Overview

Discussing the decline of Greek religion and the christianization of town and countryside in the eastern Roman Empire between the death of Julian the Apostate and the laws of Justinian the Great against paganism, circa 370-529, this work examines such questions as the effect of the laws against sacrifice and sorcery; temple conversions; the degradation of pagan gods into ""daimones""; the christianization of rite; and the social, political and economic background of conversion to Christianity. Several local contexts are examined in great detail: Gaza, Athens, Alexandria, Aphrodisias, central Asia Minor, northern Syria, the Nile basin and the province of Arabia. Particular emphasis is put on the criticism of epigraphy, legal evidence and hagiographic texts. The demographic growth of Christianity and the chronology of this process in selected local contexts is traced. The book also seeks to understand the behavioural patterns of conversion.

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9789004096929

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Reviews

'.. .most impressive...'<br> Greece & Rome, 1993.<br>' No one can fail to be most impressed by the sheer accumulation of evidence, both textual and epigraphical.'<br> Greece & Rome, 1994.<br>'.. .his volumes are a thorough succes.'<br>David Frankfurter, Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 1994.<br>' This is a work of arduous painstaking scholarship, gathering diverse sources by patiently reading through a vast body of material spread over two hundred years...All in all a most impressive work.'<br>Robert L. Wilken, Religious Studies Review, 1995.<br>'.. .a solid piece of work. The evidence is treated objectively and carefully.'<br>Kenneth Paul Wesche, Journal of Early Christian Studies, 1995.<br>' Voil donc une fort belle itude, complhte, critique, intelligemment menie, qui mirite de figurer dans la bibliothhque de tout patrologue. philologue et historien.'<br>Nicole Zeegers, Revue d'Histoire Ecclisiastique, 1994.<br>' Thus to the extent that Trombley has compiled documentation for the continuity of many native cults into the sixth century his volumes are a thorough success.'<br>David Frankfurter, Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 1995.<br>' Der Wert der Publikation, die eine gro_e Materialf]lle geschickt verarbeitet, liegt einmal darin, da_ der Leser mit dem breiten Spektrum durchaus noch lebendiger paganer Religiositdt in der Spdtantike konfrontiert wird.'<br>Maria-Barbara von Stritzky, Theologische Revue, 1995.<br>' This two-volume work is in many ways a treasure for scholars to come, and it will certainly be a mine of information for all...anyone interested in the religious interaction in this period will benefit enormously from Trombley's consideration of the texts. They will certainly readhis interpretation of the texts and then be driven inescapably back to the evidence itself for confirmation or contradiction. One cannot ask for more in a modern analysis of an important problem.'<br>Timothy E. Gregory, The Catholic Historical Review, 1995.

Author Information

Frank R. Trombley has held visiting positions at Georgetown University, Dumbarton Oaks, University of California (Los Angeles), and King's College London. He is now a Lecturer in Religious Studies at Cardiff College, University of Wales.

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