Abstract
This volume is a collection of twenty essays delivered at the SBL’s Religious Competition in Late Antiquity Unit between 2012 and 2014. The volume is divided into four thematic units: Competition and Material Culture, Competition and Neoplatonism, Religious Experts and Popular Religion, and Competition and Relics. Comparative in nature and intentionally interdisciplinary in outlook, the contributions explore unique contexts within Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and philosophical circles. The goal of this unit, alone with this volume, is to open new avenues for investigating competition in antiquity and to nuance seemingly simple ideas.
One of the contributions of this collection is its wide scope; not only with regards to the number of ‘religious’ groups, but especially the inclusion of both texts and material culture. Too often these fields are unduly separated with the insights from one often withheld from the other. The editors and SBL unit chairs have done well to foster both types of investigations. In particular, the discussions of material culture—including clothing (Urbano), coins (DesRosiers), relics (Bursi), and votives (Vikan)—enriches textual discussion and provides a tangibility that would be otherwise lacking.
Another contribution is the nuance of handling texts. Although there is a strong focus on texts and text producers, there is a deep recognition of the potential gap between the elite members and the general practitioner and between prescribed and lived religion, with certain authors (e.g., Stowers, Shuve) providing new clarity and methodological rigour to this discussion.
The chapters are generally strong with each having a good case for inclusion. The introductory essay provides some overview and needed cohesion, but DesRosiers and Vuong might have also provided a prospectus or a more thorough piece to more closely tie the various themes and ideas together. Overall, this is a fascinating collection of essays and marks an important advance in our discussion of religious conflict in antiquity.