Burials, Brotherhoods, and Christian Communities in Asia Minor

This paper examines the Christian rite of burial in the third century, with particular reference to the pre-Constantinian Christian inscriptions of Phrygia, central Asia Minor. It contests the claim of Eric Rebillard, that the term κοιμητήριον/coemeterium acquired a special sense of referring to the burial ofamartyr, but argues that Christian burials at this period were attended by the entire local Christian community, as well as the immediate family of the deceased, and provided a ritual experience that gave Christians a strong collective identity. The terms κοινόν and ἀδελφότης were applied to these communities, which resemble the Christian brother- and sisterhoods described or implied in Paul's letters but show no sign of being modelled on Roman or Greek funerary clubs or associations.