Travel and Religion in Antiquity

304 Pages·2010·1.29 MB·English

by  Philip A. Harland

TR^/EL
AND
REBGION
IN ANTIQUITY
Studies in Christianity and and Judaism /
Études sur le christianisme et le judaïsme : 21
Studies in Christianity and Judaism / Études sur le christianisme et le judaïsme
publishes monographs on Christianity and Judaism in the last two centuries
before the common era and the first six centuries of the common era, with a spe-
cial interest in studies of their interrelationships or the cultural and social con-
text in which they developed.
SERIESEDITOR: Terence L. Donaldson, Wycliff College
Studies in Christianity and and Judaism /
Études sur le christianisme et le judaïsme : 21
TRAVEL
AND
REEGION
IN ANTIQUITY
PHIBP A. HARLAND
EDITOR^
Published for the Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion /
Corporation Canadienne des Sciences Religieuses
By Wilfrid Laurier University Press
2011
This book has been published with the help of a grant from the Canadian Federation for the Humanities
and Social Sciences, through the Aid to Scholarly Publications Programme, using funds provided by the
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Wilfrid Laurier University Press acknowl-
edges the financial support of the Government of Canada through its Canada Book Fund for its publish-
ing activities.
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Travel and religion in antiquity / Philip A. Harland, editor.
(Studies in Christianity and Judaism ; 21)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Issued also in electronic format.
ISBN 978-1-55458-222-8
1. Travel –– Religious aspects –– History –– To 1500. 2. Travel –– Religious aspects –– Christianity ––
History –– To 1500. 3. Travel –– Religious aspects –– Judaism –– History –– To 1500. 4. Christian pilgrims
and pilgrimages –– Mediterranean Region –– History –– To 1500. 5. Jewish pilgrims and pilgrimages ––
Mediterranean Region –– History –– To 1500. 6. Mediterranean Region –– Religious life and customs.
7. Greece –– Religious life and customs. 8. Mediterranean Region –– Antiquities. 9. Greece –– Antiquities.
I. Harland, Philip A. (Philip Alan), 1969– II. Series: Studies in Christianity and Judaism ; 21
DF121.T73 2011 203'.50938 C2010-907859-4
Electronic formats.
ISBN 978-1-55458-240-2 (PDF), ISBN 978-1-55458-344-7 (EPUB)
1. Travel –– Religious aspects –– History –– To 1500. 2. Travel –– Religious aspects –– Christianity ––
History –– To 1500. 3. Travel –– Religious aspects –– Judaism –– History –– To 1500. 4. Christian pilgrims
and pilgrimages –– Mediterranean Region –– History –– To 1500. 5. Jewish pilgrims and pilgrimages ––
Mediterranean Region –– History –– To 1500. 6. Mediterranean Region –– Religious life and customs.
7. Greece –– Religious life and customs. 8. Mediterranean Region –– Antiquities. 9. Greece –– Antiquities.
I. Harland, Philip A. (Philip Alan), 1969– II. Series: Studies in Christianity and Judaism ; 21
DF121.T73 2011a 203'.50938 C2010-907860-8
Published for the Canadian Corporation for the Studies in Religion/Corporation Canadienne des
Sciences Religieuses by Wilfrid Laurier University Press.
© 2011 Lincoln Blumell, Karljürgen G. Feuerherm, Susan Haber, Philip A. Harland, Jack N. Lightstone,
Wayne O. McCready, Steven Muir, Michele Murray, James Rives, Ryan S. Schellenberg, and Ian W. Scott
Cover design by Sandra Friesen. Cover photo: Altar erected by Titus Albanius Principianus for the impe-
rial household with reference to safety in travel (CILVI 25155, now in the Capitoline museum in Rome).
Photo ©2011 Philip Harland. Text design by Daiva Villa, Chris Rowat Design.
This book is printed on FSC recycled paper and is certified Ecologo. It is made from 100% post-con-
sumer fibre, processed chlorine free, and manufactured using biogas energy.
Printed in Canada
Every reasonable effort has been made to acquire permission for copyright material used in this publication
and to acknowledge all such indebtedness accurately. Any errors and omissions called to the publisher's
attention will be corrected in future printings.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by
any means, without the prior written consent of the publisher or a licence from The Canadian Copyright
Licensing Agency (Access Copyright). For an Access Copyright licence, visit www.accesscopyright.ca
or call toll free to 1-800-893-5777.
In memory of Susan Haber
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CHAPTER ONE
Contents
Map: The Ancient Mediterranean x
Preface xi
I
Pausing at the Intersection of Religion and Travel
Philip A. Harland
1
HONOURING THE GODS
II
Religion on the Road in Ancient Greece and Rome
Steven Muir
29
III
Going Up to Jerusalem: Pilgrimage, Purity, the Historical Jesus
Susan Haber
49
viii CONTENTS
IV
Pilgrimage, Place, and Meaning Making by Jews in Greco-Roman Egypt
Wayne O. McCready
69
V
Have Horn, Will Travel: The Journeys of Mesopotamian Deities
Karljürgen G. Feuerherm
83
PROMOTING A DEITY OR WAY OF LIFE
VI
The Divine Wanderer: Travel and Divinization in Late Antiquity
Ian W. Scott
101
VII
Journeys in Pursuit of Divine Wisdom:
Thessalos and Other Seekers
Philip A. Harland
123
VIII
“Danger in the wilderness, danger at sea”: Paul and the Perils of Travel
Ryan S. Schellenberg
141
ENCOUNTERING FOREIGN CULTURES
IX
Roman Translation: Tacitus and Ethnographic Interpretation
James B. Rives
165
CONTENTS ix
MIGRATING
X
Migration and the Emergence of Greco-Roman Diaspora Judaism
Jack N. Lightstone
187
MAKING A LIVING
XI
Religion and the Nomadic Lifestyle: The Nabateans
Michele Murray
215
XII
Christians on the Move in Late Antique Oxyrhynchus
Lincoln H. Blumell
235
Works Cited 255