Light from the Ancient East: The New Testament Illustrated by Recently Discovered Texts of the Graeco-Roman World

'Light from the Ancient East' is the classic study of nonliterary Greek and Latin texts from the period leading up to, and contemporary with, the emergence of Christianity. Deissmann showed how late nineteenth-century discoveries shed light on early Christian social and religious life. Working from the now common thesis that Christianity must be understood in its historical setting, Deissmann posits that Christianity be seen as a movement of the lower classes.