Ep 125: Paul, Imperial Divine Honors, and the Roman Empire with Clint Burnett

May 21, 2024
Protestant Libertarian Podcast

In this episode I talk with Dr. Clint Burnett, a visiting scholar at Boston College and a priest in the Anglican Church of North America serving in Knoxville, TN. In his brand-new book ‘Paul and Imperial Divine Honors’ (Eerdmans, 2024), he challenges the prevailing theory in New Testament scholarship that there was a monolithic ‘imperial cult’ of the Casers against which the early Christians reacted. He carefully examines the archaeological evidence and presents a much more nuanced picture of imperial divine honors by exploring how Christians in Philippi, Corinth, and Thessalonica experienced emperor worship differently based on local customs. This book has dramatic consequences both for the Paul and empire debate as well as how Christians should think about political engagement today.