Forbearance and Compulsion The Rhetoric of Religious Tolerance and Intolerance in Late Antiquity

The first in-depth exploration of the rhetoric and argumentation of religious tolerance and intolerance in the late Roman Empire. Most surveys of religious tolerance and intolerance start from the medieval and early modern period, either passing over or making brief mention of discussions of religious moderation and coercion in Greco-Roman antiquity. Here Maijastina Kahlos widens the historical perspective to encompass late antiquity, examining ancient discussions of religious moderation and coercion in their historical contexts. The relations and interactions between various religious groups, especially pagans and Christians, are scrutinized, and the stark contrast often drawn between a tolerant polytheism and an intolerant Christianity is replaced by a more refined portrait of the complex late antique world. Forbearance and Compulsion will enhance our historical understanding of religious conflicts - ancient, recent and current - in world history.

Maijastina Kahlos is a research fellow at the Finnish Academy, Helsinki.