Podcast Episode Summary

Podcast: New Books Network – Biblical Studies
Host: Jonathan Looked
Guest: Dr. Emiliano Rubens Urciuoli
Episode: Citifying Jesus: The Making of a Roman Religion in the Roman Empire (Mohr Siebeck, 2024)
Date: December 24, 2025

Overview

This episode features Dr. Emiliano Rubens Urciuoli discussing his book Citifying Jesus: The Making of a Roman Religion in the Roman Empire. The conversation explores how early Christianity was shaped by, and in turn shaped, the dynamics of urban life in the Roman Empire. Dr. Urciuoli introduces the concept of "citification"—the process by which Christianity adapted to and was transformed by urban environments—offering a new analytical framework for understanding the religion’s development. The episode navigates the intersections of space, social theory, religious practice, and urbanity in antiquity.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Personal and Academic Background

[02:27–06:37]

• Dr. Urciuoli describes his journey into studying early Christianity and urban religion, highlighting:
  • A blend of choice and chance in his research path.
  • Early focus on Christianity during his M.A. and Ph.D.
  • Growing interest in religious theory and methodology.
  • His pivotal move to Erfurt and work at the Max Weber Kolleg, leading to participation in a federally funded project on urban religion.
  • The intense interdisciplinary research bridging theories of space, urban sociology, and ethnographies of urban religion.

Quote:
"I'm a city lover, I love cities, and I'm an unapologetic city fan. So that also means that the topic couldn't suit me better somehow." (B, 06:19)

2. The Concept of Citification

[06:55–13:33]

• Citification is introduced as distinct from "urbanization."
  • It’s a processual category measuring urbanity, not simply urban location.
  • Focuses on how religious phenomena adapt to and appropriate urban environments.
  • Differs from previous scholarship (e.g., Wayne Meeks, Rodney Stark) by examining internal features of urbanity within early Christian literature, rather than treating the city as mere backdrop or conduit.

Quote:
"Citification is a measure of urbanity, not of the city itself... not primarily concerned with where your religious data come from geographically or where are they physically located." (B, 07:27)

3. Space and Apologetic Discourse

[13:33–18:10]

• Early Christian apologetic writings crafted alternative spatial imaginations.
  • When Christians lacked resources for visible religious spaces, they made virtue of necessity, inverting the dominant "spatial fix" of polytheistic religions.
  • Dr. Urciuoli applies David Harvey’s concept of "spatial fix" to analyze how Christians critiqued the material anchoring of gods to city spaces.

Quote:
"What happens when... a religious group is unable to materialize its beliefs and practice in space... One possible response would be to try to make a virtue out of necessity, which means to turn facts into intervalit..." (B, 14:32)

4. Case Study: Justin Martyr and Urban Experience

[18:59–24:26]

• Using Georg Simmel’s sociology, Dr. Urciuoli reads Justin Martyr as a "neighborhood-based and yet strategically located and secluded philosopher."
  • Explores how Justin’s urban residence (above a bathhouse) affected his teaching, recruitment, and philosophical stance.
  • Justin as a literate foreigner, integrated loosely into urban Christian networks, using urban density and anonymity to his advantage.

Quote:
"Justin’s is rather poorly integrated... his documented Roman address... above a Roman neighborhood bathhouse... can be used as something more than just an agnotical information but can do analytical work..." (B, 19:56)

5. Gossip, Secrecy, and Urban Knowledge Boundaries

[24:26–31:12]

• Urban environments foster both anonymity and rumor.
  • Dr. Urciuoli applies Simmel’s theory of the "society of secrecy" to Christian contexts.
  • The Epistle to Diognetus serves as a cryptic urban guide for Christians, addressing how outward sameness and inward difference fuels slander and rumor.
  • Urban gossip bridges ignorance and partial knowledge, reinforcing group boundaries.

Quote:
"Gossip helps to bridge the gaps between... the structural anonymity of city life... and the cultivation of secrecy that results... from... segmented circles and networks." (B, 25:37)

6. Martyrdom as an Urban Event: Polycarp

[31:12–38:44]

• The martyrdom literature (e.g., Polycarp) is inherently urban—requiring spaces for spectacle, crowds, and textual dissemination.
  • Urban settings facilitate the transformation of executions into religiously significant public events.
  • The narrative layers cities (Smyrna onto Jerusalem), constructs adversarial neighbors (e.g., Jews), and "hijacks" urban spectacles for sacred purposes.

Quote:
"What martyrdom is as an urban religious event is... rerouting an event meant to punish criminals into a divine spectacle." (B, 37:37)

7. Augustine’s City of God and Urban Religion

[39:20–46:00]

• City of God is addressed as both essential and challenging for an urban religious frame.
  • Despite the titular "city," Augustine’s work focuses on eschatological commonwealths more than urban life.
  • Dr. Urciuoli finds valuable urban reflections in Augustine’s comments on miracles and theater, as well as in the conceptual absence of the city in utopian visions.

Quote:
"From my knowledge... Augustine was concerned... with almost anything but urbanity... Nonetheless, there are revealing passages about miracles in an urban environment." (B, 39:58)

8. The Role of Theory in Historical and Religious Studies

[46:00–50:42]

• Argues for explicit, multifaceted theoretical frameworks in historical research, especially where ancient evidence is limited or fragmentary.
  • Theorizing makes visible the models by which we interpret data—better than letting implicit or unconscious "folk theories" direct interpretation.

Quote:
"Theory is a bit like politics... precisely when you think you can do without it... it catches up with you before you even notice." (B, 47:16)

9. Current and Future Projects

[51:20–53:36]

• Dr. Urciuoli is co-authoring a beginner's handbook for the study of religion, using early Christianity as a key comparative case.
  • Emphasizes the need to see Christianity as a paradigmatic example within broader religious studies.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Religion here is not the explanans, it's the explanandum. It's something that has to be explained via the city.” (B, 13:13)
• "Citification eventually is a category... useful to address questions such as... how successfully, and under which condition something... has stretched and strained to adapt to fit urban conditions in general..." (B, 08:05)
• "Gossip bridges this gap... it covers distance for you, right? By proxy. Gossip breaks walls on one's behalf." (B, 25:55)
• "Was the martyrdom of Polycarp patterned after Jesus's passion? Or is the other way around true? ... who is the model and who is the imitator?" (B, 38:44)

Important Timestamps

• Personal background and project genesis: [02:27–06:37]
• Defining 'citification': [06:55–13:33]
• Space, apologetics, and urban critique: [13:33–18:10]
• Justin Martyr and urban experience: [18:59–24:26]
• Gossip, secrecy, and the Epistle to Diognetus: [24:26–31:12]
• Martyrdom and the urban spectacle: [31:12–38:44]
• City of God and limitations of urban religion framework: [39:20–46:00]
• Theory in the study of religion: [46:00–50:42]
• Future projects: [51:20–53:36]

Final Thoughts

Citifying Jesus offers a fresh, theoretically robust perspective on the formation of Christianity in the cities of the Roman Empire. Dr. Urciuoli advocates for explicit, interdisciplinary theorizing and insists that Christianity cannot be understood apart from its urban adaptation and context. The episode is rich for listeners interested in religious studies, urban sociology, ancient history, and the practical weaving of theory and historical analysis.