Melania - (Christianity in Late Antiquity) by Catherine Michael Chin & Caroline T Schroeder (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Melania the Elder and her granddaughter Melania the Younger were major figures in early Christian history, using their wealth, status, and forceful personalities to shape the development of nearly every aspect of the religion we now know as Christianity. This volume examines the influence that these two women had on the development of Christianity and provides an insightful portrait of the their legacies in the modern world. Instead of the traditionally patriarchal view, this perspective gives a poignant and sometimes surprising view of how the rise of Christian institutions in the Roman Empire shaped the understanding of women's roles in the larger world."--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

Melania the Elder and her granddaughter Melania the Younger were major figures in early Christian history, using their wealth, status, and forceful personalities to shape the development of nearly every aspect of the religion we now know as Christianity. This volume examines their influence on late antique Christianity and provides an insightful portrait of their legacies in the modern world. Departing from the traditionally patriarchal view, Melania gives a poignant and sometimes surprising account of how the rise of Christian institutions in the Roman Empire shaped our understanding of women's roles in the larger world.

From the Back Cover

"In this tightly focused volume, Catherine Chin and Caroline Schroeder have done a splendid job giving shape to the emergent Christianity of the late Roman Empire through the lens of the Melanias. The work is of a very high caliber."-Susanna Elm, Sidney H. Ehrman Professor of History and Classics at the University of California, Berkeley

"Melania makes both a significant contribution to the study of 'the Melanias' and also to a range of creative and innovative methodological interventions in the study of late antiquity. This volume is an appropriate tribute to the distinguished accomplishments of Professor Elizabeth A. Clark, in whose honor the essays have been written. I was extremely impressed."--Benjamin Dunning, Professor of Theology at Fordham University

Review Quotes

"Melania is a great addition to the field of early Christian studies."
-- "Religious Studies Review"

"Diversity of thought is the chief value in this collection. From spacial syntax to gender theory, this collection provides examples of new methods of research that emerged after 'The Lady Vanishes.' . . . This book [is] suitable for advanced graduate students and specialists in Late Antiquity and Christianity, particularly those which focus on sexuality and gender."-- "Classical Journal"

"Although one does not expect that a volume of essays will necessarily be coherent, this collection succeeds, and is both a richly varied scholarly study and a pedagogical aid to rethinking what a cultural biography might be."-- "Journal of Ecclesiastical History"

"Readers can be grateful to the editors and authors who have produced a wide-ranging contribution to the 'Melania revival.' "-- "Anglican and Episcopal History"

"The decision to zero in on the two Melanias produces obvious benefits: the interlocking papers build to a sort of 'thick description' of late fourth- and early fifth-century Christianity, and recent analytical approaches to its study . . . this book would make an excellent companion for a special subject or graduate course on asceticism in late antiquity. "-- "Bryn Mawr Classical Review"

About the Author

Catherine M. Chin is Associate Professor of Classics at the University of California, Davis and author of Grammar and Christianity in the Late Roman World.

Caroline T. Schroeder is Professor of Religious Studies at the University of the Pacific and author of Monastic Bodies: Discipline and Salvation in Shenoute of Atripe.