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This book explores the construction of Christian identity in fourth
and fifth centuries through inventing, fabricating and sharpening
binary oppositions. Such oppositions, for example Christians -
pagans; truth - falsehood; the one true god - the multitude of
demons; the right religion - superstition, served to create and
reinforce the Christian self-identity. The author examines how the
Christian argumentation against pagans was intertwined with
self-perception and self-affirmation. Discussing the relations and
interaction between pagan and Christian cultures, this book aims at
widening historical understanding of the cultural conflicts and the
otherness in world history, thus contributing to the ongoing
discussion about the historical and conceptual basis of cultural
tolerance and intolerance. This book offers a valuable contribution
to contemporary scholarly debate about Late Antique religious
history and the relationship between Christianity and other
religions.
This book focuses on recognition and its relation to religion and
theology, in both systematic and historical dimensions. While
existing research literature on recognition and contemporary
recognition theory has been gradually growing since the early
1990s, certain gaps remain in the field covered so far. One of
these is the multifaceted interaction between the phenomena of
recognition and religion. Since recognition applies to persons,
institutions, and normative entities like systems of beliefs, it
also provides a very useful analytic and interpretative tool for
studying religion. Divided into five sections, with chapters
written by established scholars in their respective fields, the
book explores the roots, history, and limits of recognition theory
in the context of religious belief. Exploring early Christian and
medieval sources on recognition and religion, it also offers
contemporary applications of this underexplored combination. This
is a timely book, as debates over religious identities, problematic
forms of extremism and societal issues related with
multiculturalism continue to dominate the media and politics. It
will, therefore, be of great interest to scholars of recognition
studies as well as religious studies, theology, philosophy, and
religious and intellectual history.
This book explores the construction of Christian identity in fourth
and fifth centuries through inventing, fabricating and sharpening
binary oppositions. Binary oppositions, such as Christians -
pagans; truth - falsehood; the one true god - the multitude of
demons; the right religion - superstition, served to create and
reinforce the Christian self-identity. The book examines how the
Christian argumentation against pagans was intertwined with
self-perception and self-affirmation. Discussing the relations and
interaction between pagan and Christian cultures, this book aims at
widening historical understanding of the cultural conflicts and the
otherness in world history and thus, to contribute to the ongoing
discussion about the historical and conceptual basis of cultural
tolerance and intolerance. This book offers a valuable contribution
to contemporary scholarly debate about Late Antique religious
history and the relationship between Christianity and other
religions.
This book focuses on recognition and its relation to religion and
theology, in both systematic and historical dimensions. While
existing research literature on recognition and contemporary
recognition theory has been gradually growing since the early
1990s, certain gaps remain in the field covered so far. One of
these is the multifaceted interaction between the phenomena of
recognition and religion. Since recognition applies to persons,
institutions, and normative entities like systems of beliefs, it
also provides a very useful analytic and interpretative tool for
studying religion. Divided into five sections, with chapters
written by established scholars in their respective fields, the
book explores the roots, history, and limits of recognition theory
in the context of religious belief. Exploring early Christian and
medieval sources on recognition and religion, it also offers
contemporary applications of this underexplored combination. This
is a timely book, as debates over religious identities, problematic
forms of extremism and societal issues related with
multiculturalism continue to dominate the media and politics. It
will, therefore, be of great interest to scholars of recognition
studies as well as religious studies, theology, philosophy, and
religious and intellectual history.
Places and spaces are key factors in how individuals and groups
construct their identities. Identity theories have emphasised that
the construction of an identity does not follow abstract and
universal processes but is also deeply rooted in specific
historical, cultural, social and material environments. The essays
in this volume explore how various groups in Late Antiquity rooted
their identity in special places that were imbued with meanings
derived from history and tradition. In Part I, essays explore the
tension between the Classical heritage in public, especially urban
spaces, in the form of ancient artwork and civic celebrations and
the Church's appropriation of that space through doctrinal disputes
and rival public performances. Parts II and III investigate how
particular locations expressed, and formed, the theological and
social identities of Christian and Jewish groups by bringing
together fresh insights from the archaeological and textual
evidence. Together the essays here demonstrate how the use and
interpretation of shared spaces contributed to the self-identity of
specific groups in Late Antiquity and in so doing issued
challenges, and caused conflict, with other social and religious
groups.
