A Memory of Violence : Syriac Christianity and the Radicalization of Religious Difference in Late Antiquity

Through the fifth and sixth centuries, major divisions rocked Christianity as different factions vied to make their teachings the doctrine of the Roman Empire’s imperial church. In the aftermath of the Council of Chalcedon in 451, miaphysite Christians, often targeted as heretics by the imperial church, confronted periodic violence and persecution. In this book, Christine Shepardson reshapes our understanding of late antiquity by centering Syriac Christianity in these complex and politicized doctrinal conflicts. Drawing on critical studies of violence and memory, she traces narratives of resistance and other rhetorical strategies by which miaphysite leaders radicalized their followers to endure physical deprivation and harm rather than abandon their church community.  

Through the fifth and sixth centuries, major schisms rocked Christianity as different factions vied to make their teachings the doctrine of the Roman Empire’s imperial church. In the aftermath of the Council of Chalcedon in 451, miaphysite Christians suddenly found themselves heretics by imperial decree, and dissent was met with violence and persecution. In this book, Christine Shepardson reshapes our understanding of late antiquity by centering Syriac Christianity in these complex and politicized doctrinal conflicts. Drawing on critical studies of violence and memory, she traces narratives of resistance and other rhetorical strategies by which church leaders radicalized their followers to endure physical deprivation and harm rather than abandon their church. A Memory of Violence sheds new light on a pivotal period of early Christian history in the Middle East and provides a powerful account of how Syriac Christianity survived and thrived in the face of hostile imperial rule and the rise of Islam.