There Is No Crime for Those Who Have Christ

Religious Violence in the Christian Roman Empire

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Reference, Antiquities & Archaeology, History, Ancient History, Christianity, General Christianity
Cover of the book There Is No Crime for Those Who Have Christ by Michael Gaddis, University of California Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Michael Gaddis ISBN: 9780520930902
Publisher: University of California Press Publication: October 14, 2005
Imprint: University of California Press Language: English
Author: Michael Gaddis
ISBN: 9780520930902
Publisher: University of California Press
Publication: October 14, 2005
Imprint: University of California Press
Language: English

"There is no crime for those who have Christ," claimed a fifth-century zealot, neatly expressing the belief of religious extremists that righteous zeal for God trumps worldly law. This book provides an in-depth and penetrating look at religious violence and the attitudes that drove it in the Christian Roman Empire of the fourth and fifth centuries, a unique period shaped by the marriage of Christian ideology and Roman imperial power. Drawing together materials spanning a wide chronological and geographical range, Gaddis asks what religious conflict meant to those involved, both perpetrators and victims, and how violence was experienced, represented, justified, or contested. His innovative analysis reveals how various groups employed the language of religious violence to construct their own identities, to undermine the legitimacy of their rivals, and to advance themselves in the competitive and high-stakes process of Christianizing the Roman Empire.

Gaddis pursues case studies and themes including martyrdom and persecution, the Donatist controversy and other sectarian conflicts, zealous monks' assaults on pagan temples, the tyrannical behavior of powerful bishops, and the intrigues of church councils. In addition to illuminating a core issue of late antiquity, this book also sheds light on thematic and comparative dimensions of religious violence in other times, including our own.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

"There is no crime for those who have Christ," claimed a fifth-century zealot, neatly expressing the belief of religious extremists that righteous zeal for God trumps worldly law. This book provides an in-depth and penetrating look at religious violence and the attitudes that drove it in the Christian Roman Empire of the fourth and fifth centuries, a unique period shaped by the marriage of Christian ideology and Roman imperial power. Drawing together materials spanning a wide chronological and geographical range, Gaddis asks what religious conflict meant to those involved, both perpetrators and victims, and how violence was experienced, represented, justified, or contested. His innovative analysis reveals how various groups employed the language of religious violence to construct their own identities, to undermine the legitimacy of their rivals, and to advance themselves in the competitive and high-stakes process of Christianizing the Roman Empire.

Gaddis pursues case studies and themes including martyrdom and persecution, the Donatist controversy and other sectarian conflicts, zealous monks' assaults on pagan temples, the tyrannical behavior of powerful bishops, and the intrigues of church councils. In addition to illuminating a core issue of late antiquity, this book also sheds light on thematic and comparative dimensions of religious violence in other times, including our own.

More books from University of California Press

Cover of the book At the Jazz Band Ball by Michael Gaddis
Cover of the book Caught Up by Michael Gaddis
Cover of the book Security and Terror by Michael Gaddis
Cover of the book Funny Pictures by Michael Gaddis
Cover of the book 1989 by Michael Gaddis
Cover of the book King of the Court by Michael Gaddis
Cover of the book Foundational Films by Michael Gaddis
Cover of the book Surgeon General's Warning by Michael Gaddis
Cover of the book Soldiering through Empire by Michael Gaddis
Cover of the book Of Indigo and Saffron by Michael Gaddis
Cover of the book Spoken Word by Michael Gaddis
Cover of the book Houston Bound by Michael Gaddis
Cover of the book Rethinking American History in a Global Age by Michael Gaddis
Cover of the book The Managed Heart by Michael Gaddis
Cover of the book The Worlds of Junipero Serra by Michael Gaddis
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy