I recently read a fascinating book about ancient places (like theaters, agoras, libraries, cemeteries) and how understanding their functions can illuminate early Christian life. The author is Jason Borges. Jason earned his Master of Divinity at Talbot School of Theology (Biola University) and a Ph.D. at Durham University in northeast England. Jason recently released Christian Life in the Greco-Roman City: The Civic and Architectural Contexts of Early Christianity (Baker Academic, 2026). Jason currently lives and travels in the apostle Paul’s stomping grounds. I reached out to see if Jason would do an interview with me. I’m so glad that he did. Here is that interview:
Ken Berding (KB): Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Jason Borges (JB): My wife and I met as undergrads at Biola University, and since then, we have lived most of our adult lives overseas. Currently, our family lives in Antalya, Turkey, where I work as a New Testament scholar at the Asia Minor Research Center. This involves research, publishing academic scholarship (Academia), presenting at conferences, leading tours (upcoming), training local tour guides, and pursuing whatever other opportunities open up. For example, last week I traveled to Lystra to meet with the Turkish archaeologist leading the new excavations there, and we discussed plans for an international symposium about Paul’s journeys to Iconium and Lystra (Acts 14:8–20; 16:1–2). Basically, I have the dream job for a scholar–I get to study and teach the New Testament at the historical sites like Ephesus (with limited administrative responsibilities!).
KB: What prompted you to write this book?
JB: This book began with my own historical curiosity. When I visit archaeological sites related to the New Testament, I typically wonder about the purpose and function of the ruins. So, rather than inquiring about the facts of archaeological remains, I want to understand their meaning. Why did people build this? What values did this building express? I’ve observed that most people who visit ancient sites are curious about such social aspects, far more than about the historical facts like dates or measurements. So, I try to address those questions in my own research and teaching.
This book gathers together my teaching material from leading tour groups and training local tour guides at the archaeological sites. No Bible scholar had written a book about the architectural and civic context of Early Christianity, so I decided to fill the need. I tried to write a book for people curious about the urban context in which early Christians lived. At the beginning of the writing process, I thought, “Oh, I’ve done most of the research I’ll need for this book!” Needless to say, it was fascinating to learn more and more about the ancient city and how that informs the New Testament.
KB: Tell us a little more about the book itself. How did you organize it? Why did you choose to organize it this way?
JB: Each chapter describes an important public space in Roman cities. These are agoras, temples, baths, prisons, theaters, libraries, and cemeteries. The chapters all follow the same three-part format: explaining the civic structure, detailing one extant example, and relating its significance to the New Testament. My goal was to help readers understand the civic structure (both its physical shape and social function), then illustrate how that information helps us understand New Testament texts and theology. Basically, this is a book about New Testament backgrounds. The ancient city was so different than our modern cities—especially the Nevada farming town where I grew up! So, becoming aware of the ancient city helps us modern readers understand the assumptions and references of NT authors, often in fascinating and helpful ways.
I also wanted to help people understand the city as a whole, not just its parts. So, the opening chapter introduces ancient civic architecture in general, and the closing chapter considers how early Christian ideas reshaped ideals about the ancient city (polis) into the heavenly city (“New Jerusalem”).
I wrote this book for a popular audience, so it has lots of pictures and limited footnotes. And, instead of citing modern scholars, I cite mostly ancient authors so people can encounter their thinking on the topic firsthand.
KB: Can you give us a few insights from your book? What are some ideas that modern people think about ancient Greek and Roman places that need some adjustments?
JB: I’ll give two examples that I found really intriguing. They both provide a window into ancient life and the issues faced by early Christians.
Every ancient city had an agora. This was the central town square with an open courtyard surrounded by covered porticoes. Most English Bibles translate this word as “marketplace,” as if it were a farmer’s market where people bought groceries. But, in fact, the ancient agora was predominantly a political and judicial space. In Acts 16–18, when Paul is traveling through Greece, in four different cities, he is brought into the city agora. He’s not there selling leather tents but facing accusations about his gospel message. He’s being tried in the public courts. The point of those stories set in the agora is that, even when Christians face public accusations from Roman authorities, Christ is the true judge who vindicates his people. So, I suggest that the Greek word agora should be translated as “town square,” “public forum,” or even “the courts” (see Acts 19:38).
The second example is about temples. In 1 Cor 8–10, Paul offers guidance about meat sacrificed to idols. His teaching seems contradictory–he denounces eating meat as demonic (10:18-21), yet tells his readers to enjoy it (10:25–27)! This tension is resolved when we understand how people butchered and consumed the meat. Ancient temples were mostly for offering sacrifices upon the open altar (not for gathering as a community). Worshippers burnt the animal fat to the gods and gave the entrails to temple workers (see 1 Cor 9:13). Then, they took the carcass to enjoy a meat feast with friends. They dined with the god (in the form of a statue) in sacred dining rooms near the temple. Any extra meat from the sacrifice, however, was sold in the public meat market. Apparently, the Christians in Corinth (and Pergamon and Thyatira too; see Rev 2) continued to participate in the pagan sacred meals. This was the “meat sacrificed/presented to idols,” which the Jerusalem council (Acts 15) preemptively forbade. But if Christians bought some meat at a shop to eat at home, that was no problem. The issue was not what they ate, but where (or, with whom)they ate.
KB: What do you hope readers will learn from your book?
JB: On the one hand, ancient cities were quite different than our contemporary life, so it benefits us to learn about that world so we can better appreciate how early Christians lived and thought. At that level, I want people to understand ancient civic life to interpret the New Testament better and to live its message. Yet, people are still people; Christians today face issues similar to those faced by the apostles and their disciples. We too are trying to live our faith in complex civic environments and express our religious identity within physical spaces, whether that be malls, schools, or church buildings. As we live intentionally in our modern cities, we too can participate in the construction of God’s church and the heavenly city! In this way, we can learn from early Christians about how they navigated civic life.
KB: Thanks so much, Jason. I hope a lot of people benefit from reading this insightful book.
You can pick up a copy of Christian Life in the Greco-Roman City: The Civic and Architectural Contexts of Early Christianity: HERE or HERE.
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