Monotheism between pagans and Christians in late antiquity
By: edited by Stephen Mitchell and Peter Van Nuffelen
Series: Interdisciplinary Studies in Ancient Culture and Religion -- 12.; Interdisciplinary studies in ancient culture and religion -- 12.
Publisher: Peeters
Published: 2010
Place of publication: Leuven; Walpole, MA
Language: eng
Number of pages: 225
ISBN-13: 9789042922426
Subjects: Monotheism; History; Christianity and other religions; Paganism; Theology; Relations; Christianity
Description: Summary: The fourth century was a major religious battleground. The rise of Christianity, and in particular its dominance from Constantine onwards, marked an important shift in the religious history of the Mediterranean. Christianity saw this change as the victory of its monotheism over the polytheism of paganism. This volume studies how similarities between paganism and Christianity were obscured in the polemic that was waged by Christianity against paganism and in the pagan responses to it. The volume includes papers on Porphyry, Augustine, Themistius, Latin verse inscriptions, as well as dealing with the different ways in which Christian and pagan thinkers conceived of monotheism. A recurring theme in the papers shows that a concrete religions issue lay at the heart of such polemic: who can worship?
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [203]-222) and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction  -- S. Mitchell and P. Van Nuffelen; title: 'Pagan monotheism'? Towards a historical typology  -- M. V. Cerutti; title: One God and divine unity : late antique theologies between exclusivism and inclusiveness  -- G. Sfameni Gasparro; title: Eadem spectamus astra : astral immortality as common ground between pagan and Christian monotheism  -- B. Selter; title: Orphic God(s) : theogonies and hymns as vehicles of monotheism  -- M. Herrero de Jáuregui; title: Pagan conceptions of monotheism in the fourth century : the example of Libanius and Themistius  -- I. Sandwell; title: From philosophic monotheism to imperial henotheism : esoteric and popular religion in late antique Platonism  -- N. Siniossoglou; title: Monotheism, henotheism, and polytheism in Porphyry's Philosophy from Oracles  -- C. Addey; title: Refuting and reclaiming monotheism : monotheism in the debate between "pagans" and Christians in 380-430  -- M. Kahlos; title: Augustine's Varro and pagan monotheism -- G. Clark.