Skip to main content

  • HOME
  • CURRENT CONTENT
  • ALL CONTENT
  • SUBMIT
  • ABOUT
    • Journal
    • Editorial
  • INFO FOR
    • Librarians
    • Authors
    • Reviewers
    • Reprints and Permissions
    • Subscriptions and Single Issues
  • MORE
    • Alerts
    • Contact Us

  • Login

  • Advanced search

  • Login
Advanced Search
  • HOME
  • CURRENT CONTENT
  • ALL CONTENT
  • SUBMIT
  • ABOUT
    • Journal
    • Editorial
  • INFO FOR
    • Librarians
    • Authors
    • Reviewers
    • Reprints and Permissions
    • Subscriptions and Single Issues
  • MORE
    • Alerts
    • Contact Us
Studies in Late Antiquity
Review: Reconceiving Religious Conflict: New Views from the Formative Centuries of Christianity, edited by Wendy Mayer and Chris L. de Wet
Geoffrey D. Dunn
Studies in Late Antiquity
Vol. 3 No. 2, Summer 2019
(pp. 294-297) DOI: 10.1525/sla.2019.3.2.294
Geoffrey D. Dunn
University of Pretoria
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Search for this author on this site
  • View author's works on this site
  • Article
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
PreviousNext
Loading
Wendy Mayer and Chris L. de Wet, eds., Reconceiving Religious Conflict: New Views from the Formative Centuries of Christianity. Routledge Studies in the Early Christian World. London and New York: Routledge, 2018. Xvi + 338 pages, black and white illustrations. ISBN 9781138229914. $131.75.

Religious conflict in Late Antiquity has become a topic of increasing interest, judging by the volumes that have appeared in the Transformation of the Classical Heritage series over the past decade, as well as other stand-alone volumes from various publishing houses. Many of them, with an eye to current events, have focused on the link between religious extremism and violence. Yet, most are aware that violence takes many forms and may not always be the best descriptor. The twelve contributions to this volume from a team of leading scholars of late antique Christianity examine the religious conflicts of Late Antiquity within a new pluralistic framework of understanding.

In her introductory chapter, Wendy Mayer sets out to reframe the ways in which we understand religious interaction and name the biases that underpin much scholarly work. In particular, she challenges the Enlightenment secularist assumption that ancient societies were intolerant and that Christianity's (or, more generally, monotheism's) claim to exclusivism in particular was particularly intolerant of a tolerant polytheism. In addition, Mayer is critical of the idea that religious competition is a valid model for assessing the role of religion in ancient societies. Finally, she raises questions about the role of conflict in determining in-group and out-group identities as applied to monotheisms on the basis of a differential between rhetoric and reality. Ultimately Mayer argues for a new theoretical framework for understanding religious conflict, one based on neuroscience. As always, her comments stimulate critical reflection and will be a valuable guide for anyone wishing to engage on this topic.

The other introductory essay is provided by Jan Bremmer, in which he sets forth six theses: that the roots of religious violence should be examined from a global perspective, that polytheism is not inherently more tolerant than monotheism, that religious violence in pre-modern times …

View Full Text

Log in using your username and password

Forgot your user name or password?

Log in through your institution

You may be able to gain access using your login credentials for your institution. Contact your library if you do not have a username and password.

Purchase access

PreviousNext
Back to top

Vol. 3 No. 2, Summer 2019

Studies in Late Antiquity: 3 (2)
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • Cover (PDF)
  • Front Matter (PDF)
eTOC Alert

RSSRSS Icon

Email

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on Studies in Late Antiquity.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Review: Reconceiving Religious Conflict: New Views from the Formative Centuries of Christianity, edited by Wendy Mayer and Chris L. de Wet
(Your Name) has sent you a message from Studies in Late Antiquity
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the Studies in Late Antiquity web site.
Print
Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Citation Tools
Review: Reconceiving Religious Conflict: New Views from the Formative Centuries of Christianity, edited by Wendy Mayer and Chris L. de Wet
Geoffrey D. Dunn
Studies in Late Antiquity
Vol. 3 No. 2, Summer 2019
(pp. 294-297) DOI: 10.1525/sla.2019.3.2.294
Geoffrey D. Dunn
University of Pretoria
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Search for this author on this site
  • View author's works on this site

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Request Permissions
Share
Review: Reconceiving Religious Conflict: New Views from the Formative Centuries of Christianity, edited by Wendy Mayer and Chris L. de Wet
Geoffrey D. Dunn
Studies in Late Antiquity
Vol. 3 No. 2, Summer 2019
(pp. 294-297) DOI: 10.1525/sla.2019.3.2.294
Geoffrey D. Dunn
University of Pretoria
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Search for this author on this site
  • View author's works on this site
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Technorati logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
View Full Page PDF
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One
  • Top
  • Article
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF

Related Articles

Cited By...

Similar Articles

FIND US Facebook Account LinkTwitter Account LinkInstagram Account LinkLinkedin Account LinkYoutube Account LinkEmail Link

Customer Service

  • Subscriptions and Single Issues
  • Reprints and Permissions
  • Contact

UC Press

  • About UC Press

Navigate

  • Home
  • About
  • Submit
  • Editorial
  • Contact

Content

  • Current Issue

Info For

  • Librarians
  • Authors
  • Advertisers
  • Subscriptions and Single Issues

Copyright © 2019 by the Regents of the University of California   Privacy   Accessibility