The Size of Early Christians Populations

[guy]

I

Edited October 3, 2007 by guy

[ASCLEPIADES]

Despite the book

Edited October 3, 2007 by ASCLEPIADES

[Primus Pilus]

From where I am (only an educated guess), I would think that the quoted estimates of Gibbon and Goodenough (5% and 10%, respectively) for the proportion of Christian population in the Roman Empire at Constantin's reign should have been more or less close to the actual situation.

 

I agree, though the 5% seems a touch too low in order to represent the number of followers the bishops would've needed in order to influence the emperor. I'm less inclined to quibble with the numbers after the 'legalization' of christianity, though.

 

Pliny and Trajan corresponded concerning the Christians 111-113 while Pliny was the governor of Pontus and Bithynia. I doubt a Christian population of around 10,000 in the entire Empire would have been large enough to draw the attention of Pliny while in Pontus if this number were correct.

 

Though the whole of Asia Minor was the hotbed of christian growth in the earlier period. There was likely a higher percentage concentration of the cult in Pliny's jurisdiction than in the west or other parts of the empire. Consider if you were a mayor of a major city or governor of a state/province and there were some 5,000 non conforming rabble-rousers making the rest of the population uncomfortable. You might send a letter or several to your boss as well. 10,000 certainly seems low, but it really depends on the concentration of the numbers, I suppose.

[Flavia Gemina]

Salve, Guy!

 

Thanks for bringing our attention to this book. Much appreciated!

 

And thanks to whoever recommended I get Peter Parsons' City of the Sharp-nosed Fish about the papyrus tips from Oxyrhynchos. It's great.