Examination of the Isis Cult with Preliminary Exploration into New Testament Studies

This work serves as an investigation of the Isis cult by tracing its development from Egypt into Greco-Roman society. The origin of the Isis cult is described by using the accounts of Plutarch, Apuleius, and Diodorus before examining the effects of Isis on Egyptian culture. The Isis cult soon overflows into the Greco-Roman world. While this mysterious religion initially encounters opposition, especially since it clashes with Roman patriarchal society, it overcomes these limitations. The relevance of Isis to New Testament studies is demonstrated by comparing similar Pauline practices to Isiac beliefs and practices. The concepts of freedom, salvation, baptism, and resurrection in Pauline Christianity overlap with Isiac beliefs. The possibility of the Isis cult as an historical context is explored in the book of 1 Timothy, which serves as an example of the intersection between the biblical text and the Egyptian cult of Isis.

McCabe offers a clearly written overview of aspects of the Isis cult that provide a backdrop for the NT., In this splendid volume, McCabe capably brings the reader into the intricate world of Isis, but more importantly offers fresh research to demonstrate the relevance of Isis studies for understand the critical portions of the New Testament and the challenges Christianity faced as it spread across the Roman Empire in the first century.

Elizabeth A. McCabe is a Ph.D. candidate in Jewish Studies in the Greco-Roman Period at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio.