Communities of the Blessed: Social Environment and Religious Change in Northern Italy, AD 200-400 (Oxford Early Christian Studies)

Front Cover
......Page 1
Communities of the
Blessed: Social Environment and Religious Change in Northern Italy, ad 200–400......Page 4
Preface......Page 8
Contents......Page 10
Illustrations......Page 12
Abbreviations......Page 13
Authority, history, and the study of early Christianity......Page 18
Religious and regional diversity......Page 21
Regional analysis and the ancient world......Page 23
Regional diversity in early Christianity......Page 24
Defining a region......Page 29
Approaches......Page 32
Part I: Religion and Environment: Christian Origins in Northern Italy......Page 36
Landscapes......Page 38
Mountains......Page 40
Rivers......Page 43
The impact of Rome......Page 44
Economic networks......Page 46
Social and cultural networks: the matrix of interaction......Page 49
Divine geography......Page 53
Late antique transformations......Page 56
Conclusion......Page 60
2. Subscribing bishops and invented apostles: the search for the earliest north Italian churches......Page 62
Councils and conflicts in the fourth century......Page 63
Sacred history and sacred power......Page 70
North Italian episcopal lists......Page 73
Born-again saints: the coherence of inconsistency......Page 82
Summary......Page 86
Conclusion......Page 87
The Christian communities......Page 89
Aquileia......Page 90
Milan......Page 96
Venetia......Page 98
Histria......Page 103
The Via Aemilia......Page 107
The upper Po valley......Page 109
Summary......Page 111
Distribution and dissemination......Page 112
Christians in a religious landscape......Page 116
Chronological questions......Page 118
Conclusion......Page 121
Part II: North Italian Christian Communities in the Fourth Century......Page 124
4. Regional churches and imperial policy......Page 126
Emperors and bishops: patterns of interaction......Page 127
Imperial guidance and ecclesiastical policy......Page 128
Episcopal action from Eusebius to Ambrose......Page 135
Summary......Page 143
Personal factors: Athanasius and Eusebius......Page 144
Geographical factors: Gaul, Italy, and Illyricum......Page 148
Broadened horizons: the world view of Filastrius of Brescia......Page 150
Conclusion......Page 152
The development of episcopal hierarchies......Page 154
Conciliar sources and their limitations......Page 155
Aquileia and the genesis of episcopal jurisdiction......Page 157
Administration and influence at Vercelli, Trento, and Brescia......Page 162
Milanese ascendancy......Page 164
The shadow of St Peter......Page 170
The shape of authority......Page 175
Notions and expressions of episcopal power......Page 178
Popular acclaim and local competition......Page 182
Conclusion......Page 187
6. From the cities to the mountains: Christian expansion, 350-400......Page 189
The growth of the episcopate......Page 190
The frontiers of evangelization......Page 192
The western Alps......Page 194
The Julian Alps......Page 196
Trento and the Alto Adige......Page 198
Conclusion......Page 201
7. Negotiosus cursus: Christianity in the Cities......Page 204
Reading the architectural script......Page 205
Theodore, Fortunatianus, and the cathedral of Aquileia......Page 208
Milan: emperors, bishops, and churches in an imperial capital......Page 213
The creation of Christian environments in northern Italy......Page 219
Capitolium and church: Christianity and paganism......Page 224
Verus Israel: Judaism and Christianity in northern Italy......Page 227
Construction, competition, and pluralism......Page 231
Epilogue: The changing world of Chromatius of Aquileia......Page 233
Catalogue......Page 238
Persecutions in northern Italy......Page 243
Primary sources......Page 245
Secondary works......Page 247
Index......Page 268
Back Cover
......Page 276