Death and Rebirth in Late Antiquity
Abstract
Death and rebirth was of vital importance to early Christians in late antiquity. In late antiquity, death was all encompassing. Mortality rates were high, plague and disease in urban areas struck at will, and one lived on the knife’s edge regarding one’s health. Religion filled a crucial role in this environment, offering an option for those who sought cure and comfort. Following death, the inhumed were memorialized, providing solace to family members through sculpture, painting, and epigraphy. This book offers a sustained interdisciplinary treatment of death and rebirth, a theme that early Christians (and scholars) found important. By analysing the theme of death and rebirth through various lenses, the contributors deepen our understanding of the early Christian funerary and liturgical practices as well as their engagement with other groups in the Empire.
Schlagworte
baptismal practices christian art christian sculpture early christian liturgy cult of the saints north african christianity- 1–12 Introduction 1–12
- 139–158 Chapter 5: Marriage and Martyrdom in Roman North Africa: Augustine and Crispina of Tebessa 139–158
- 197–216 Chapter 7: Apostolic Posture: Mary Magdalene as Witness to Death and Resurrection in Art 197–216
- 267–288 Chapter 10: To Die for God: Sacrifice, Eucharist, and Martyrdom in Ignatius of Antioch 267–288
- 335–344 Index 335–344
- 345–346 About the Contributors 345–346