Cults, Creeds and Identities in the Greek City after the Classical Age

Edited by R. Alston Edited by O.M. van Nijf Edited by C.G. Williamson

Book cover: Cults, Creeds and Identities in the Greek City after the Classical Age

Extent: 411 pages

Publisher: Peeters Publishers

Subjects: Classical Studies, Religious Studies

Series: Groningen-Royal Holloway Studies on the Greek City after the Classical Age

Series volume number: 3

Language: English

Hardback (Published)

(June 2013)

ISBN: 9789042927148

Price: $94.00

In stock

This volume investigates the complex and diverse developments in the religious cultures of Greek cities after the classical age. An international team of scholars considers the continuities of traditional Greek religious practices, and seeks to understand the impact of new influences on those practices, notably the deeper engagement with Judaism and how the emergence of Christianity redefined polis religion. The essays illustrate the inadequacy of ‘decline’ as a model for understanding Greek religion, exploring how dynamic change in religious life corresponded to the transformations in the Greek city.


This volume investigates the complex and diverse developments in the religious cultures of Greek cities after the classical age. An international team of scholars considers the continuities of traditional Greek religious practices, and seeks to understand the impact of new influences on those practices, notably the deeper engagement with Judaism and how the emergence of Christianity redefined polis religion. The essays illustrate the inadequacy of ‘decline’ as a model for understanding Greek religion, exploring how dynamic change in religious life corresponded to the transformations in the Greek city. The volume explores how the citizens of the Greek city after the classical age used religion to construct their cultural identities and political experiences and how many of the features of traditional polis religion survived into and shaped the religious mentalities of the Christian era.

  • Edited by R. Alston
  • Edited by O.M. van Nijf
  • Edited by C.G. Williamson