*Click on links for free pdf downloads*
Books
Group Survival in the Ancient Mediterranean: Rethinking Material Conditions in the Landscape of Jews and Christians (coauthored with Richard Last; T & T Clark / Bloomsbury, 2020). Buy now at Bloomsbury: Available in paperback ($35.95), hardback ($103.50), and PDF ($28.76).
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- Free sample pdf of introduction and chapter 8 on “Mutual Assistance and Group Cohesion”
- See academic reviews: Bryn Mawr Classical Review (Ross Kramer); Classical Review (Sarah E. Rollins); Journal of Roman Studies (Ryan Boehm)
- Blurbs:
- “In this erudite and smart study, Last and Harland explore the material dynamics of associations in antiquity, which played critical social, economic, and political roles mediating the vast space between the family and imperial authorities. Judicious and accessible, this study brings to life the inner workings of these associations, throwing light in particular on how groups of both Judeans and early followers of Jesus fit into a larger cultural context.” Michael Satlow, Religious Studies and Judaic Studies, Brown University, USA
- “Drawing on an extensive corpus of epigraphic and papyrological sources-recently made accessible by Harland to scholars and students across the globe-Last and Harland show what can be achieved with this material. They offer a clear and systematic study of the material and financial conditions of a wide range of associations. This book is a must-read for social historians of the Graeco-Roman world.” Onno m. van Nijf, History and Classics, University of Groningen, Netherlands
- “In this brilliant and methodologically sophisticated book, Last and Harland invite the reader to look beyond ideologically imaginative understandings of ancient groups devoted to Israel’s God-including followers of Jesus. They discover on the local level economic, social, and cultural factors crucial to the early formation and survival of what would develop into two world-religions: Judaism and Christianity. An outstanding contribution to scholarship and a must-read for anyone interested in early Judaism and Christian origins, as well as more generally ancient Mediterranean society.” Anders Runesson, Christian Origins and Jewish Studies, University of Oslo, Norway
Greco-Roman Associations: Texts, Translations, and Commentary. II. North Coast of the Black Sea, Asia Minor. BZNW, 204. Berlin: de Gruyter, 2014. (Click for sample pdf with intro and Bosporan inscriptions, pp. 1-67).
Associations, Synagogues, and Congregations: Claiming a Place in Ancient Mediterranean Society. Second revised edition with links to inscriptions. Kitchener, ON: Philip A. Harland, 2013 (original edition: Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2003.) *Winner of the F. W. Beare Book Award, Canadian Society of Biblical Studies, 2004*.
Associations in the Greco-Roman World: A Sourcebook, co-authored with Richard Ascough and John S. Kloppenborg. Baylor University Press, 2012.
Travel and Religion in Antiquity. Studies in Christianity and Judaism, 21. Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2011.
Dynamics of Identity in the World of the Early Christians: Associations, Judeans, and Cultural Minorities. New York / London: T & T Clark International / Continuum Press, 2009.
Articles in Refereed Journals and Books
“‘From that time, nothing else has been discovered’: Subject Peoples and Civilizational Priority” Harvard Theological Review (2023, forthcoming – preprint version)
“‘Syrians call you Astarte . . . Lycian peoples call you Leto’: Ethnic Relations and Circulating Legends in the Villages of Egypt.” Journal of Near Eastern Studies 80 (2021): 357–76.
“‘The most ignorant peoples of all’: Ancient Ethnic Hierarchies and Pontic Peoples.” In Ethnic Constructs, Royal Dynasties and Historical Geography around the Black Sea Littoral, edited by Altay Coşkun, 75–98. Geographica Historica 43. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner.
“Pontic Diasporas in the Classical and Hellenistic Eras,” Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik [Journal for Papyrology and Epigraphy] 214 (2020): 1-19.
“Climbing the Ethnic Ladder: Ethnic Hierarchies and Judean Responses,” Journal of Biblical Literature 138 (2019): 665-686.
“The most sacred society (thiasos) of the Pythagoreans:” Philosophers Forming Associations,” Journal of Ancient History 7 (2019): 207-232.
“‘Do Not Deny Me This Noble Death’: Depictions of Violence in the Greek Novels and Apocryphal Acts.” Ancient Narrative 14 (2017): 129-147.
