The ransom of the soul : afterlife and wealth in early western Christianity
(Book)

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Published
Cambridge, Massachusetts : Harvard University Press, 2015.
Status
Central - Adult Nonfiction
270.2 BROWN
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Central - Adult Nonfiction270.2 BROWNAvailable

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Published
Cambridge, Massachusetts : Harvard University Press, 2015.
Format
Book
Physical Desc
xix, 262 pages : maps ; 22 cm
Language
English
UPC
40024810186

Notes

Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Description
Marking a departure in our understanding of Christian views of the afterlife from 250 to 650 CE, The Ransom of the Soul explores a revolutionary shift in thinking about the fate of the soul that occurred around the time of Rome's fall. Peter Brown describes how this shift transformed the church's institutional relationship to money and set the stage for its domination of medieval society in the West. Early Christian doctrine held that the living and the dead, as equally sinful beings, needed each other in order to achieve redemption. The devotional intercessions of the living could tip the balance between heaven and hell for the deceased. In the third century, money began to play a decisive role in these practices, as wealthy Christians took ever more elaborate steps to protect their own souls and the souls of their loved ones in the afterlife. They secured privileged burial sites and made lavish donations to churches. By the seventh century, Europe was dotted with richly endowed monasteries and funerary chapels displaying in marble splendor the Christian devotion of the wealthy dead. In response to the growing influence of money, church doctrine concerning the afterlife evolved from speculation to firm reality, and personal wealth in the pursuit of redemption led to extraordinary feats of architecture and acts of generosity. But it also prompted stormy debates about money's proper use -- debates that resonated through the centuries and kept alive the fundamental question of how heaven and earth could be joined by human agency.

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Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

Brown, P. (2015). The ransom of the soul: afterlife and wealth in early western Christianity . Harvard University Press.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Brown, Peter, 1935-. 2015. The Ransom of the Soul: Afterlife and Wealth in Early Western Christianity. Harvard University Press.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Brown, Peter, 1935-. The Ransom of the Soul: Afterlife and Wealth in Early Western Christianity Harvard University Press, 2015.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

Brown, Peter. The Ransom of the Soul: Afterlife and Wealth in Early Western Christianity Harvard University Press, 2015.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.

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