Honor And Benefaction In The First Century Essay

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Question 1. Describe the role of honor and benefaction in the 1st century? What was seen as honorable according to the noblemen of the book? How was honor enhanced? What was seen as dishonorable? What were the consequences of having the reputation of dishonorable? The role of honor and benefaction in the 1st century was something that was very important to the elite of this time period. The elite were known to be well educated and wealthy noblemen. These noblemen loved to use their wealth to play the role of benefactor to the most respectable cities of the Roman empire. Benefaction might include activities such as building luxurious fountains, erecting large statues of the emperor, or hosting gladiator games and grand banquets in honor of …show more content…

First and foremost, the Imperial cult required the worship of many different deities and the worship of the emperor himself. As stated before, the emperor was viewed as Rome’s savior and incarnation of the various gods that were worshiped in the Roman Empire. Citizens were required to show worship to these deities and the emperor by performing activities such as burning incense in their names, holding large extravagant banquets in their honor, and offering sacrifices before their images just to name a few. Christians, on the other hand, worshiped no one other than the one true God of Israel and his only Son Jesus Christ. True followers of Jesus Christ felt that partaking in any of the aforementioned worship activities was despicable and nothing more than narcissistic paganism. The character Demetrius was one Christian that came face to face with this conflict in the book. He refused to participate in the Pergamene stonemason guild’s worship of the emperor, and instead chose to pledge his allegiance to God through Jesus Christ. He ended up being thrown into prison and was later convicted as a criminal against the state. He would have been killed for this offense, had it not been for his newly converted friend Antipas stepping in to take his place. These two ways of life also differed in the fact that Romans were very self-indulged and self-centered. …show more content…

They chose to simply add Jesus to their list of gods that were worshiped and honored within the cult. These were the sort of “believers” that gathered at the house of Kalandion in The Lost Letters. According to Antipas, these gatherers were only concerned with the different miracles that Jesus had performed during His earthly ministry. They even went as far as claiming that the power of Jesus, was in fact given to Him by their other gods. They had no interest in discussing the character of Jesus or the things He taught. The Believers that gathered at the house of Antonius were completely different. There were no other gods that even existed, let alone worshiped, in the minds of these believers. They were the true embodiment of the church of God and true followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. These Christians would gather to discuss the teachings of Jesus, worship through singing, and to pray to the Lord on the behalf of others. They also never paid attention to the social codes. There were people of many different ethnicities and social standings present, yet everyone was treated the same. Everyone was equal in the sight of God and in the sight of everyone that gathered there. These believers all served each other and made a point to help those that were in need. This included helping the poor people that had absolutely

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