mountainman

It is my understanding that the appearance of "christian names"
in the archaeological record is after the mid-fourth century and
that aside from rare exceptions such do not appear earlier.

This is the case perhaps sometime in the fourth century.
But is it not the case in any earlier period in the empire.
If anyone wants to dispute this please feel free.

Toto

I don't know if Stephen Carr was being serious there.

Roman names

I'm not sure how you would identify a "Christian" name in any case.

Eldarion Lathria

I was unaware that Postumus was ever a praenomen. I always read that it was an agnomen, given to a child born after the father had died.

Eldarion Lathria

mountainman

Lane-Fox somewhere near p.590 in "P&C" says:

"At present a negative point does emerge from the papyrii." [FN:14]

[14] R.S. Bagnall, B.A.S.P (1985), 105

"Very few examples before c.300 of the personal names
which christians in Egypt later preferred to adopt.
From c.340 onwards, references to christians,
churches and christian authorities multiply
as do the numbers of favored christian names".

So again, here we have another totally separate characterist
of "christians" which emerges not in any of the first three
centuries, but after the State Religion swings in under
you know who. Sooner or later people are going to be
asking the obvious question. Be prepared.

Huon

Even today, there are "fashionable" names in a region, which are not "fashionable" in another region. In Spain, Jesus, Maria de Lourdes, Concepcion are possible names. In France, almost never. Until recently, the children bore the names of their grand-parents, or of a near parent.

Clivedurdle

Is the alleged appearance of xian names actually evidence of language change in the late Roman Empire, with the continuing co-evolution of peoples from outside the Empire and those within?

The Roman Empire was never monolithic. A major result of good roads and shipping and moving troops all around the place - Julian went from Paris to Babylon for example - Rome was utterly dependent on the food ships from Carthage - has to be mixing of languages and people marrying people from strange places and fashions in naming.

I am called Clive after someone I can't remember who he was!

Huon

Are these names typically christian names ?
Alexander, Aristides (the best), Athanasius (immortal), Athenagoras (Athena...), Augustinus (August), Caïus, Clemens, Commodianus, Cyprian (Cyprus), Dionysius, Eusebius (good piety), Gregory (watchman), Hippolytus (horse tamer), Justin, Minucius Felix, Theodotus, Theophilus (love God, love the Gods), Victor...

mountainman

The names of the "christian apostles" appear and multiply
in the papyrological record after the "Thirteenth Apostle"
was laid to rest c.337 CE. This appears to be simply a
result of the publication of the canon and the popularity
of the apocryphal literature which used the same names
(of the apostles) around that epoch in history.

And not before that epoch. Jesus and the apostles were
successfully marketed in the fourth century, just like
Clark Kent and Harry Potter and other "super-heroes"
were marketed in the 20th century. The big difference
was that in the case of Jesus, the military state did the
promotions, the backing, the support, the publication
of the canon and the construction of the basilicas, not
to mention the heresy hunting, the persecution of non-
conformists and the destruction of all oppositional dogma.

Clivedurdle

Isn't the main record graves and xians had a new burial fashion?

Wouldn't it be amusing if a cult invented longer lived burial methods so we have more records of them and assume that this was somehow meant to happen.

Actually, is having a temple with graveyard around it a xian idea? Did other people get buried in the various temple grounds?

Maybe death where is thy sting is actually an undertakers slogan! Xianity as a burial cult....Christing or annointing is actually embalming..

bacht