Leadership and Community in Late Antique Gaul

The rise of Christianity to the dominant position it held in the Middle Ages remains a paradoxical achievement. Early Christian communities in Gaul had been so restrictive that they sometimes persecuted misfits with accusations of heresy. Yet by the fifth century Gallic aristocrats were becoming bishops to enhance their prestige; and by the sixth century Christian relic cults provided the most comprehensive idiom for articulating values and conventions. To strengthen its appeal, Christianity had absorbed the ideologies of secular authority already familiar in Gallic society.

About the author

Raymond Van Dam is Associate Professor of History at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Summary

The rise of Christianity to the dominant position it held in the Middle Ages remains a paradoxical achievement. Early Christian communities in Gaul had been so restrictive that they sometimes persecuted misfits with accusations of heresy.

Product details

• Authors: Raymond van Dam, van Dam, Raymond Van Dam
• Publisher: University Of California Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 15.03.1992
• EAN: 9780520078956
• ISBN: 978-0-520-07895-6
• No. of pages: 368
• Series: Transformation of the Classica; Transformation of the Classical Heritage
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Religion/theology > Christianity; European History, HISTORY / Ancient / General, HISTORY / Europe / General, RELIGION / Christianity / General, Christianity, Ancient History, Ancient history: to c 500 CE