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Late Antiquity witnessed a dramatic recalibration in the economy of
power, and nowhere was this more pronounced than in the realm of
religion. The transformations that occurred in this pivotal era
moved the ancient world into the Middle Ages and forever changed
the way that religion was practiced. The twenty eight studies in
this volume explore this shift using evidence ranging from Latin
poetic texts, to Syriac letter collections, to the iconography of
Roman churches and Merowingian mortuary goods. They range in
chronology from the late third through the early seventh centuries
AD and apply varied theories and approaches. All converge around
the notion that religion is fundamentally a discourse of power and
that power in Late Antiquity was especially charged with the force
of religion. The articles are divided into eight sections which
examine the power of religion in literature, theurgical power over
the divine, emperors and the deployment of religious power,
limitations on the power of the ecclesiastical hierarchy, the use
of the cross as a symbol of power, Rome and its transformation as a
center of power, the power of religion in the barbarian west, and
religious power in the communities of the east. This kaleidoscope
of perspectives creates a richly illuminating volume that add a new
social and political dimension to current debates about religion in
Late Antiquity.
Late Antiquity witnessed a dramatic recalibration in the economy of
power, and nowhere was this more pronounced than in the realm of
religion. The transformations that occurred in this pivotal era
moved the ancient world into the Middle Ages and forever changed
the way that religion was practiced. The twenty eight studies in
this volume explore this shift using evidence ranging from Latin
poetic texts, to Syriac letter collections, to the iconography of
Roman churches and Merowingian mortuary goods. They range in
chronology from the late third through the early seventh centuries
AD and apply varied theories and approaches. All converge around
the notion that religion is fundamentally a discourse of power and
that power in Late Antiquity was especially charged with the force
of religion. The articles are divided into eight sections which
examine the power of religion in literature, theurgical power over
the divine, emperors and the deployment of religious power,
limitations on the power of the ecclesiastical hierarchy, the use
of the cross as a symbol of power, Rome and its transformation as a
center of power, the power of religion in the barbarian west, and
religious power in the communities of the east. This kaleidoscope
of perspectives creates a richly illuminating volume that add a new
social and political dimension to current debates about religion in
Late Antiquity.
Over the course of the fourth century, Christianity rose from a
religion actively persecuted by the authority of the Roman empire
to become the religion of state-a feat largely credited to
Constantine the Great. Constantine succeeded in propelling this
minority religion to imperial status using the traditional tools of
governance, yet his proclamation of his new religious orientation
was by no means unambiguous. His coins and inscriptions, public
monuments, and pronouncements sent unmistakable signals to his
non-Christian subjects that he was willing not only to accept their
beliefs about the nature of the divine but also to incorporate
traditional forms of religious expression into his own
self-presentation. In Constantine and the Cities, Noel Lenski
attempts to reconcile these apparent contradictions by examining
the dialogic nature of Constantine's power and how his rule was
built in the space between his ambitions for the empire and his
subjects' efforts to further their own understandings of religious
truth. Focusing on cities and the texts and images produced by
their citizens for and about the emperor, Constantine and the
Cities uncovers the interplay of signals between ruler and subject,
mapping out the terrain within which Constantine nudged his
subjects in the direction of conversion. Reading inscriptions,
coins, legal texts, letters, orations, and histories, Lenski
demonstrates how Constantine and his subjects used the instruments
of government in a struggle for authority over the religion of the
empire.
Over the course of the fourth century, Christianity rose from a
religion actively persecuted by the authority of the Roman empire
to become the religion of state-a feat largely credited to
Constantine the Great. Constantine succeeded in propelling this
minority religion to imperial status using the traditional tools of
governance, yet his proclamation of his new religious orientation
was by no means unambiguous. His coins and inscriptions, public
monuments, and pronouncements sent unmistakable signals to his
non-Christian subjects that he was willing not only to accept their
beliefs about the nature of the divine but also to incorporate
traditional forms of religious expression into his own
self-presentation. In Constantine and the Cities, Noel Lenski
attempts to reconcile these apparent contradictions by examining
the dialogic nature of Constantine's power and how his rule was
built in the space between his ambitions for the empire and his
subjects' efforts to further their own understandings of religious
truth. Focusing on cities and the texts and images produced by
their citizens for and about the emperor, Constantine and the
Cities uncovers the interplay of signals between ruler and subject,
mapping out the terrain within which Constantine nudged his
subjects in the direction of conversion. Reading inscriptions,
coins, legal texts, letters, orations, and histories, Lenski
demonstrates how Constantine and his subjects used the instruments
of government in a struggle for authority over the religion of the
empire.
"Failure of Empire "is the first comprehensive biography of the
Roman emperor Valens and his troubled reign (a.d. 364-78). Valens
will always be remembered for his spectacular defeat and death at
the hands of the Goths in the Battle of Adrianople. This singular
misfortune won him a front-row seat among history's great losers.
