Perhaps more so than any other epoch, late antiquity as a period exists as a study of cultural and religious change. Since the advent of late antique studies some fifty years ago, investigations into religion have been paramount. This volume, with its twenty-nine entries, reviews the long and various paths that scholars created in the study of late antiquity. The intention here is noble, and, while it does not always pull off the landing of such a tricky thing as covering all aspects of religion in the period, the volume succeeds in presenting a breadth of coverage and a depth in resources that reflect the growth of the field in the last decade.
The editors present a comprehensive view of the subject from the outset. They are explicit about situating the study of religion in culture. They attempt to pay close attention to outsider and minority voices. The volume does well to expand the geographic range of study beyond the traditional Mediterranean world. Notably, the editors recognize Islam as part of late antiquity, a welcome acceptance of a wider trend. Unfortunately, the coverage of Islam is limited to two chapters, one of which covers the pre-history of the religion. Coverage of Judaism also seems oddly partial, the only chapter dedicated to Judaism being a fascinating one, “The Beginnings of Jewish Late Antiquity: The Fate of the Book of Esther” by Hector Patmore. He explores how the creation and subsequent understandings of Esther reflect the position of Jews as late antiquity dawned. The chapter notes that for Jews the revolts of the first and second centuries were the definitive events of the period; this is reflected in their new embrace and interpretation of Esther and its story (257–276). But the chapter, notably, is more of a case study than an overview. The result is little discussion of Jewish life or religion other than as comparative in the volume as a whole.
But the book shines in its coverage of the conflict/transition between “Paganism” and “Christianities.” What is well-trodden ground for so many scholars is expanded here in welcome ways. The commitment to studying religion as cultural expression allows authors to think broadly about the category of religion beyond the bounds of the traditional, Christian-centric category. Chapters on hermeticism, philosophy, and astrology expand the range of “Paganism” to better encompass the variety of practices in the period. Each practice is given its own space to stand alone instead of in comparison to Christianization. The chapter on “Astrology and Religion in Late Antiquity” by Hannah Mace considers how astrology became a battleground in late antiquity (433–451). The study of the stars came under increasing legal scrutiny while at the same time new handbooks presenting it as potentially acceptable to all were being written. The debate about what constitutes “religion” was not merely a historic one but a very real debate among people in late antiquity, as she shows.
Geographically, the work pushes the study of late antique religion into areas that are easy to ignore. While the traditional centers of power are well covered, the majority of chapters go beyond the bounds of the Roman Empire. Geographically centered chapters include ones on Caucasia, Arabia, sub-Saharan Africa, India, and the Silk Road. Nicoloz Aleksidze's chapter, “Caucasia: Albania, Armenia, and Georgia,” stands out for its survey of the traditional narratives of Christianization in the region as complicated mythmaking for nationalistic purposes (135–156). He covers the complicated rewritings of religious history in the region and demonstrates how religion, as a marker of cultural expression, is malleable to the whims of national identity making. Among the chapters focused on the Roman Empire, Mark Humphries's work on the influence pre-Christian imperial approaches to religion had on the fourth-century battles over Christianization helps better define the conflict. He demonstrates the limits of rhetorical pronouncements even when they had the weight of law behind them (61–80).
The final section of the volume covers thematic issues, and here the work expands into fascinating topics. Notable are chapters on asceticism, demonology, health, disaster, and music and dance. These chapters attempt to survey religious practice across traditions. For instance, Hannah Hunt's “Religion and the Body: Ascetism” covers Christian, Buddhist, and Jainist practices during the period between Egypt, west Asia, and India. The chapter draws out cultural overlaps and divergences between ascetics. Christian asceticism stands out for its divergence from other expressions by its increasing focus on the humanity of Christ and the repercussions caused by that belief to those seeking to make the body passive (475–492).
The volume does an excellent job of both covering the field as it exists and expanding comparisons. The editors solicited a broad range of topics but succeeded in the hardest task of any collected volume: coherency and unified message. Throughout, the diversity of late antique religious practice and the messiness of defining “religion,” both in the historical sense but also in the lived reality of the time, comes through. Each chapter has both an extensive list of references and a shorter list of additional readings designed to help situate one in the area. The chapters and their accompanying reference sections will assist numerous scholars in adding breadth to their works.
