ArchaeologyandtheLettersofPaulilluminatesthesocial,political,economic,andreligiouslivesofthosetowhomtheapostlePaulwrote.RomanEphesosprovidesevidenceofslavetradersandtheregulationofslaves;itisalikelysettingforhouseholdofPhilemon,towhomaletterabouttheslaveOnesimusisaddressed.InGalatia,aninscriptionseekstorestrainthedemandsoftravellingRomanofficials,illuminatinghowtheapostolictravelsofPaul,Cephas,andothersdisruptedcommunities.AtPhilippi,alistofdonationsfromthecultofSilvanusdemonstratesthebenefactionsofacommunitythat,likethoseinChrist,soughttoshareabundanceinthemidstofeconomiclimitations.InCorinth,alandscapeofgriefextendsfrommonumentstothebonesofthedead,andprovidesacontextinwhichtounderstandCorinthianpracticesofbaptismonbehalfofthedeadandtheprovocativeideathatonecouldlive“asifnot“mourningorrejoicing.RomeandtheLettertotheRomansarethegroundsforaninvestigationofideasoftimeandracenotonlyinthefirstcentury,whenwefindanEgyptianobeliskinsertedasatimepieceintothemausoleumcomplexofAugustus,butalsoofanewRomeunderMussolinithatclaimedthecontinuityofRomanracialidentityfromantiquitytohistimeandsoughttoexciseJews.ThessalonikeandtheearlyChristianliteratureassociatedwiththecitydemonstrateswhatisdoneoutofloveforPaul-inventionofletters,legends,andcultinhisname.Thebookarticulatesamethodforbringingtogetherbiblicaltextswitharchaeologicalremains.Thismethodreconstructsthelivesofthemanyadelphoi----brothersandsisters----whomPaulandhisco-writersaddress.ItsprojectisinformedbyfeministhistoriographyandgainsinspirationfromthinkerssuchasClaudiaRankine,JudithButler,GiorgioAgamben,WendyBrown,andKatieLofton.
