Origins of Christendom in the West

by Kreider, Alan

• ISBN13: 9780567087768
• ISBN10: 056708776X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-09-28
• Publisher: Bloomsbury T & T Clark

Summary

For well over a millennium the civilization of Western Europe was 'Christendom,' with Christianity the dominant religion, buttressed by social and legal structures. This volume studies Christendom at its origins, bringing the insights of leading scholars in the fields of ancient history, theology, patristics, and liturgy to bear on aspects of Europe's Christianization. From a missiological perspective, the contributors ask what is Christianity's impact upon culture, what is culture's impact upon Christianity? Focusing on the first four centuries, but also looking forward to the future of Christianity in the West, this book combines scholarly excellence with accessibility. It will be valued by scholars and students alike.

Table of Contents

Introduction	vii
Alan Kreider
PART ONE ASPECTS OF CONVERSION
Changing Patterns of Conversion in the West	3	(44)
Alan Kreider
Christianization and Conversion in Northern Italy	47	(50)
Rita Lizzi Testa
Christianity Shaped through its Mission	97	(24)
Ramsay MacMullen
PART TWO CHANGE AND CONTINUITY IN THE CHRISTIANIZATION OF EUROPE
The Sociology of Pre-Constantine Christianity: Approach from the Visible	121	(32)
Wolfgang Wischmeyer
Early Christian Features Preserved in Western Monasticism	153	(26)
Eoin De Bhaldraithe
O Cist
Charism and Office in a Changing Church	179	(26)
Christine Trevett
Women in the Christianization of the West	205	(24)
Anne Jensen
PART THREE LITURGY AND CHRISTIAN FORMATION IN THE ADVENT OF CHRISTENDOM
Catechesis and Initiation	229	(40)
Everett Ferguson
The Effects of the Coming of Christendom on Early Christian Worship	269	(18)
Paul F. Bradshaw
Augustine and the Transformation of Baptism	287	(26)
David F. Wright
PART FOUR THEOLOGY AND INCULTURATION
Defining Heresy	313	(24)
Rowan Williams
Comparative Inculturations	337	(22)
Antonie Wessels
PART FIVE FINAL THOUGHTS
Epilogue: Approaching Christendom	359	(6)
Kate Cooper
Contributors	365	(2)
Index	367