What Makes a Church Sacred? : : Legal and Ritual Perspectives from Late Antiquity / / Mary K. Farag.

• Superior document: Transformation of the Classical Heritage
• VerfasserIn: Farag, Mary K.
• Place / Publishing House: [s.l.] : : University of California Press,, 2021.
• Year of Publication: 2021
• Language: English
• Series: Transformation of the Classical Heritage
• Physical Description: 1 online resource.

What is the purpose of a church? Who owns a church? Mary K. Farag persuasively demonstrates that three groups in late antiquity were concerned with these questions: Christian leaders, wealthy laypersons, and lawmakers. Conflicting answers usually coexisted, but from time to time they clashed and caused significant tension. In these disputes, juridical regulations and opinions mattered more than has been traditionally recognized. Considering familiar Christian controversies in novel ways, Farag's investigation shows that scholarship has misunderstood well-known religious figures by ignoring the legal issues they faced. This seminal text nuances vital aspects of scholarly conversations on sacred space, gift giving, wealth, and poverty in the late antique Mediterranean world, making use not only of Latin and Greek sources but also Coptic and Arabic evidence.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Illustrations -- Acknowledgments -- Abbreviations -- Introduction -- Part I The Legal Making of Res Sacrae -- 1 Res Sacrae -- 2 Protected Places -- 3. Protecting Places -- Part II. The Ritual Making of Res Sacrae -- 4 Dedications -- 5 Consecrations -- 6 Anniversaries -- Conclusion -- Appendix A. The Sources of Justinian's Institutes 2.1.pr-10 -- Appendix B. Chronological List of Roman Legislation on Ecclesial Property -- Appendix C. Chronological List of Ecclesiastical Canons on Ecclesial Property -- Appendix D. Late Antique Lections for the Consecratory Ritual -- NOTES -- Bibliography -- Index LOCORUM -- GENERAL INDEX