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2 - The Present and Future of Ancient Christian History

from Part I - Contested Contexts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 August 2023

By
David E. Wilhite
Edited by
Bruce W. Longenecker  and
David E. Wilhite
Bruce W. Longenecker
Affiliation:
Baylor University, Texas
David E. Wilhite
Affiliation:
Baylor University, Texas
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Summary

The discipline of ancient Christian history is shifting, like tectonic plates with pressure building in some areas while new landscapes are emerging in others. The metaphor of “shifting frontiers” will be a familiar one to scholars in this field. The Society for Late Antiquity was formed in the wake of a 1995 conference entitled “Shifting Frontiers in Late Antiquity,” and it continues to sponsor biennial gatherings on this theme in various iterations.1 In the published proceedings from the first conference, the organizers credit the metaphor to Peter Brown’s statement from his 1971 book, The World of Late Antiquity. Brown called for renewed focus on “the shifting and redefinition of the boundaries of the classical world after ad 200.”2 Brown’s use of this imagery roughly coincided with a number of studies devoted to the Roman limes, wherein many of the standard categories like Romanitas and “barbarian” were being reconsidered.

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The Cambridge History of Ancient Christianity , pp. 32 - 56
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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