Debate and Dialogue

Dr Maijastina Kahlos is Academy Research Fellow in the Department of Classical Philology, University Of Helsinki, Finland.

• Contents: Introduction; Constructing and deconstructing dichotomies; Debate, polemic and dialogue; Religio and superstitio; Ceremonies of light and dark; Gods and demons; Bibliography; Index.

’...Kahlos has made a valuable contribution not only to the field of history and patristics, but to all who would study religious texts produced in a polemical context. Kahlos’ careful examination of the texts, their use of prior traditions, and their role in early Christianity’s struggle to define itself over against the other has provided a valuable model of how texts such as these reflect not objective reality but reality as it is perceived by the authors. Indeed, Kahlos has provided the guild with a valuable resource not only for understanding Christianity of the fourth and fifth centuries, but polemical religious texts in general.’ The Bible & Critical Theory ’This book offers a valuable contribution to contemporary scholarly debate about Late Antique religious history and the relationship between Christianity and other religions.’ Theological Book Review