{"product_id":"constantine-and-the-cities-9780812223682","title":"Constantine and the Cities","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOver the course of the fourth century, Christianity rose from a religion actively persecuted by the authority of the Roman empire to become the religion of statea feat largely credited to Constantine the Great. Constantine succeeded in propelling this minority religion to imperial status using the traditional tools of governance, yet his proclamation of his new religious orientation was by no means unambiguous. His coins and inscriptions, public monuments, and pronouncements sent unmistakable signals to his non-Christian subjects that he was willing not only to accept their beliefs about the nature of the divine but also to incorporate traditional forms of religious expression into his own self-presentation. In Constantine and the Cities, Noel Lenski attempts to reconcile these apparent contradictions by examining the dialogic nature of Constantine's power and how his rule was built in the space between his ambitions for the empire and his subjects' efforts to further their own underst\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Makes brilliant sense of sharply divergent views of Constantine.\" * Elaine Pagels, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e *\u003cbr\u003e\"[Lenski] shows convincingly how different messages, indeed different 'Constantines,' were modelled for different contexts and audiences, and asks us to consider how these contexts and audiences completed the construction of the emperor.\" * \u003ci\u003eTimes Literary Supplement\u003c\/i\u003e *\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eConstantine and the Cities\u003c\/i\u003e examines the impact of Constantine's conversion on the Roman empire through a careful analysis of the evidence for the conversion's impact at the local level. Despite the obvious logic of Noel Lenski's approach, he has no predecessor who has succeeded in doing anything like this, and he has succeeded admirably well. He has a terrific command of detail, writes well, and makes a nuanced case for differential reception of the emperor's policies. This book is definitely needed.\" * David Potter, University of Michigan *\u003cbr\u003e\"Noel Lenski has produced a rich theoretical framework inside which he is able to consider the fragmentary contemporary sources for Constantine, some of them generated by the man himself, others by his subjects trying to make sense of him.\" * Michael Kulikowski, Pennsylvania State University *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eList of Maps\u003cbr\u003e Introduction. Many Faces of Constantine\u003cbr\u003e PART I. CONSTANTINE'S SELF-PRESENTATION\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 1. Constantine Develops\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 2. Constantinian Constants\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 3. Constantine and the Christians: Controlling the Message\u003cbr\u003e PART II. THE POWER OF PETITIONS\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 4. Approaching Constantine: The Orcistus Dossier\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 5. The Exigencies of Dialogue: Hispellum\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 6. Constantine's Cities in the West: \u003ci\u003eNomen Venerandum\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 7. Constantine's Cities in the East: Peer Polity Interaction\u003cbr\u003e PART III. RECONSTRUCTING THE ANCIENT CITY\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 8. Redistributing Wealth\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 9. Building Churches\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 10. Empowering Bishops\u003cbr\u003e PART IV. ALTERNATIVE RESPONSES TO CONSTANTINE\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 11. Engaging Cities\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 12. Resisting Cities\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 13. Opposing Christians: Donatists and Caecilianists\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 14. Complex Cities: Antioch and Alexandria\u003cbr\u003e Epilogue\u003cbr\u003e List of Sigla and Abbreviations\u003cbr\u003e Notes\u003cbr\u003e Bibliography\u003cbr\u003e Index\u003cbr\u003e Acknowledgments\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"University of Pennsylvania Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49405704307031,"sku":"9780812223682","price":35.1,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780812223682.jpg?v=1730493337","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/constantine-and-the-cities-9780812223682","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}