The Ancient Limits of Modern Religion: Perpetua, Augustine and the Construction of the Secular

The martyr Perpetua's declaration, “I am a Christian”, is a point of departure for the invention of religion in the familiar sense of beliefs and practices chosen, rather than as the ritual and piety characteristic of, and universal in, ancient Mediterranean societies. By implication this means...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: McGowan, Andrew Brian 1961- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Sage Publ. 2010
In: Pacifica
Year: 2010, Volume: 23, Issue: 3, Pages: 267-280
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Parallel Edition:Non-electronic
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Summary:The martyr Perpetua's declaration, “I am a Christian”, is a point of departure for the invention of religion in the familiar sense of beliefs and practices chosen, rather than as the ritual and piety characteristic of, and universal in, ancient Mediterranean societies. By implication this means the appearance of the secular also. This study explores early Christian evidence from Perpetua and Tertullian and, after the Constantinian revolution, Augustine. This history of reflection on the relationship between belief and identity has interpretive significance for the changing character of religion, and of the secular, in Australian society today.
ISSN:1839-2598
Contains:Enthalten in: Pacifica
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1177/1030570X1002300302