Augsburg Fortress
A People's History of Christianity

LATE ANCIENT CHRISTIANITY:
A People's History of
Christianity, vol. 2

edited by Virginia Burrus

Glimpsing the lived religion of Christians in the shadow of Rome—

How has Christianity through the centuries actually been lived and experienced by ordinary Christians—men, women, and children? To address this question, this innovative volume shifts the focus from various Christian elites, whether clerical or theological or political, to everyday "average" people.

Centered on the Roman imperial period, twelve skilled historians search for clues to the everyday realities of Christians' lives in the era of Christian ascendancy and Roman decline. Popular fiction, childrearing and toys, rituals of inclusion, the beginning of veneration of saints and shunning of heretics, the ascetic impulse, food practices —all these and more lend color and texture to the story of a "people's" Christianity in this formative stage. Their probings of prayers and practices, beliefs and values bring alive the centuries-long struggle for Christian identity, integrity, and legitimacy in Rome's far-flung empire. Led by Virginia Burrus, contributors include:

  • Kimberly Bowes
  • Elizabeth A. Clark
  • Charlotte Elisheve Fonrobert
  • David Frankfurter
  • Cornelia B. Horn
  • Robin M. Jensen
  • Rebecca Lyman
  • Harry O. Maier
  • Andrew McGowan
  • Judith Perkins
  • Dennis Trout
  • Robin Darling Young

Virginia Burrus is Professor of Early Church History at Drew University. She is author of numerous articles and four books: The Sex Lives of Saints: An Erotics of Ancient Hagiography (Pennsylvania, 2004), "Begotten, Not Made": Conceiving Manhood in Late Antiquity (Stanford, 2000), The Making of a Heretic: Gender, Authority, and the Priscillianist Controversy (California, 1995), and Chastity as Autonomy: Women in Stories of Apocryphal Acts (Mellen, 1987).

Shelving: Religion / History of Christianity
Readers: General readers; college, university, seminary students; historians
0-8006-3412-8
$35.00 / Canada / UK
7" x 9", hardcover, 256 pp.
Rights: World
November 2005

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