How were early Christians influenced by contemporary assumptions about ethnic and colour differences?
Why were early Christian writers so attracted to the subject of Blacks, Egyptians, and Ethiopians?
Looking at the neglected issue of race brings valuable new perspectives to the study of the ancient world; now Gay Byron's exciting work is the first to survey and theorise Blacks, Egyptians and Ethiopians in Christian antiquity.
By combining innovative theory and methodology with a detailed survey of early Christian writings, Byron shows how perceptions about ethnic and color differences influenced the discursive strategies of ancient Christian authors. She demonstrates convincingly that, in spite of the contention that Christianity was to extend to all peoples, certain groups of Christians were marginalized and rendered invisible and silent.
Original and pioneering, this book will inspire discussion at every level, encouraging a broader and more sophisticated understanding of early Christianity for scholars and students alike.

Reviews

'The best account to date of a formative phase of British economics.' - TLS

'Kadish has an encyclopaedic knowledge of his subject ... a very fine new book.' - THES

'Her study deserves warm commendation for its thoroughness, including the use of Greek and Latin texts, usually also given in English.' - Church Times

'[Byron's] book ... is an original and pioneering piece of scholarship ... [it] is a vital contribution to Black theology, New Testament studies/hermenutics and early Christian history from a Black perspective ... this book will be very valuable to teachers, scholars and researchers.' - Black Theology: An International Journal

'In this short but important book, Gay Byron offers a complex and insightful analysis of ethnic and colour symbolism in early Christianity. This study provides a welcome challenge to scholarship that claims that early Christianity was colour-blind and all-inclusive or that ignores the polemical use of colour-coded terminology altogether.' - Journal of Roman Studies

Book Information
ISBN 9780415243698
Author Gay L Byron
Format Paperback
Page Count 240
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 440g