Review: Reconceiving Religious Conflict: New Views from the Formative Centuries of Christianity, edited by Wendy Mayer and Chris L. de Wet

Abstract

Wendy Mayer and Chris L. de Wet, eds., Reconceiving Religious Conflict: New Views from the Formative Centuries of Christianity . Routledge Studies in the Early Christian World. London and New York: Routledge, 2018. Xvi + 338 pages, black and white illustrations. ISBN 9781138229914. $131.75. Religious conflict in Late Antiquity has become a topic of increasing interest, judging by the volumes that have appeared in the Transformation of the Classical Heritage series over the past decade, as well as other stand-alone volumes from various publishing houses. Many of them, with an eye to current events, have focused on the link between religious extremism and violence. Yet, most are aware that violence takes many forms and may not always be the best descriptor. The twelve contributions to this volume from a team of leading scholars of late antique Christianity examine the religious conflicts of Late Antiquity within a new pluralistic framework of understanding. In her introductory chapter, Wendy Mayer sets out to reframe the ways in which we understand religious interaction and name the biases that underpin much scholarly work. In particular, she challenges the Enlightenment secularist assumption that ancient societies were intolerant and that Christianity's (or, more generally, monotheism's) claim to exclusivism in particular was particularly intolerant of a tolerant polytheism. In addition, Mayer is critical of the idea that religious competition is a valid model for assessing the role of religion in ancient societies. Finally, she raises questions about the role of conflict in determining in-group and out-group identities as applied to monotheisms on the basis of a differential between rhetoric and reality. Ultimately Mayer argues for a new theoretical framework for understanding religious conflict, one based on neuroscience. As always, her comments stimulate critical reflection and will be a valuable guide for anyone wishing to engage on this topic. The other introductory essay is provided by Jan Bremmer, in which he sets forth six theses: that the roots of religious violence should be examined from a global perspective, that polytheism is not inherently more tolerant than monotheism, that religious violence in pre-modern times …