Roman Society and Roman Law in the New Testament: The Sarum Lectures 1960-1961

Originally the Sarum Lectures delivered at the University of Oxford in 1960-61, this volume deals with the Hellenistic and Roman setting, and especially the legal, administrative, and municipal background, of the Acts of the Apostles and the synoptic gospels. Sherwin-White — ‘someone from the Roman side,’ as he described himself — brings his knowledge of Roman public law and administration and of city life in the eastern provinces to bear on these aspects of New Testament history. The first three lectures concern the trials of Jesus and of Paul in Jerusalem, addressing questions of the powers of Roman governors and the nature of their jurisdiction. Topics of the remaining lectures include the rights of Roman citizenship, the trial of Paul in Rome, and differences between the Galilean narrative and the Graeco-Roman world of the Acts.