Recent research has exposed difficulties in those interpretations of Arianism upon which we have long relied; old certainties have given way to new lines of inquiry. And yet a fresh picture of this historic controversy, adequate to the complexity of Arianism (or the several forms and expressions of Arianism) and to the complexity of the era in which it emerged, is being sketched line by line. This collection of papers reflects, in some measure, the state of the question: what is Arianism? The pursuit of a fuller and more precise answer entails the several kinds of work contained in this book's sections--close re-examination of sources, the drawing of sharper distinctions between types of Arians and phases of Arianism, even while continuities are sought, careful reassessment of how Arianism is to be described as philosophy and religion, and scrutiny of significant aspects of the strife between Arians and Nicenes. --from the Foreword

"As the psalms are a microcosm of the Old Testament, so the Expositions of the Psalms can be seen as a microcosm of Augustinian thought. In the Book of Psalms are to be found the history of the people of Israel, the theology and spirituality of the Old Covenant, and a treasury of human experience expressed in prayer and poetry. So too does the work of expounding the psalms recapitulate and focus the experiences of Augustine's personal life, his theological reflections and his pastoral concerns as Bishop of Hippo."--Publisher's website.

Through this comprehensive Handbook, the reader will obtain a balanced and cohesive picture of the Early Church. It gives an overall view of the reception, transmission, and interpretation of the Bible in the life and thought of the Church during the first five centuries of Christianity. The print edition is available as a set of two volumes (9789004098152).

This is the first volume to attempt a comprehensive overview of the evolution of the 'Arian' churches in the Roman world of Late Antiquity and their political importance in the late Roman kingdoms of the 5th-6th centuries, ruled by barbarian warrior elites. Bringing together researchers from the disciplines of theology, history and archaeology, and providing an extensive bibliography, it constitutes a breakthrough in a field largely neglected in historical studies. A polemical term coined by the Orthodox Church (the side that prevailed in the Trinitarian disputes of the 4th century C.E.) for its opponents in theology as well as in ecclesiastical politics, Arianism has often been seen as too complicated to understand outside the group of theological specialists dealing with it and has therefore sometimes been ignored in historical studies. The studies here offer an introduction to the subject, grounded in the historical context, then examine the adoption of Arian Christianity among the Gothic contingents of the Roman army, and its subsequent diffusion in the barbarian kingdoms of the late Roman world.

A respected theologian illuminates the theology of Athanasius and launches a series that critically recovers patristic interpretation for contemporary theology and spirituality.