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The present 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 that eventually resulted in one specific candidate becoming the new bishop, and not another. The importance of episcopal elections hardly needs stating: With the bishop emerging as one of the key figures of late antique society, his election was a defining moment for the local community, and an occasion when local, ecclesiastical, and secular tensions were played out. Building on the state of the art regarding late antique bishops and episcopal election, this volume of collected studies by leading scholars offers fresh perspectives by focussing on specific case-studies and opening up new approaches. Covering much of the Later Roman Empire between 250-600 AD, the contributions will be of interest to scholars interested in Late Antique Christianity across disciplines as diverse as patristics, ancient history, canon law and oriental studies.
About the author
Johan Leemans, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium; Peter Van Nuffelen, University of Ghent, Belgium; Shawn W. J. Keough, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium; Carla Nicolaye, RWTH Aachen University, Germany.
Report
"A summery outline such as this can hardly do justice to a collection whose chief strength lies in the breadth of evidence and insight offered. It is a tribute to the editors and their process of selection and organisation that their volume holds together so well and remains focused on the twin aims of diversity and synthesis laid down in the introduction. Certainly, any attempt to create such a synthesis in the future must now take into account the different perspectives and methodological approaches represented here."David M. Gwynn in: Journal of Ecclesiastical History Vol. 64 N. 2
