Appropriation: A New Approach to Religious Transformation in Late Antiquity

Abstract

Abstract In this article, I propose the concept of “appropriation,” widely used in cross-cultural contexts, as a new approach to the process of religious transformation in Late Antiquity. This approach has the advantage that it encompasses the entire spectrum of individual responses to the impact of Christianity that characterizes the period. It is thus a particularly dynamic concept, as it accurately takes into account the interactive nature of the process and views it “from the bottom-up,” highlighting human agency. The variety of responses is illustrated by three case studies from Egypt — literature, monumental architecture (temples and churches), and magic — which can be regarded as exemplary for studying similar aspects of the religious transformation process in other areas of the (Eastern) Roman Empire. In each of these cases, the topic has until quite recently been viewed in terms of a “pagan” vs. Christianity framework, which has now been replaced by a more complex picture that exposes to the fullest extent the different forms of appropriation.