Recent studies on the development of early Christianity emphasize the fragmentation of the late ancient world while paying less attention to a distinctive feature of the Christianity of this time which is its inter-connectivity. Both local and trans-regional networks of interaction contributed to the expansion of Christianity in this age of fragmentation. This volume investigates a specific aspect of this inter-connectivity in the area of the Mediterranean by focusing on the formation and operation of episcopal networks. The rise of the bishop as a major figure of authority resulted in an increase in long-distance communication among church elites coming from different geographical areas and belonging to distinct ecclesiastical and theological traditions. Locally, the bishops in their roles as teachers, defenders of faith, patrons etc. were expected to interact with individuals of diverse social background who formed their congregations and with secular authorities. Consequently, this volume explores the nature and quality of various types of episcopal relationships in Late Antiquity attempting to understand how they were established, cultivated and put to use across cultural, linguistic, social and geographical boundaries.

This book studies the complex attitude of late ancient Christians towards classical education. In recent years, the different theoretical positions that can be found among the Church Fathers have received particular attention: their statements ranged from enthusiastic assimilation to outright rejection, the latter sometimes masking implicit adoption. Shifting attention away from such explicit statements, this volume focuses on a series of lesser-known texts in order to study the impact of specific literary and social contexts on late ancient educational views and practices. By moving attention from statements to strategies this volume wishes to enrich our understanding of the creative engagement with classical ideals of education. The multi-faceted approach adopted here illuminates the close connection between specific educational purposes on the one hand, and the possibilities and limitations offered by specific genres and contexts on the other. Instead of seeing attitudes towards education in late antique texts as applications of theoretical positions, it reads them as complex negotiations between authorial intent, the limitations of genre, and the context of performance.

The present volume's focus lies on the formation of a multifaccetted discourse on Christian martyrdom in Late Antiquity. While martyrdom accounts remain a central means of defining Christian identity, new literary genres emerge, e.g., the Lives of Saints (Athanasius on Antony), sermons (the Cappadocians), hynms (Prudentius) and more. Authors like Eusebius of Caesarea and Augustine employ martyrological language and motifs in their apologetical and polemic writings, while the Gesta Martyrum Romanorum represent a new type of veneration of the martyrs of a single site. Beyond the borders of the Roman Empire, new martyrs' narratives can be found. Additionally, two essays deal with methodological questions of research of such sources, thereby highlighting the hitherto understudied innovations of martyrology in Late Antiquity, that is, after the end of the persecutions of Christianity by Roman Emperors. Since then, martyrology gained new importance for the formation of Christian identity within the context of a Christianized imperium. The volume thus enlarges and specifies our knowledge of this fundamental Christian discourse.

Recent studies on the development of early Christianity emphasize the fragmentation of the late ancient world while paying less attention to a distinctive feature of the Christianity of this time which is its inter-connectivity. Both local and trans-regional networks of interaction contributed to the expansion of Christianity in this age of fragmentation. This volume investigates a specific aspect of this inter-connectivity in the area of the Mediterranean by focusing on the formation and operation of episcopal networks. The rise of the bishop as a major figure of authority resulted in an increase in long-distance communication among church elites coming from different geographical areas and belonging to distinct ecclesiastical and theological traditions. Locally, the bishops in their roles as teachers, defenders of faith, patrons etc. were expected to interact with individuals of diverse social background who formed their congregations and with secular authorities. Consequently, this volume explores the nature and quality of various types of episcopal relationships in Late Antiquity attempting to understand how they were established, cultivated and put to use across cultural, linguistic, social and geographical boundaries.

This book studies the complex attitude of late ancient Christians towards classical education. In recent years, the different theoretical positions that can be found among the Church Fathers have received particular attention: their statements ranged from enthusiastic assimilation to outright rejection, the latter sometimes masking implicit adoption. Shifting attention away from such explicit statements, this volume focuses on a series of lesser-known texts in order to study the impact of specific literary and social contexts on late ancient educational views and practices. By moving attention from statements to strategies this volume wishes to enrich our understanding of the creative engagement with classical ideals of education. The multi-faceted approach adopted here illuminates the close connection between specific educational purposes on the one hand, and the possibilities and limitations offered by specific genres and contexts on the other. Instead of seeing attitudes towards education in late antique texts as applications of theoretical positions, it reads them as complex negotiations between authorial intent, the limitations of genre, and the context of performance.

The present volume's focus lies on the formation of a multifaccetted discourse on Christian martyrdom in Late Antiquity. While martyrdom accounts remain a central means of defining Christian identity, new literary genres emerge, e.g., the Lives of Saints (Athanasius on Antony), sermons (the Cappadocians), hynms (Prudentius) and more. Authors like Eusebius of Caesarea and Augustine employ martyrological language and motifs in their apologetical and polemic writings, while the Gesta Martyrum Romanorum represent a new type of veneration of the martyrs of a single site. Beyond the borders of the Roman Empire, new martyrs' narratives can be found. Additionally, two essays deal with methodological questions of research of such sources, thereby highlighting the hitherto understudied innovations of martyrology in Late Antiquity, that is, after the end of the persecutions of Christianity by Roman Emperors. Since then, martyrology gained new importance for the formation of Christian identity within the context of a Christianized imperium. The volume thus enlarges and specifies our knowledge of this fundamental Christian discourse.

