Peter Van Nuffelen

Shows how Orosius situates himself in the classical tradition and draws on a variety of rhetorical tools to shape his historical narrative, The histories against the pagans, written in 415/7, and position the Church at the heart of his view of Roman history.

Orosius and the Rhetoric of History

Johan Leemans

Shawn W. J. Keough

Carla Nicolaye

The election of a new bishop was a defining moment for local Christian communities in Late Antiquity. This volume contributes to a reassessment of the phenomenon of episcopal elections from the broadest possible perspective, examining the varied combination of factors, personalities, rules and habits that played a role in the process. Building on the state of the art regarding late antique bishops and episcopal election, this interdisciplinary volume of collected studies by leading scholars offers fresh perspectives by focussing on specific case-studies and opening up new approaches.

Episcopal Elections in Late Antiquity

Stephen Mitchell

Graeco-Roman religion in its classic form was polytheistic; on the other hand, monotheistic ideas enjoyed wide currency in ancient philosophy. This contradiction provides a challenge for our understanding of ancient pagan religion. Certain forms of cult activity, including acclamations of 'one god' and the worship of theos hypsistos, the highest god, have sometimes been interpreted as evidence for pagan monotheism. This book discusses pagan monotheism in its philosophical and intellectual context, traces the evolution of new religious ideas in the time of the Roman empire, and evaluates the usefulness of the term 'monotheism' as a way of understanding these developments in later antiquity outside the context of Judaism and Christianity. In doing so, it establishes a framework for understanding the relationship between polytheistic and monotheistic religious cultures between the first and fourth centuries AD.

Peter Van Nuffelen

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