Preface -- 1 Introduction: Recognition between Anti- and Pro-Imperial Readings -- 2 Imperial Recognition in the Intellectual Sphere: Christians and Philosophers -- 1 Almost Philosophers: Pagan Philosophers Recognizing Christians -- 2 Early Christians Seeking Recognition in Greco-Roman Culture -- 3 Imagination Made Real: Paul between Political Realism and Eschatological Hope -- 1 Paul and His Readers -- 2 Paul’s Realism and Imagination -- 4 Brothers in Arms: Soldiers in Early Christianity -- 1 Soldiers in the Gospels Contextualized -- 2 Metaphors, Antimilitarism, and Christian Soldiers -- 5 Conclusions -- Bibliography -- Index --.

In Early Christians Adapting to the Roman Empire: Mutual Recognition Niko Huttunen challenges the interpretation of early Christian texts as anti-imperial documents. He presents examples of the positive relationship between early Christians and the Roman society. With the concept of “recognition” Huttunen describes a situation in which the parties can come to terms with each other without full agreement. Huttunen provides examples of non-Christian philosophers recognizing early Christians. He claims that recognition was a response to Christians who presented themselves as philosophers. Huttunen reads Romans 13 as a part of the ancient tradition of the law of the stronger. His pioneering study on early Christian soldiers uncovers the practical dimension of recognizing the empire.

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