The Cambridge History of Christianity, Volume 2: Constantine to c. 600 (review)

The second volume of the Cambridge History of Christianity covers what the editors term "the 'golden age' of patristic Christianity," a period of rapid transformation in which many of the standard features of later Christianity matured into lasting form (1–2). In keeping with new methods of study, the book aims to be multidisciplinary and inclusive of diverse theories and practices, giving a broad view of late-ancient Christianity from East Syria and upper Egypt to the Celtic lands of the north, rather than enforcing an artificially restrictive narrative of the imperial church. This volume, like the first of the series, does not attempt to provide a unified narrative of the period, which makes it more of a handbook than a true history, closer to the new Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Studies than the revised Cambridge Ancient History (see the review of volume one in JECS 16.3 [2008]: 437–40).

In twenty-nine chapters the book surveys the regional development of Christianity in the Roman West, the Greek East, the Germanic and Celtic lands, and Asia and East Africa; Christian interactions with Jews, Manichaeans, and (in five chapters!) pagans, plus the Christian categories of heresy and schism; several loosely-described "cultural" topics (literature, bishops, councils, church law, and political power); and, in the longest section, Christian beliefs and practices, ranging from lay devotion and asceticism to formal theological topics (the Trinity, Christology, soteriology, biblical interpretation). The full contents and list of contributors can be found at www.cambridge.org.

The multidisciplinary approach is most evident in Guy Strousma's study of Christian-Jewish religious dynamics and David Frankfurter's chapter on Christianity and paganism in Egypt (Chapters 5 and 6). Attention is given to urban versus rural situations, and to the spread of Christianity among different social classes and church orders. Michele Renee Salzman, for example, observes that Christianity in Italy spread largely through the influence of the upper class, who converted rural pagans under their control (Chapter 8). As expected, there are more contributions worth noting than it is possible to recognize here. In his chapter on synods and councils, Mark Edwards strikes a good balance between the role of the emperors and the proper authority of the church in the constitution and procedures of church councils. He is especially judicious on Chalcedon, noting that the famous definition was in fact a politicized "gloss" (378), although he wrongly accepts the Alexandrian charge that Gregory Nazianzen was in violation of Nicaea's canon fifteen when he served as bishop of Constantinople and president of the council of 381 (374).

Karl-Heinz Uthemann's survey of Christology (Chapter 19) begins with a treatment of second- and third-century monarchian doctrine as the crucial background to the later controversies. This is an illuminating approach, as far as it goes; however, Uthemann omits the pervasive influence of Origen over the entire period, the strong role played by Eusebius of Caesarea in transmitting Origen's doctrine, and the centrality of Gregory Nazianzen from 381 onward. Consequently, we are still left with the view that the fifth-century is divided between Alexandrian and Antiochene approaches. Bryan Spinks gives a useful summary of liturgical materials from the regions of Jerusalem/Antioch, East Syria, Egypt, and Rome/ the West, in addition to the development of the church year. He lists the basic elements of the baptismal and eucharistic rites and regular daily prayer, such as we know them, while also noting the great local and regional variety and pointing the way toward the medieval situation, with the Roman mass in the West and the Eastern liturgical tradition that follows the Pseudo-Dionysius. Alan Brown's chapter on Christian-pagan intellectual debate helpfully summarizes late-antique Platonist traditions vis-à-vis Christianity, which will be a useful guide for students in introductory courses.

I have two particular grievances with the book as a whole. Despite its aim at inclusivity, the figure...