Covenant Economics

Within chapter nine, Horsley presents a picture of the socio-economic landscape in which the emergent church was situated. Specifically, he focuses on Philippi, Thessalonica, and Corinth to point to the overarching economic realities of the Ancient Greek world within the Hellenistic period. Through his analysis, we get a greater understanding of the realities of the early church and the overarching mission that Paul and his colleagues were attempting to accomplish.

The mission field to which Paul was called was one deeply impacted by Rome’s economic and military occupation. As a consequence, many of the cities’ residents were displaced and, therefore, put in a precarious place economically. Due to the Roman realities, Horsley purposes that the socio-economic status of the emergent community was likely at or near a level of subsistence. This is noteworthy because it establishes the early communities’ relationship to the Roman Empire, and sets the tone for the larger work that we see within Paul’s ministry. Particularly, Horsley maps out the particular tiers of the early community...