MappingSalvation · Soteriological Itineraries in the Ancient Mediterranean World

Soteriological Itineraries in the Ancient Mediterranean World

MappingSalvation investigated how ideas of salvation were formulated, transformed and communicated in the early Roman Empire, with a focus on the first to third centuries AD. The project started from a simple but far-reaching observation: salvation is often treated as a specifically Christian or narrowly religious concept, but in the ancient Mediterranean world the Greek term sôtêria and the Latin term salus covered a much wider field of meanings. They could refer to rescue, preservation, healing, protection, moral reform, civic stability, divine assistance, cosmic order and hope in situations of crisis. The project addressed the need for a more flexible methodology for studying salvation in antiquity. Traditional categories such as pagan/Christian, philosophical/religious, material/spiritual, individual/collective and this-worldly/otherworldly salvation are often too rigid to capture the complexity of ancient texts and practices. MappingSalvation therefore developed the model of “Salvation Paths”, which studies salvation as a process rather than as a fixed doctrine. This model examines the initial condition from which salvation is sought, the path towards preservation or transformation, the human efforts involved, the divine or semi-divine agents who may intervene, and the final state of rescue, stability or fulfilment. The project had two main objectives. The first was to establish a new interdisciplinary methodology for the study of salvation in the early Roman Empire. The second was to test this methodology through the analysis of Greek and Latin sources. The project brought together ancient philosophy, philology, history of religions, theology, rhetoric, cultural history and public humanities. This made it possible to study salvation not only as a religious or philosophical idea, but also as a historical, ethical, cultural and communicative category. The project’s broader relevance lies in the fact that salvation, understood as preservation, survival and transformation, remains a powerful concept today. In a world marked by political instability, ecological anxiety, war, social fragmentation and renewed fears about the future, the project offers historical depth to questions that continue to shape public life: how do individuals and communities imagine protection, responsibility, and hope?

Data: CORDIS, © European Union