Richard Alston

Cults, Creeds and Identities in the Greek City After the Classical Age Richard Alston

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.