Authority and the Sacred
Authority and the Sacred
£15.99
GBPThe Christianisation of the Roman world lies at the root of modern Europe, yet at the time it was a tentative and piecemeal process. Peter Brown's fascinating study examines the factors which proved decisive and the compromises which made the emergence of the Christian 'thought world' possible: how the the old gods of the Roman Empire could be reinterpreted as symbols to further the message of the Church. Peter Brown also shows how Christian holy men were less representative of a triumphant faith than negotiators of a working compromise between the new faith and traditional ways of dealing with the supernatural worlds.
- The book has sold 500 in hardback and 3,585 in paperback since publication in 1995
- Very distinguished and well-known author
- Reappraisal of an important topic
- Accessible to a broad range of readers including the general market and students
Reviews & endorsements
'A brilliant book, by a scholar to whom church historians are already deeply indebted, providing ample material for further debates.' The Expository Times
' ... the treatment is fresh and independent'. The Times Literary Supplement
Product details
September 1997Paperback
9780521595575
108 pages
217 × 139 × 7 mm
0.152kg
Available
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Table of Contents
- Preface
- 1. Christianisation: narratives and process
- 2. The limits of intolerance
- 3. Arbiters of the Holy: the Christian holy man in late antiquity
- Notes
- Index.