By the time he was killed, his empire had been coming unglued for
several years: the Goths had overrun the Balkans; Persians,
Isaurians, and Saracens were threatening the east; the economy was
in disarray; and pagans and Christians alike had been exiled,
tortured, and executed in his religious persecutions. Valens had
not, however, entirely failed in his job as emperor. He was an
admirable administrator, a committed defender of the frontiers, and
a ruler who showed remarkable sympathy for the needs of his
subjects.
In lively style and rich detail, Lenski incorporates a broad range
of new material, from archaeology to Gothic and Armenian sources,
in a study that illuminates the social, cultural, religious,
economic, administrative, and military complexities of Valens's
realm. "Failure of Empire "offers a nuanced reconsideration of
Valens the man and shows both how he applied his strengths to meet
the expectations of his world and how he ultimately failed in his
efforts to match limited capacities to limitless demands.
"Failure of Empire "is the first comprehensive biography of the
Roman emperor Valens and his troubled reign (A.D. 364-78). Valens
will always be remembered for his spectacular defeat and death at
the hands of the Goths in the Battle of Adrianople. This singular
misfortune won him a front-row seat among history's great losers.
By the time he was killed, his empire had been coming unglued for
several years: the Goths had overrun the Balkans; Persians,
Isaurians, and Saracens were threatening the east; the economy was
in disarray; and pagans and Christians alike had been exiled,
tortured, and executed in his religious persecutions. Valens had
not, however, entirely failed in his job as emperor. He was an
admirable administrator, a committed defender of the frontiers, and
a ruler who showed remarkable sympathy for the needs of his
subjects.
In lively style and rich detail, Lenski incorporates a broad range
of new material, from archaeology to Gothic and Armenian sources,
in a study that illuminates the social, cultural, religious,
economic, administrative, and military complexities of Valens's
realm. "Failure of Empire "offers a nuanced reconsideration of
Valens the man and shows both how he applied his strengths to meet
the expectations of his world and how he ultimately failed in his
efforts to match limited capacities to limitless demands.
The practice of slavery has been common across a variety of
cultures around the globe and throughout history. Despite the
multiplicity of slavery's manifestations, many scholars have used a
simple binary to categorize slave-holding groups as either 'genuine
slave societies' or 'societies with slaves'. This dichotomy, as
originally proposed by ancient historian Moses Finley, assumes that
there were just five 'genuine slave societies' in all of human
history: ancient Greece and Rome, and the colonial Caribbean,
Brazil, and the American South. This book interrogates this bedrock
of comparative slave studies and tests its worth. Assembling
contributions from top specialists, it demonstrates that the
catalogue of five must be expanded and that the model may need to
be replaced with a more flexible system that emphasizes the notion
of intensification. The issue is approached as a question, allowing
for debate between the seventeen contributors about how best to
conceptualize the comparative study of human bondage.
The practice of slavery has been common across a variety of
cultures around the globe and throughout history. Despite the
multiplicity of slavery's manifestations, many scholars have used a
simple binary to categorize slave-holding groups as either 'genuine
slave societies' or 'societies with slaves'. This dichotomy, as
originally proposed by ancient historian Moses Finley, assumes that
there were just five 'genuine slave societies' in all of human
history: ancient Greece and Rome, and the colonial Caribbean,
Brazil, and the American South. This book interrogates this bedrock
of comparative slave studies and tests its worth. Assembling
contributions from top specialists, it demonstrates that the
catalogue of five must be expanded and that the model may need to
be replaced with a more flexible system that emphasizes the notion
of intensification. The issue is approached as a question, allowing
for debate between the seventeen contributors about how best to
conceptualize the comparative study of human bondage.
The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Constantine offers students a
comprehensive one-volume survey of this pivotal emperor and his
times. Richly illustrated and designed as a readable survey
accessible to all audiences, it also achieves a level of scholarly
sophistication and a freshness of interpretation that will be
welcomed by the experts. The volume is divided into five sections
that examine political history, religion, social and economic
history, art, and foreign relations during the reign of
Constantine, who steered the Roman Empire on a course parallel with
his own personal development. Each chapter examines the intimate
interplay between emperor and empire, and between a powerful
personality and his world. Collectively, they show how both were
mutually affected in ways that shaped the world of Late Antiquity
and even affect our own world today. This edition has been revised,
the notes and bibliography have been updated, and a new preface has
been added.
The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Constantine offers students a
comprehensive one-volume survey of this pivotal emperor and his
times. Richly illustrated and designed as a readable survey
accessible to all audiences, it also achieves a level of scholarly
sophistication and a freshness of interpretation that will be
welcomed by experts. The volume is divided into five sections that
examine political history, religion, social and economic history,
art and foreign relations during the reign of Constantine, who
steered the Roman Empire on a course parallel with his own personal
development. Each chapter examines the intimate interplay between
emperor and empire, and between a powerful personality and his
world. Collectively, they show how both were mutually affected in
ways that shaped the world of Late Antiquity and even affect our
own world today. This edition has been revised, the notes and
bibliography have been updated and a new preface has been added.
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