Peter Gemeinhardt behandelt in diesem Lehrbuch die Geschichte des Christentums in den ersten sechs Jahrhunderten seines Bestehens. Er unterteilt die Gesamtentwicklung in drei große Phasen - Formierung (ca. 100-250 n. Chr.), Stabilisierung (ca. 250-450), Pluralisierung (ca. 450-700) -, in denen jeweils vier thematische Aspekte zur Sprache kommen: A. Das Christentum als Religion unter anderen Religionen, B. Praktiken der Frömmigkeit, C. Theologie als Prozess der Lehrbildung und Selbstreflexion, D. Kirche als Institution und Organisation. Auf diese Weise wird einerseits die hohe innere Pluralität des spätantiken Christentums herausgearbeitet, andererseits aufgezeigt, dass und wie christliche Identität in dieser Vielfalt gesucht und gefunden wurde. Der Autor greift damit neuere Tendenzen einer religions- und sozialgeschichtlichen Betrachtungsweise des Christentums auf und ergänzt sie um den Aspekt der Institutionalisierung, also der immer wieder erforderlichen Aushandlung, was christlich ist und wo dessen Grenzen verlaufen. Zudem arbeitet er heraus, welche Rolle Theologie als kontinuierliche Reflexion des authentisch Christlichen in diesem Prozess spielte. Zugrunde liegt ein weit gefasstes Verständnis von Spätantike als einer Epoche, in der mit dem Christentum und dem Judentum sowie später mit dem Islam monotheistische Religionen mit traditionellen Kulten und philosophischen Deutungskulturen koexistierten und konkurrierten. Gerade dadurch gewann das Christentum Kontur als denkende, handelnde und feiernde Religionskultur, die stabile Identität mit kontextsensibler Flexibilität zu verbinden verstand.

The meaning of holiness and how one can speak about it remains an active research question in religious studies and theology. The articles analyze discourses about holiness from the religious cultures of late antiquity. Terminologies, practices, and reflections related to holiness are explored in the context of their particular religious frames of reference.

Carl Andresen (1909a "1985) posed questions of continuing relevance: what was the attitude of early Christianity to the intellectual history of antiquity, how did it categorize theology and philosophy with respect to each other, how did it defend the Biblea (TM)s claim to truth against concurrent systems of thought? This study provides an extensive and detailed reconstruction of the meeting of the world of antiquity and Christianity, including the history of their influences. Christianity proves to be an integral part of its world, whilst also influencing and transfiguring this environment.

Die intensiv diskutierte oekumenische und systematisch-theologische Frage, ob der Heilige Geist allein aus dem Vater oder auch aus dem Sohn hervorgeht (ex Patre Filioque), wird kirchen- und dogmengeschichtlich analysiert. Ausgehend von der differenzierten Rezeption des Nizano-Konstantinopolitanums im lateinischen Sprachraum wird nach den Ursprungen der Filioque-Kontroverse zwischen dem 8. und 12. Jahrhundert gefragt. Dabei werden die pneumatologischen und bekenntnishermeneutischen Differenzen sowie die politischen und ekklesiologischen Rahmenbedingungen dargestellt. Der Streit um das Filioque erweist sich als Schlussel zu einer theologischen Divergenzbewegung zwischen griechischem Osten und lateinischem Westen, deren Ursprunge bereits in den trinitatstheologischen Grundentscheidungen des 4. Jahrhunderts liegen. Eine "Loesung" der Filioque-Problematik ist daher nicht durch die Streichung eines Wortes zu erreichen, sondern nur im Dialog zweier irreduzibler Ausgestaltungen des trinitarischen Dogmas.

Autorität und Autoritäten spielen für Bildung und Religion eine wichtige Rolle - besonders wenn zwischen beiden eine Spannung, ja Konkurrenz besteht. In Kulturen des Mittelmeerraums und seiner Umwelt wird dieses Verhältnis unter verschiedenen Vorzeichen thematisch: Autoritätskonstruktionen tragen zur Durchsetzung von Wahrheitsansprüchen und zur Speicherung, Tradierung und Vermittlung von religiösem und Bildungswissen bei. Dabei kommen unterschiedliche Medien - Texte, Riten, Traditionen - ins Spiel. Spannungsverhältnisse zwischen Bildung und Religion schlagen sich in Leitdiskursen nieder, die wiederum Aufschlüsse über die innere Dynamik vormoderner Gesellschaften erlauben. Die Leitfrage dieses Bandes lautet entsprechend: Wie verhalten sich Prozesse der Zuschreibung, Fixierung und Usurpation von Autorität im Spannungsfeld von Bildung und Religion in antiken und mittelalterlichen Kulturen?