Ritual, Gender, and the Body in the Early Christian World

This book explores the role of physical bodies, ritual technologies, healing practices, gender, and visual imagery in creating and sustaining religious meaning in antiquity. It is ideal for students and scholars working on the New Testament and early Christianity, and issues of ritual, gender, and the body in the early Christian world.

This volume investigates the central role of physical bodies, ritual technologies, healing practices, gender constructions, and visual imagery in creating and sustaining religious meaning in antiquity.

Religious life in the ancient world was profoundly shaped by the interplay of materiality, ritual, embodiment, and visuality. Far from being purely intellectual or doctrinal, religious practices across Greco-Roman and early Christian contexts were enacted through tangible, sensory, and embodied experiences that engaged worshippers physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Drawing from a rich array of primary sources and theoretical frameworks, especially gender studies and ritual studies, the chapters collectively emphasize that religion in this period was fundamentally experienced through ritualized actions, embodied transformations, and visually charged sacred spaces. With its focus on ritual, gender, and the body, the book offers readers a fresh approach to ancient Christianity and the Greco-Roman world in which it emerged.

This interdisciplinary volume is suitable for students and scholars working on the New Testament and early Christianity and issues of ritual, gender, and the body in the early Christian world.

Contributor: Richard E. DeMaris (Edited by), Soham Al-Suadi (Edited by), Richard S. Ascough (Edited by)

UK Delivery:

• Free delivery on all orders of £10 or more.
• £1.49 delivery fee on orders below £10.
• UK orders are shipped via Royal Mail 2nd Class.

International Delivery:

• Flat rate delivery charges vary by country.

Dispatch and Delivery Times:

• All orders are shipped from our warehouse in Northampton, UK within 48 hours of receipt during working hours.
• UK mainland orders typically arrive within 3-5 working days via Royal Mail 2nd Class.
• International estimated delivery times:
• Europe & Channel Islands: 7 to 10 working days
• USA: 7 to 15 working days
• Rest of the World: 9 to 21 working days

View our full delivery infomation here.