Routledge Transformations of Religious Practices in Late Antiquity

This scholarly collection brings together eighteen papers examining the profound shifts in religious practices across the Western Roman Empire from the third to the fifth centuries. Fifteen of these essays appear in English for the first time, offering fresh perspectives on how religious life evolved during Late Antiquity. The volume employs a rigorous methodological approach that prioritises the study of processes and interactions rather than accepting traditional categories and social roles at face value. A substantial section focuses on the sermons and letters of Augustine of Hippo, whose writings provide invaluable evidence for understanding religious transformation beyond the clerical viewpoint that dominates most historical sources. By combining multiple scholarly viewpoints, this Variorum Collected Studies edition presents a nuanced picture of how religious communities, practices, and beliefs adapted during this pivotal era of Western history.