The Formation of Papal Authority in Late Antique Italy

Roman Bishops and the Domestic Sphere

Bibliographic Data

ID23788947
AuthorsKristina Sessa (The Ohio State University, corresponding author)
Year2011
Publication date2011-11-21
Open AccessYes
TypeBOOK
VenueFormation of Papal Authority in Late Antique Italy (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherCambridge University Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1017/cbo9781139017336
OpenAlexW637909300
ISBN9781139017336
LanguageEN
Citations received20

This book is the first cultural history of papal authority in late antiquity. While most traditional histories posit a 'rise of the papacy' and examine popes as politicians, theologians and civic leaders, Kristina Sessa focuses on the late Roman household and its critical role in the development of the Roman church from c.350–600. She argues that Rome's bishops adopted the ancient elite household as a model of good government for leading the church. Central to this phenomenon was the classical and biblical figure of the steward, the householder's appointed agent who oversaw his property and people. As stewards of God, Roman bishops endeavored to exercise moral and material influence within both the pope's own administration and the households of Italy's clergy and lay elites. This original and nuanced study charts their manifold interactions with late Roman households and shows how bishops used domestic knowledge as the basis for establishing their authority as Italy's singular religious leaders.

Ancient history · Antique · Bishops · Elite · Late Antiquity · Middle Ages · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Byzantine Studies and History · Classics · Historical and Religious Studies of Rome · History · Law · Medieval Literature and History

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