Memory, tradition, and Christianization of the Peloponnese

This work examines the use of memory and tradition in the Christianization of the Peloponnese based on the evidence of the location and topography of churches. The different processes of conversion in the area have already been discussed, and the focus of this work is to show the extent of continuation of religious practice from the Roman to Late Antique periods. A diachronic analysis of the evidence for towns and sanctuaries from the fourth to seventh centuries is presented. It is argued that throughout the different Christianization processes memory and tradition were managed by the church in terms of its location, architecture, and rituals. It is likely that the church consciously maintained certain traditions of place, imagery, and action in order to retain and use memory traces from the established religious structures, which helped situate the Christian church as a central element of community life and identity. Therefore, it is contended that an essential element of the Christianization process was to maintain earlier memories and traditions not only to enable an efficiently unobtrusive conversion for its long-term success but also to ensure the maintenance of existing social structures, which in turn sustained the church.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Jesus\u27 Welcome Centers Our Ministry

(Excerpt) Americans are 60% churchgoers today, just as in colonial times and in every century since. But our times are different. Today everything stands in question. In San Francisco and the western half of Washington State, 90% of residents tell census takers they have no religious identity whatever. Moreover, today America offers many faith options: Buddhism, New Age Spirituality, Islam, and countless fundamentalist cults. Our own mainline church services increasingly resemble fourth-century churches, filling up with people with no known faith commitment. That describes not only our visitors, but longtime church members as well

The architecture of miracle-working statues in the Southern Netherlands

In the 17th century, the Southern Netherlands saw the erection or restoration of numerous sanctuaries dedicated to the Virgin Mary. In many cases, they housed a miracle-working statue. This essay analyzes the architecture of these sanctuaries through the histories that were written about their statues. It examines how the history of the statues, as recorded in contemporary textual and visual sources, represents and interprets their material surroundings, including the architecture, in order to understand how the statues were thought to relate to these surroundings. Three types of historical narratives are distinguished, each explaining the presence and actions of a statue on its site. These three types will, in turn, shed light on the characteristics and development of the material surroundings of the miracle-working statues