Joyce E. Salisbury

This concise history of how the Christian Church grew between 32 and 380 focuses on the anonymous Christians who formed diverse congregations as they guided their communities through the age of the Apostles, violent martyrdoms, and to the establishment of the Roman Church. Readers will understand why people converted to Christianity in the first three centuries and learn about the rich diversity of the early church as people interpreted the new religion in different ways. This book explores how Christian interactions with the Roman empire led to violent persecutions and martyrdoms, and eventually the fourth-century establishment of the top-down Roman Church. Readers also become familiar with Christian texts during this period – some became Scripture and some were rejected, but all were written to make sense of the Jewish and Christian experience in the Roman Empire. These written memories shaped the future of the church. It also explores how early Christian lives were shaped by the religious rituals and preaching of their new and changing faith. In addition, maps, illustrations, and charts of Christian texts help tell this fascinating story. The First Christian Communities, 32 - 380 CE is an accessible and valuable resource suitable for students working on Christian history, and Roman and Late Antique social, political and religious history, as well as general readers who are interested in the origins of Christianity.

This concise history of how the Christian Church grew between 32 and 380 focuses on the anonymous Christians who formed diverse congregations as they guided their communities through the age of the Apostles, violent martyrdoms, and to the establishment of the Roman Church. Readers will understand why people converted to Christianity in the first three centuries and learn about the rich diversity of the early church as people interpreted the new religion in different ways. This book explores how Christian interactions with the Roman empire led to violent persecutions and martyrdoms, and eventually the fourth-century establishment of the top-down Roman Church. Readers also become familiar with Christian texts during this period – some became Scripture and some were rejected, but all were written to make sense of the Jewish and Christian experience in the Roman Empire. These written memories shaped the future of the church. It also explores how early Christian lives were shaped by the religious rituals and preaching of their new and changing faith. In addition, maps, illustrations, and charts of Christian texts help tell this fascinating story. The First Christian Communities, 32 - 380 CE is an accessible and valuable resource suitable for students working on Christian history, and Roman and Late Antique social, political and religious history, as well as general readers who are interested in the origins of Christianity.

The third edition of The Beast Within has been updated throughout to include current scholarship, new discussion of definitions, and fresh perspectives on critical animal theory that places animals, rather than humans, at the center of the discourse. Organized thematically, Salisbury incorporates many new sections and subsections to reveal the multifaceted history of the relationship between humans and animals: domestication, animal diseases and pandemics, dogfights, cockfights, Islamic dietary restrictions, menageries and zoos, and animals as entertainers. To show how modern concerns have been informed by medieval precedents, sections have been expanded to uncover medieval understandings of animal sexuality, animals before the law, and vegetarianism and modern ‘fake meat’. The logical narrative concludes with chapters on ‘Animals as Humans’ and ‘Humans as Animals’, demonstrating that the lines between humans and animals have become increasingly blurred from the fourth to the twenty-first century. With an interdisciplinary approach that discusses humans and animals in relation to domestication, symbolism, science, law, religion, food and diet, sexuality, and entertainment, The Beast Within is an essential resource for all students of animal history, literature, and art in the Middle Ages.

The third edition of The Beast Within has been updated throughout to include current scholarship, new discussion of definitions, and fresh perspectives on critical animal theory that places animals, rather than humans, at the center of the discourse. Organized thematically, Salisbury incorporates many new sections and subsections to reveal the multifaceted history of the relationship between humans and animals: domestication, animal diseases and pandemics, dogfights, cockfights, Islamic dietary restrictions, menageries and zoos, and animals as entertainers. To show how modern concerns have been informed by medieval precedents, sections have been expanded to uncover medieval understandings of animal sexuality, animals before the law, and vegetarianism and modern ‘fake meat’. The logical narrative concludes with chapters on ‘Animals as Humans’ and ‘Humans as Animals’, demonstrating that the lines between humans and animals have become increasingly blurred from the fourth to the twenty-first century. With an interdisciplinary approach that discusses humans and animals in relation to domestication, symbolism, science, law, religion, food and diet, sexuality, and entertainment, The Beast Within is an essential resource for all students of animal history, literature, and art in the Middle Ages.

Originally published in 1993, The Medieval World of Nature looks at how the natural world was viewed by medieval society. The book presents the argument that the pragmatic medieval view of the natural world of animals and plants, existed simply to serve medieval society. It discusses the medieval concept of animals as food, labour, and sport and addresses how the biblical charge of assuming dominion over animals and plants, was rooted in the medieval sensibility of control. The book also looks at the idea of plants and animals as not only pragmatic, but as allegories within the medieval world, utilizing animals to draw morality tales, which were viewed with as much importance as scientific information. This book provides a unique and interesting look at the everyday medieval world.