“Associations and the Economics of Group Life: A Preliminary Case Study of Asia Minor and the Aegean Islands.” Svensk exegetisk årsbok [Swedish Exegetical Yearbook] 80 (2015): 1-37.
German translation: “Die wirtschaftlichen Dimensionen des Vereinslebens,” in Juden, Christen und Vereine im Römischen Reich, ed. Benedikt Eckhardt and Clemens Leonhard, RVV 75 (Berlin: De Gruyter, 2018), 219–54.
“‘The days seemed like years’: Thessalos Prepares to Encounter the God Asklepios.” In Purity, Holiness, and Identity in Judaism and Christianity: Essays in Memory of Susan Haber, edited by Carl S Ehrlich, Anders Runesson, and Eileen M Schuller, 208–223. WUNT 305. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2013.
“Banqueting Values in the Associations: Rhetoric and Reality,” in Meals in the Early Christian World: Social Formation, Experimentation, and Conflict at the Table, edited by Dennis E. Smith and Hal Taussig, 73–86. Hampshire, UK: Palgrave, 2012.
“Pausing at the Intersection of Religion and Travel,” in Travel and Religion in Antiquity, edited by Harland (see books above for full information).
“Journeys in Pursuit of Divine Wisdom: Thessalos and Other Seekers,” in Travel and Religion in Antiquity, edited by Harland (see books above for full information).
“Jewish Associations in Roman Palestine: Evidence from the Mishnah,” Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism 5 (2008): 200-221 (coauthored with David Instone-Brewer).
“Familial Dimensions of Group Identity (II): ‘Mothers’ and ‘Fathers’ in Associations and Synagogues of the Greek World,” Journal for the Study of Judaism in the Persian, Hellenistic, and Roman Period 38 (2007) 57-79.
“‘These people are . . . Men Eaters’: Banquets of the Anti-Associations and Perceptions of Minority Cultural Groups,” in Identity and Interaction in the Ancient Mediterranean: Jews, Christians and Others, pp. 56-75, 2007 (see edited books above for full information).
“The Declining Polis? Religious Rivalries in Ancient Civic Context,” in Religious Rivalries in the Early Roman Empire and the Rise of Christianity, edited by Leif E. Vaage. Studies in Judaism and Christianity, volume 18. Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2006.
“Acculturation and Identity in the Diaspora: A Jewish Family and ‘Pagan’ Guilds at Hierapolis,” Journal of Jewish Studies 57 (2006) 222-244.
“Familial Dimensions of Group Identity: ‘Brothers’ (ΑΔΕΛΦΟΙ) in Associations of the Greek East,” Journal of Biblical Literature 124 (2005) 491-513.
“Spheres of Contention, Claims of Preeminence: Rivalries Among Associations in Sardis and Smyrna,” in Religious Rivalries and the Struggle for Success in Sardis and Smyrna, edited by Richard Ascough, pp. 53-63. Studies in Judaism and Christianity, volume 18. Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2005.
“Christ-bearers and Fellow-initiates: Local Cultural Life and Christian Identity in Ignatius’ Letters,” Journal of Early Christian Studies 11 (2003) 481-99.
“Imperial Cults within Local Cultural Life: Associations in Roman Asia,” Ancient History Bulletin / Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte 17 (2003) 85-107.
“Connections with Elites in the World of the Early Christians,” in Handbook of Early Christianity: Social Science Approaches, edited by Anthony J. Blasi, Paul-André Turcotte, and Jean Duhaime, pp. 385-408. Walnut Creek, CA: Alta Mira Press, 2002.
“The Economy of First Century Palestine: The State of Scholarly Discussion,” in Handbook of Early Christianity: Social Science Approaches, edited by Anthony J. Blasi, Paul-André Turcotte, and Jean Duhaime, pp. 511-27. Walnut Creek, CA: Alta Mira Press, 2002.
“Honouring the Emperor or Assailing the Beast: Participation in Civic Life among Associations (Jewish, Christian and Other) in Asia Minor and the Apocalypse of John,” Journal for the Study of the New Testament 77 (2000) 99-121.
“Honours and Worship: Emperors, Imperial Cults and Associations at Ephesus (first to third centuries C.E.),” Studies in Religion/Sciences religieuses 25 (1996) 319-34.
Note: All articles are reproduced here with permission from the copyright holders, publishers, journals and/or editors.