Places and spaces are key factors in how individuals and groups
construct their identities. Identity theories have emphasised that
the construction of an identity does not follow abstract and
universal processes but is also deeply rooted in specific
historical, cultural, social and material environments. The essays
in this volume explore how various groups in Late Antiquity rooted
their identity in special places that were imbued with meanings
derived from history and tradition. In Part I, essays explore the
tension between the Classical heritage in public, especially urban
spaces, in the form of ancient artwork and civic celebrations and
the Church's appropriation of that space through doctrinal disputes
and rival public performances. Parts II and III investigate how
particular locations expressed, and formed, the theological and
social identities of Christian and Jewish groups by bringing
together fresh insights from the archaeological and textual
evidence. Together the essays here demonstrate how the use and
interpretation of shared spaces contributed to the self-identity of
specific groups in Late Antiquity and in so doing issued
challenges, and caused conflict, with other social and religious
groups.
Religious Dissent in Late Antiquity reconsiders the religious
history of the late Roman Empire, focusing on the shifting position
of dissenting religious groups - conventionally called 'pagans' and
'heretics'. The period from the mid-fourth century until the
mid-fifth century CE witnessed a significant transformation of late
Roman society and a gradual shift from the world of polytheistic
religions into the Christian Empire. This book challenges the many
straightforward melodramatic narratives of the Christianisation of
the Roman Empire, still prevalent both in academic research and in
popular non-fiction works. Religious Dissent in Late Antiquity
demonstrates that the narrative is much more nuanced than the
simple Christian triumph over the classical world. It looks at
everyday life, economic aspects, day-to-day practices, and
conflicts of interest in the relations of religious groups.
Religious Dissent in Late Antiquity addresses two aspects: rhetoric
and realities, and consequently, delves into the interplay between
the manifest ideologies and daily life found in late antique
sources. It is a detailed analysis of selected themes and a close
reading of selected texts, tracing key elements and developments in
the treatment of dissident religious groups. The book focuses on
specific themes, such as the limits of imperial legislation and
ecclesiastical control, the end of sacrifices, and the label of
magic. Religious Dissent in Late Antiquity examines the ways in
which dissident religious groups were construed as religious
outsiders, but also explores local rituals and beliefs in late
Roman society as creative applications and expressions of the
infinite range of human inventiveness.
Slavery in the Late Antique World, 150 - 700 CE investigates the
ideological, moral, cultural, and symbolic aspects of slavery, as
well the living conditions of slaves in the Mediterranean basin and
Europe during a period of profound transformation. It focuses on
socially marginal areas and individuals on an unprecedented scale.
Written by an international team of scholars, the volume
establishes that late ancient slavery is a complex and polymorphous
phenomenon, one that was conditioned by culture and geography.
Rejecting preconceived ideas about slavery as static and without
regional variation, it offers focused case studies spanning the
late ancient period. They provide in-depth analyses of authors and
works, and consider a range of factors relevant to the practice of
slavery in specific geographical locations. Using comparative and
methodologically innovative approaches, this book revisits and
questions established assumptions about late ancient slavery. It
also enables fresh insights into one of humanity's most tragic
institutions.
This book contains the contributions to a workshop on apologetics
in early Christianity which took place at the Fifteenth
International Conference on Patristic Studies in Oxford in the
summer of 2007. The workshop was arranged by scholars from Germany,
Finland and Denmark who had for some time worked together in a
project on early Christian apologetics. The aim of the workshop was
thus to present and discuss some of the results and still unsolved
problems which arose from this project. The book presents the
contributions to the workshop. Hereby the editors hope to reach a
larger audience and thus to be able to further the discussion of
the topic of early Christian apologetics.
Most surveys of religious tolerance and intolerance start from the
medieval and early modern period, either passing over or making
brief mention of discussions of religious moderation and coercion
in Greco-Roman antiquity. Here Maijastina Kahlos widens the
historical perspective to encompass late antiquity, examining
ancient discussions of religious moderation and coercion in their
historical contexts. The relations and interactions between various
religious groups, especially pagans and Christians, are
scrutinized, and the stark contrast often drawn between a tolerant
polytheism and an intolerant Christianity is replaced by a more
refined portrait of the complex late antique world.
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