__'. . . I have sailed the seas and come  
 To the holy city of Byzantium.'__  
__W. B. Yeats__  
  
From the foundation of Constantinople in 330 to its fall in 1453, this brief history explores the key components of Byzantine Christianity, including the development of monasticism, icons and iconoclasm, the role of the emperor in relation to church councils and beliefs, the difficult relationship with the papacy and the impact of the Crusades.  
  
The book also considers Byzantine Christianity as a living force today: the variety and vitality of Orthodox churches, the role of the Church in Russia and the enduring relevance of a spirituality derived from the church fathers.  
  
'Averil Cameron's work has transformed our understanding of Byzantium, and here she offers an authoritative survey of its history and legacy . . . This is a lucid, informative and impressively wide-ranging brief history.'  
Gillian Clark FBA, Emeritus Professor of Classics and Ancient History, University of Bristol

Averil Cameron

BYZANTINE CHRISTIANITY

Preface

Chronology

Part 1 THE HISTORY

1 What was Byzantium?

2 Monks, monasteries and bishops

3 The age of the Fathers

4 The eastern Church splits

5 Icons and iconoclasm

6 After iconoclasm

7 The Macedonian emperors

8 Byzantium under the Comneni

9 1204 and after

10 Byzantium 1261–1453

Part 2 THE LEGACY

11 Byzantium and Orthodox life and spirituality

12 The setting of worship

13 Discipline and control

14 Orthodox churches and others

15 Perspectives today

Conclusion

Glossary

Index

__'... I have sailed the seas and come__  
__To the holy city of Byzantium.'__  
__W. B. Yeats__

From the foundation of Constantinople in 330 to its fall in 1453, this brief history explores the key components of Byzantine Christianity, including the development of monasticism, icons and iconoclasm, the role of the emperor in relation to church councils and beliefs, the difficult relationship with the papacy and the impact of the Crusades.

The book also considers Byzantine Christianity as a living force today: the variety and vitality of Orthodox churches, the role of the Church in Russia and the enduring relevance of a spirituality derived from the church fathers.

Concise historical introduction to Byzantine Christianity and its continuing influence on the world and how we see it.

Part One: The History (What do we know?) This brief historical introduction to Byzantine Christianity assesses its impact on the world as it was at the time and outlines the key ideas and values connected with it. It explores the social, political and religious factors that formed the context of Christian life and thought in this period, and considers how those factors affected the everyday lives of ordinary people. Part Two: The Legacy (Why does it matter?) This second part surveys the intellectual and cultural `afterlife' of Byzantine Christianity, exploring the ways in which its impact has lasted. In what ways does it continue to influence the world today, and what aspects of its legacy are likely to endure into the future? The book has a brief chronology at the front plus a glossary of key terms and a list of further reading at the back.

Prof Dame Averil Cameron DBE, FBA, FSA, is a Research Fellow at Keble College, Oxford, a member of the Faculty of Classics and Chair of the Oxford Centre for Byzantine Research. She was Warden of Keble College, 1994-2010, and before that Professor of Late Antique and Byzantine History at King's College London, where she was also the first Director of the Centre for Hellenic Studies. She is President of CBRL (Council for British Research in the Levant) and was President of FIEC (Federation Internationale des Associations d'etudes Classiques), 2009-14.

\["Want to understand the history of your faith?","The very brief look at Byzantine Christianity explores a key stage of Christianity","You will know better some of the images, symbols, and important figures of Christianity"\]

A key period that developed a lot of the symbols and icons of Christianity, this very brief history gives you a look your faith's past.

Byzantine Christianity

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Byzantine Christianity

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