valley and Lycaonia by Huttner, Breytenbach, and Zimmermann, were the subject of international panel discussions at the annual meetings of the sbl in 2015 and 2018. 9 See Huttner, Lycus Valley; Breytenbach and Zimmermann, Lycaonia.