2016     
Assistent an der Kirchlichen Hochschule Wuppertal/Bethel am Lehrstuhl für Neues Testament bei Prof. Dr. Martin Karrer

2014     
Stipendiat bei Topoi

2014     
Erstes Theologisches Examen der Evangelischen Kirche Berlin-Brandenburg-schlesische Oberlausitz

2008 – 2014     
Studium der Evangelischen Theologie in Berlin, Rom und Tübingen

2005 – 2009     
Studium der Philosophie und Geschichte in Berlin (B.A.)

Die Ausbreitung des frühen Christentums in Nord-Galatien und seine personellen und institutionellen Autoritätsstrukturen

Like many regions in Asia Minor, Galatia in Central Anatolia most probably came into contact with Christianity already in New Testament times. However, the process of Christianization in this region has not been described in detail yet. This might be due to the fact that, although there were Christian congregations from an early date on, Galatia did not play a central role in early ecclesiastical history. In order to understand the propagation of Christianity in Asia Minor in general however, it is crucial to take a closer look at Christian life in Galatia.

Starting from Early Christian inscriptions as a main source, the project investigates the formation of ecclesiastic centres, structures and authorities, and the theological character of Christianity in this region. There are currently about 450 published Christian inscriptions from Galatia. Some of them are known from older editions and have often been lost in the meantime while others have been discovered and published only recently. Together they form a large corpus of texts that gets analysed systematically with a focus on the development of Early Christianity here for the first time.

This starting point from the epigraphic sources, which are mostly private inscriptions, suggests a focus on the social situation, everyday life and religious identities of Christians. Most of these inscriptions are epitaphs. Unfortunately, Early Christian funerary inscriptions usually do not tell us much about the biography of the deceased and in Galatia many of them are especially modest. However, even the most laconic texts at least yield personal names. They show how Phrygian, Celtic, Greek, and Roman cultural influences merged together in this region and how this was supplemented by Christian naming practises. Furthermore, Christian formulae and symbols reveal theological influences and ideas about the afterlife. On the other hand, the comparison with the non-Christian material also shows where Christians characteristically did not change the epigraphic conventions: While in some cities such as Ancyra and Tavium, typical Christian formulae are prevalent, that often interpret death as a kind of sleep (e.g. κοιμητήριον, ἐνθάδε κεκοίμηται, etc.), Christians in the rural area in the south of the region clung to the traditional formula μνήμης χάριν ('in memory') up to the 5th/6th centuries. Apparently, no need was felt to change a tradition that did not conflict with their Christian identity. In many cases, the inscriptions also provide information about the social situation of Christians. They often reveal extensive family relations, show depictions of household goods and farming equipment, or mention occupations.

An important aspect of the evaluation of the inscriptions is the discussion of what actually identifies them as Christian. Often it is difficult to decide whether an epitaph was set up by or for Christians or not, especially when a Christian identity is not explicitly stated. This is the case with many presumably Christian epitaphs from the Imperial Era in Galatia. In older scholarship it was often presumed that Christians tried to conceal their Christian identity from outsiders to avoid persecution. In many cases, however, it seems more likely that people had not adopted typical Christian forms of funeral inscriptions yet or simply saw no reason to confess their faith on an epitaph.

Certain features might nevertheless be indications for a Christian context. Some personal names e.g. (most prominently Kyriakos/e, meaning ‘belonging to the lord’) might have an almost exclusively Christian background. Furthermore, there are certain identifications of persons, such as e.g. women (and men) who are called παρθένοι (virgins), which might or might not point to sexual asceticism as it was wide spread among Christians. Such features are often ambiguous. They get discussed in detail because they are of interest not only for the Galatian context but also for the discussion of Early Christian inscriptions and the perception of Early Christianity in general.

The research is closely connected to the database of Early Christian inscriptions Inscriptiones Christianae Graecae (http://repository.edition-topoi.org/collection/ICG). While the database is an invaluable tool for collecting the Galatian epigraphic documents and comparing them to inscriptions from other regions, part of the work on this project is also to add newly published Galatian inscriptions to the database and to supplement already existing entries with new insights.

This dissertation project is being conducted within the research group B-5 Personal authorization of knowledgeof the Excellence Cluster 264 Topoi.