Kissing Christians: Ritual and Community in the Late Ancient Church
Michael Philip Penn
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Description for Kissing Christians: Ritual and Community in the Late Ancient Church
Hardback. Kissing was one of the most widely practiced early Christian rituals. Kissing Christians presents the first comprehensive study of how ancient controversies concerning this rite became part of larger debates regarding the internal structure of ancient Christian communities and their relations with outsiders. Series: Divinations: Rereading Late Ancient Religion. Num Pages: 200 pages, black & white illustrations. BIC Classification: HRCC1. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational; (UP) Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly; (UU) Undergraduate. Dimension: 150 x 334 x 23. Weight in Grams: 406.
In the first five centuries of the common era, the kiss was a distinctive and near-ubiquitous marker of Christianity. Although Christians did not invent the kiss—Jewish and pagan literature is filled with references to kisses between lovers, family members, and individuals in relationships of power and subordination—Christians kissed one another in highly specific settings and in ways that set them off from the non-Christian population.
Christians kissed each other during prayer, Eucharist, baptism, and ordination and in connection with greeting, funerals, monastic vows, and martyrdom. As Michael Philip Penn shows in Kissing Christians, this ritual kiss played a key ... Read more
Product Details
Format
Hardback
Publication date
2005
Publisher
University of Pennsylvania Press
Condition
New
Series
Divinations: Rereading Late Ancient Religion
Number of Pages
200
Place of Publication
Pennsylvania, United States
ISBN
9780812238808
SKU
V9780812238808
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 7 to 11 working days
Ref
99-1
About Michael Philip Penn
Michael Philip Penn teaches religion at Mount Holyoke College.
Reviews for Kissing Christians: Ritual and Community in the Late Ancient Church
"Penn has succeeded admirably. . . . Kissing Christians has broken new ground, greatly enriching our understanding of this important Christian liturgical ritual and community-forming practice."
The Medieval Review
"This fascinating study should serve as an invitation to scholars of ancient Christian discourse, symbol, and liturgy to take the kiss seriously, but not only that: Kissing Christians invites ... Read more
The Medieval Review
"This fascinating study should serve as an invitation to scholars of ancient Christian discourse, symbol, and liturgy to take the kiss seriously, but not only that: Kissing Christians invites ... Read more