Persecution in 1 Peter

Travis B. Williams, Ph.D. (2011), University of Exeter, is Visiting Professor of Religious Studies at Tusculum College.

"Anyone working on I Peter specifically, or on the diverse and complex ways that first-century Christians in Asia Minor navigated and negotiated their social environments generally, will be forced either to build upon Williams’s work or else to reckon with it. Williams presents his argument in a clear and accessible manner. While the book is best suited to researchers and graduate students, one could certainly make good use of individual chapters in upper- level undergraduate courses. Given the breadth of Williams’s study and the wealth of material he covers, the book will appeal to readers with a wide range of interests." – Scott S. Elliott, Adrian College, in: Journal of Theological Studies, October 2013"Throughout the book, Williams combines meticulous socio-historical inquiry with insights from social psychology (…) His insights also enable readers to appreciate the ingredients and complexities of religious conflict in other contexts and ages, through his careful examination of social relations, legal conditions and economic as well as spiritual aspects."- Christoph Stenschke, University of South Africa, IJRF 8:1/2, 2015.

• 1. Introductory Mattersa. The Persecutions of 1 Peter in Previous Researchb. Purpose of the Studyc. Resolving the Difficulties of Historical Reconstructiond. Authorship and Date2. Social Conflict in Social-Psychological Perspectivea. Contribution of Social-Psychological Inquiryb. Defining Social Conflictc. Stages of Social Conflictd. ConclusionI: A “Social Profile” of the Addressees of I Peter3. The Geographical Setting of 1 Petera. The Local Setting of 1 Peterb. The Impact of Roman Rule in Anatoliac. Conclusion4. The Addressees of 1 Petera. Ethnic Compositionb. Socio-Economic Status(es)c. ConclusionII. Contextualizing the Conflict in 1 Peter 5. Conflict Management in Roman Anatoliaa. Separate Action Strategies in Roman Anatoliab. Third-Party Strategies in Roman Anatoliac. Conclusion6. The Legal Status of Christians in the Roman Worlda. The Christian Church and the Roman Stateb. Reconciling Legal Status and Christian Persecutionc. ConclusionIII: The Nature of Conflict in 1 Peter7. The Cause(s) of Conflict in 1 Petera. Behavioral Cause(s) of Conflict in 1 Peterb. Legal Cause(s) of Conflict in 1 Peterc. Conclusion8. The Form(s) of Conflict in 1 Petera. Explicit/Implicit Forms of Conflict in 1 Peterb. Conjectured Forms of Conflict in 1 PeterCONCLUSIONAppendix 1: Suffering and the Unity of 1 PeterAppendix 2: Roman Annexation of Asia MinorAppendix 3: Cities of First-Century CE AnatoliaAppendix 4: Ancient Economics in Recent DiscussionBibliography