Conversion in late antiquity and the early Middle Ages
Book Description
This scholarly exploration delves into the complex reality of religious transformation during one of history's most pivotal periods. Rather than accepting traditional narratives of sudden, dramatic conversions, the contributors reveal how spiritual change actually unfolded as gradual, multifaceted social processes across late antiquity and the early Middle Ages.
The collection examines diverse evidence spanning seven centuries, from second-century Roman Hellenism through ninth-century Carolingian reforms. Through careful analysis of baptismal speeches, funeral inscriptions, Christian accounts of converted performers, imperial statuary, Byzantine ethnographic texts, and relocated sacred relics, these leading scholars uncover the nuanced ways people navigated religious transformation.
What emerges is a far more intricate picture than the singular, momentous mental events described by ancient writers. The research demonstrates how conversion involved incomplete, ongoing negotiations between old and new beliefs, personal conviction and social pressure, individual choice and community expectations.
For contemporary readers interested in understanding spiritual transformation, this work offers valuable insights into how profound religious change actually occurs. By examining how people in earlier eras wrestled with questions of faith, identity, and belonging, the book illuminates universal aspects of the spiritual journey that transcend any particular historical moment.
The collection promises to deepen understanding of religious conversion while encouraging fresh perspectives on cultural interaction, diffusion, and change that extend well beyond medieval studies.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages) (~8 hours)
📄 Length: 283 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore Histoire
- ✓ Explore Idade média
- ✓ Explore Bekehrung
- ✓ Explore Christianisme
- ✓ Explore Vroege kerk
- ✓ Explore Frühchristentum
- ✓ Explore Antiguidade
- ✓ Explore Christianity
