When Jerusalem University College asked me to deliver an online lecture, I wanted to choose a topic that would both engage viewers and draw on what I’ve learned over the years while leading and teaching groups in the lands of the Bible. Many scholars have written about the Imperial Cult and its overtones in the New Testament. But as I reflected on the subject, it became clear that there was something I could contribute that is rarely done: to show it visually.An indexed link to the lecture video follows.The Imperial Cult was not an abstraction. It was embedded in cities, temples, inscriptions, and public spaces—places most people never get to see. My aim in this lecture was to bring those locations together and let the stones speak.
For my notes on a thematically related University of St Andrews Symposium, see:
Report on the St. Andrews Symposium on Divine Sonship (6-8 June 2016)
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
