Pagans and Christians in Late Antique Rome: Conflict, Competition, and Coexistence in the Fourth Century

Description

This book sheds new light on the religious and consequently social changes taking place in late antique Rome. The essays in this volume argue that the once-dominant notion of pagan-Christian religious conflict cannot fully explain the texts and artifacts, as well as the social, religious, and political realities of late antique Rome. Together, the essays demonstrate that the fourth-century city was a more fluid, vibrant, and complex place than was previously thought. Competition between diverse groups in Roman society - be it pagans with Christians, Christians with Christians, or pagans with pagans - did create tensions and hostility, but it also allowed for coexistence and reduced the likelihood of overt violent, physical conflict. Competition and coexistence, along with conflict, emerge as still central paradigms for those who seek to understand the transformations of Rome from the age of Constantine through the early fifth century.

Michele Renee Salzman is Professor of Ancient History at the University of California, Riverside. She is the author of numerous articles and books on late antiquity, and recently published The Letters of Symmachus. Book 1 (including a translation with Michael Roberts, 2012). Marianne Saghy is Associate Professor in the Medieval Studies Department at Central European University in Budapest, Hungary. She is the author of several books in Hungarian on Damasus of Rome and on late antique hagiography. Rita Lizzi Testa is Professor of Roman History at the University of Perugia, Italy, and is a member of the International Advisory Board for 'CUA Studies in Early Christianity' and for the NAPS-Christianity in Late Antiquity book series. She is author of several books, and editor or coeditor of many volumes.