<p>In this episode, I sit down with Professor Jan N. Bremmer to talk about his book "Jews, Pagans and Christians in the Roman Empire." Jan explains why Jews were understood (even if distinct), why Christians were often seen as a problem, and what was actually at stake when they refused to participate in practices like sacrifice and statue worship.</p><p>Jan Nicolaas Bremmer is a Dutch classicist and historian of religion specializing in ancient Greek and Roman religion, early Christianity, mythology, and the historiography of these fields. As Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at the University of Groningen, where he held the chair from 1990 until his retirement in 2009, Bremmer has shaped modern understandings of Mediterranean religious practices through rigorous analysis of texts, rituals, and social contexts.</p><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/ryleyhepp/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p><a href="https://www.ryleyheppner.com" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Personal Website/Writing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p><a href="https://apologeticscanada.com/ryley-heppner/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apologetics Canada Request⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p><a href="https://outreachspeakers.com/ryley-heppner" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Outreach Speakers Request⁠</a></p>