Religious Dissent in Late Antiquity, 350-450 (Oxford Studies in Late Antiquity)

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. Cover 1 Series 3 Religious Dissent in Late Antiquity, 350–450 4 Copyright 5 Contents 8 Acknowledgements 12 Abbreviations 14 Introduction: Rhetoric and realities 16 Religious dissenters 18 The emperors and the churches 21 Rhetoric and the realities of life 22 The themes of this book 25 SECTION I Imperial and ecclesiastical authority 32 1 The emperor and the dissenters 32 The rhetoric of public welfare and divine peace 32 Imperial striving for unity 39 2 The realities of legislation 42 Sound and fury 43 Good citizens and infamous dissenters 45 The realities of responsive legislation 48 The local realities of legislation 51 3 The bishops and the dissenters 55 Coping with diversity 56 Coping with the emperor 59 4 The local limits of imperial and ecclesiastical power 65 Patronage and local landowners 66 Laxity or tolerance? 69 5 Authority and aggression 72 The narrative of Christian triumphalism 74 Triumph as legitimation 78 Vigour and violence 82 Initiating aggression 83 Supporting aggression 87 Controlling, punishing, and criticizing aggression 89 Imperial and ecclesiastical authority: Concluding remarks 94 SECTION II People in rhetoric and realities 100 6 Individuals, groups, and plural possibilities in Late Antiquity 100 Naming, listing, and labelling 103 ‘Christians’ and Christian self-​perception 105 7 Otherness outside: Making pagans 107 Who were pagans? Stereotypes and realities 109 Flesh-​and-​blood pagans? 112 The first or last pagans? The self-​perception of pagans 115 8 Deviance or otherness inside: Construing heretics 120 The making of heresies—​and orthodoxy 121 Making Arians 126 Making Donatists 129 Making Pelagians 131 Heretics and social reality 133 9 Reactions 136 Accommodation: Conversion and conformity 137 Non-​violent resistance: Eloquent appeals 139 Non-​violent resistance: Silence and self-​segregation 142 Confrontations: Verbal and physical violence 146 People in rhetoric and realities: Some conclusions 149 SECTION III Time, place, practices 154 10 The transformation of practices 154 In search of local religion 155 Sacrifices in Late Antiquity 159 The abhorrence of sacrifice 162 The realities of pollution? 166 Disappearances, continuities, and adaptations 169 11 Economics of practices 173 Competing for resources 174 Competing philanthropic practices 176 Blaming civic philanthropy 180 12 Sacred places and spaces 183 Shared cult places 185 Rhetoric of purification and reality of aesthetization 187 13 Sacred times and spaces 191 Feasts and spectacles 193 Christians and the New Year 195 The reality of popular needs 199 Funerary and martyr cults: Complaints and realities 202 14 Rhetoric and realities of magic 210 Dissenters and magic accusations 212 Roman suspicions and Christian fears 215 From traditional civic rituals to magic 219 From dissent Christianity to magic 221 Your magic, my miracle 222 Time, place, practices: Some conclusions 226 Conclusion: The darkening age or the victory of John Doe? 229 Authority: Attempts to control and define 230 People: Attempts to categorize people 231 Practices: Attempts to control practices 233 Bibliography 236 Index locorum 276 General Index 284 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.0This 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.0Religious 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 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. 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. 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.-- Provided by publisher 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. 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. 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.-- Información editorial