Kinship as a Trustworthy Cue: The Signalling of Religious Expertise in the Epigraphy of Ephesian Voluntary Associations

Abstract

This article addresses the relationship between religious expertise and kinship language in the inscriptions of Ephesian voluntary associations. I argue that kinship language functioned as a well-established rapid signaller of stable trustworthiness. I base my analysis on perspectives gained from evolutionary studies on religion, which I present before my analysis. As a conclusion to my analysis, I propose that a similar reliance on stable genealogical kinship also characterises early Christian expertise in Ephesus, even though only a few early Christian authorities had religious experts as close relatives.

Keywords:

• Ephesus
• voluntary associations
• religious experts
• epigraphy
• prestige
• kinship
• evolution