The "Homonoia" Coins Of Asia Minor And Ephesians 1:21 -- By: John Paul Lotz

Journal: Tyndale Bulletin
Volume: TYNBUL 50:2 (NA 1999)
Article: The "Homonoia" Coins Of Asia Minor And Ephesians 1:21
Author: John Paul Lotz


The Homonoia Coins Of Asia Minor And Ephesians 1:21

John Paul Lotz

Summary

During the later half of the first century A.D., the politcal climate in the Greek East was characterised by tensions arising from the competition for titles and status between the leading cities of the eastern provinces, especially in Asia Minor. Ephesus, Smyrna, and Pergamon in particular nurtured tense rivalries over the title of πρώτη Ἀσίας, a designation for primacy in the provincial council of Asia Minor (κοινὸν Ἀσίας). Orators and politicians tried to counter the potentially negative consequences these competitions could have on what political power remained to these Greek cities by exhorting the virtues of ‘political concord’ (ὁμόνοια) in speeches, inscriptions and coins. The homonoia coins of Asia Minor offer us in important insight into the tensions and viscisitudes of city politics in late first century Asia Minor, and help broaden our understanding of the socio-political background and context that Paul and his disciples spoke to. Of special interest will be how the homonoia coins of Asia Minor help us in our interpretation of certain symbols and images that occur in Ephesians 1:21, and how these speak to the persistent struggle to achieve peace and concord in the cities of the Greek East under the Roman ‘peace’, where, according to the writer of the epistle, Caesar and his empire fail to deliver precisely that which Christ and his church are offering: peace and unity.

I. Introduction

Speaking for ancient historians almost 50 years ago, A.H.M. Jones noted the importance of the field of numismatics for both classical studies and ancient history, stating that its unique contribution lay in validating the literary evidence.1 He noted that coins often represented

important events in ancient history, such as the founding of a city, or the annexing of a province under the Romans, and that the various issues enhanced the historian’s understanding of the official political dimensions of selected high points in the history of the ancient world.2 Since then, the fields of archaeology, epigraphy, papyrology and numismatics have continued to grow and develop with the influx of new data, material, and finds from sites that provide classical scholars with new insights into the complexities of life in the ancient world. For the biblical scholar, many of these advances in our understanding of the ancient world are rele...

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