Archaeology
The range of archaeological material available for early Chris-
tianity is always going to increase, but there already exist a
number of useful collections of raw data. Snyder 1985 presents
a useful manual. Most items discussed are also illustrated in some
fashion, while documents are presented in both their original
language and translation. Material is divided into pictorial repre-
sentations, architecture, and physical documents (inscriptions,
graffiti, and papyri). Although this makes types of early Christian
remains clear, it also means that different categories of evi-
dence from one site are often discussed in different parts of the
volume: thus the early Christian building at Dura Europos is
described separately from the graffiti found on its walls (Snyder
1985: 68–71, 147–8). For architecture, the second volume of
White 1996–97 presents a wide range of Christian material set
side-by-side with that for Judaism and the pagan cult of Mithras.
It compiles the raw data on which the conclusions of the first
volume are based. For the Roman (and other) catacombs see
Stevenson 1978 and Rutgers 2000. Other aspects of the material
record are analysed in Finney 1988 and 1994, and Elsner 2003.
Finally, for the background to earliest Christianity (discussed in
chapter 4 above), much of the material that is pertinent may be
found described, discussed, and sometimes illustrated in Jerome
Murphy-O’Connor’s deservedly successful archaeological guide-
book to the Holy Land, now in its fourth edition (Murphy-
O’Connor 1998). Also on the archaeology of the New Testament
see Charlesworth 1988 and Reed 2000. Some of the encyclopae-
dias and dictionaries listed above will also contain descriptions
of archaeological material.Specialist journals
Many new discoveries or methodological advances in any field
do not at first result in the publication of books but are reported
in specialist journals. Indeed, it is in such journals that much of
the most vigorous debate on any academic discipline will occur.DISCOVERING EARLY CHRISTIANITY
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