In her new book At the Temple Gates: The Religion of Freelance Experts in the Roman Empire, Heidi Wendt examines sociology of religion in the Roman Empire and attempts to discern how figures such as Paul marketed their religious ideas in urban spaces. Wendt explores popular religions’ key players in the Roman Empire (primary the first three centuries CE), and in doing so reflects a broad trend that examines religious competition within ancient cities and civic life.The book and the review have a lot to say about Paul and other ancient Judean "self-authorized," "freelance experts" and their cultural context.
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