Originally published in 1993, The Medieval World of Nature looks at how the natural world was viewed by medieval society. The book presents the argument that the pragmatic medieval view of the natural world of animals and plants, existed simply to serve medieval society. It discusses the medieval concept of animals as food, labour, and sport and addresses how the biblical charge of assuming dominion over animals and plants, was rooted in the medieval sensibility of control. The book also looks at the idea of plants and animals as not only pragmatic, but as allegories within the medieval world, utilizing animals to draw morality tales, which were viewed with as much importance as scientific information. This book provides a unique and interesting look at the everyday medieval world.

In Rome's Christian Empress, Joyce E. Salisbury brings the captivating story of Rome's Christian empress to life. The daughter of Roman emperor Theodosius I, Galla Placidia lived at the center of imperial Roman power during the first half of the fifth century. Taken hostage after the fall of Rome to the Goths, she was married to the king and, upon his death, to a Roman general. The rare woman who traveled throughout Italy, Gaul, and Spain, she eventually returned to Rome, where her young son was crowned as the emperor of the western Roman provinces. Placidia served as his regent, ruling the Roman Empire and the provinces for twenty years. Salisbury restores this influential, too-often forgotten woman to the center stage of this crucial period. Describing Galla Placidia's life from childhood to death while detailing the political and military developments that influenced her-and that she influenced in turn-the book relies on religious and political sources to weave together a narrative that combines social, cultural, political, and theological history. The Roman world changed dramatically during Placidia's rule: the Empire became Christian, barbarian tribes settled throughout the West, and Rome began its unmistakable decline. But during her long reign, Placidia wielded formidable power. She fended off violent invaders and usurpers who challenged her Theodosian dynasty; presided over the dawn of the Catholic Church as theological controversies split the faithful and church practices and holidays were established; and spent fortunes building churches and mosaics that incorporated prominent images of herself and her family. Compulsively readable, Rome's Christian Empress is the first full-length work to give this fascinating and complex ruler her due.

In The Blood of Martyrs Joyce E. Salisbury chronicles the many spectacles of violent martyrdom that took place during the first three centuries of the Christian era, describing the role of martyrdom in the development of the early Church, as well as its continuing influence on many of today's ideas. Salisbury shows through the engaging stories of the martyrs introduced in each chapter, how their legacy continues to shape contemporary ideas. Discussing modern martyrdom the book elicits deep lessons for the present from the ancient past and outlining the possibility of a religious future without violence. In The Blood of Martyrs, Salisbury brings to life this tumultuous time in late antiquity and sheds invaluable light on religious violence, modern martyrs, and self-sacrifice.

In The Blood of Martyrs Joyce E. Salisbury chronicles the many spectacles of violent martyrdom that took place during the first three centuries of the Christian era, describing the role of martyrdom in the development of the early Church, as well as its continuing influence on many of today's ideas. Salisbury shows through the engaging stories of the martyrs introduced in each chapter, how their legacy continues to shape contemporary ideas. Discussing modern martyrdom the book elicits deep lessons for the present from the ancient past and outlining the possibility of a religious future without violence. In The Blood of Martyrs, Salisbury brings to life this tumultuous time in late antiquity and sheds invaluable light on religious violence, modern martyrs, and self-sacrifice.

An extensive and fascinating collection of stories featuring both famous and everyday women, giving a well-rounded view of the lives of women in the ancient world. When did women first become rulers, athletes, soldiers, heroines, and villains? They always were, observes historian Judith Salisbury. From Mesopotamian priestesses and poets to Egyptian queens and consorts, "there was never a time when women did not participate in all aspects of society." Salisbury tells the stories of 150 women from the ancient world, ranging from the very famous, such as Cleopatra VII, immortalized by Hollywood, to the barely remembered, such as the Roman poet Nossis. Writing for a general audience, Salisbury begins by painting each woman into her historical context, then recounts each woman's story, describing the choices she made as she looked for happiness, wealth, power, or well-being for herself and her family—stories much like our own. In entries on general themes—clothing, cosmetics, work, sexuality, prostitution, gynecology—Salisbury analyzes the commonalties in the lives of these women of antiquity from a cross-cultural perspective.

Perpetua's Passion studies the third-century martyrdom of a young woman and places it in the intellectual and social context of her age. Conflicting ideas of religion, family and gender are explored as Salisbury follows Perpetua from her youth in a wealthy Roman household to her imprisonment and death in the arena.

Perpetua's Passion studies the third-century martyrdom of a young woman and places it in the intellectual and social context of her age. Conflicting ideas of religion, family and gender are explored as Salisbury follows Perpetua from her youth in a wealthy Roman household to her imprisonment and death in the arena.