The Oxford Handbook of Medieval Christianity takes as its subject the beliefs, practices, and institutions of the Christian Church between 400 and 1500AD. It addresses topics ranging from early medieval monasticism to late medieval mysticism, from the material wealth of the Church to the spiritual exercises through which certain believers might attempt to improve their souls. Each chapter tells a story, but seeks also to ask how and why 'Christianity' took particular forms at particular moments in history, paying attention to both the spiritual and otherwordly aspects of religion, and the material and political contexts in which they were often embedded. This Handbook is a landmark academic collection that presents cutting-edge interpretive perspectives on medieval religion for a wide academic audience, drawing together thirty key scholars in the field from the United States, the UK, and Europe. Notably, the Handbook is arranged thematically, and focusses on an analytical, rather than narrative, approach, seeking to demonstrate the variety, change, and complexity of religion throughout this long period, and the numerous different ways in which modern scholarship can approach it. While providing a very wide-ranging view of the subject, it also offers an important agenda for further study in the field.

About the Author
John H. Arnold studied at the Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York, and worked first at UEA and then at Birkbeck, University of London. He became Professor of Medieval History at Birkbeck in 2007. He is author of various books and articles on medieval history, and has published also on modern historiography and the history of gender.

Reviews
This is an important contribution to the scholarship on Western European Christianity in the middle ages (c. 400- c.1500), offering a nuanced and variegated depiction of medieval Western Christianity... The volume will be of interest to scholars, at various stages: the chapters indicate the present state of scholarship on crucial facets of medieval Christianity; and several offer suggestions for future lines of research. * Joseph Wawrykow, Religious Studies Review *



Book Information
ISBN 9780198811176
Author John H. Arnold
Format Paperback
Page Count 608
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 1040g
Dimensions(mm) 244mm * 169mm * 30mm