Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- List of abbreviations
- Part I INTRODUCTION
- Part II CONSTRUCTED AND STRATEGIC RELIGIOUS IDENTITIES AND ALLEGIANCES
- Part III RELIGIOUS IDENTITIES AND OTHER FORMS OF SOCIAL IDENTIFICATION
- Part IV RELIGIOUS IDENTITY AND SOCIAL ORGANIZATION
- Part V ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF CONSTRUCTIONS OF IDENTITY
- Bibliography
- Index
Part V - ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF CONSTRUCTIONS OF IDENTITY
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 September 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- List of abbreviations
- Part I INTRODUCTION
- Part II CONSTRUCTED AND STRATEGIC RELIGIOUS IDENTITIES AND ALLEGIANCES
- Part III RELIGIOUS IDENTITIES AND OTHER FORMS OF SOCIAL IDENTIFICATION
- Part IV RELIGIOUS IDENTITY AND SOCIAL ORGANIZATION
- Part V ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF CONSTRUCTIONS OF IDENTITY
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
INTRODUCTION
In part III we explored the relationship between Libanius' and Chrysostom's understandings of religious identity/allegiance and social organization. This was a question of how far constructions of identity could be seen to translate into social organization but at the same time was also a question of the relationship between text and social practice. We saw in chapter 7 that Chrysostom sought to construct a sense of community for his audience through his preaching and the Christian ritual of baptism and that it is possible to suggest that a ‘textual community’ could have grown up around his preaching. However, we also saw that there was little basis for such a textual community: it was impossible to associate one consistent audience with Chrysostom's preaching, and his audiences did not appear to have formed any permanent social organization based on their Christianity. Instead, a more ‘fuzzy’ model of Christianity in Antioch was suggested, in which individuals had varying degrees of commitment and could interact socially with non-Christians. In chapter 8 we saw that the notion that Libanius' writings give any real evidence of a 'pagan faction or ‘group’ should also be questioned. It was argued that loyalty to the emperor Julian and his religious policy should not be taken as the basis for a ‘pagan faction’ around Libanius, because Libanius had goals other than representing his relationship with Julian ‘as it really was’.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Religious Identity in Late AntiquityGreeks, Jews and Christians in Antioch, pp. 241 - 244Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2007