From the 3rd to the 10th century, Christian authors portrayed paganism, understood here as traditional religious practices, as unorthodox and heretical to reinforce Christian identity and authority during its rise as hegemonic power. These narratives denigrated traditional beliefs, framing them as inferior and subversive. Historiography has often viewed paganism as a rhetorical construct, yet modern approaches, integrating material culture and Post-colonial theory, reveal coexistence and syncretism, where Christian and traditional practices merged. The conference asks: How did Christian authors construct paganism to serve their goals, and what do these narratives reveal about actual religious practices?
Within the framework of the German-Italian cooperation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft – Villa Vigoni)
Coordination
Prof. Francesco Borri, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia; Prof. Dr. Stefan Esders, Freie Universität Berlin
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