Roman Imperial Rule under the Authority of Jupiter-Zeus: Political-Religious Contexts and the Interpretation of ‘the Ruler of the Authority of the Air’ in Ephesians 2:2

Abstract

This chapter states the “amalgamate approach”, where the interpreters attempt to arrive at a deeper theological significance at the expense of the semantically significant surface-level grammar of 2:2. It argues that one should take into account the surface grammatical structure of 2:2, and considers what the unique lexical content would have meant to the original Gentile audience in its sociopolitical and imperial context. Warrant for interpreting Jupiter-Zeus as the authority of the air comes from the widespread use of Homer as a curriculum accompanied with scholia associating Zeus with air and the fact that Zeus occurs two and a half times more frequently on dedicatory inscriptions than any other deity in Asia Minor. Jupiter-Zeus in the broader Mediterranean world was associated with supreme power and authority. The Roman emperors were additionally associated, if not identified, with Jupiter starting with Augustus. Keywords:amalgamate approach; Augustus; authority; jupiter-zeus; Roman emperors; roman imperial rule