Caesarius of Arles

The christianization of western Europe in late antiquity and the early middle ages required, in addition to simple conversion, the widespread adoption of Christian values, practices, and beliefs. As bishop of Arles from 502 to 542, Caesarius tirelessly promoted the christianization of townspeople and peasants alike through a program of patronage, teaching, and church reform.

Yet his writings also reveal the community resistance his efforts evoked, the persistence of traditional "pagan" cultural and religious practices, and the community's own efforts at self-christianization. Indeed, the transformation of Arles into a Christian community entailed the adaptation of Christianity into a community religion that respected local expectations and traditions.

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Utilizing insights provided by social history, archaeology, and anthropology, this book studies the problem of christianization in late Roman and early medieval Gaul from the perspective of Caesarius's career as monk, bishop, and church reformer.

Subjects of inquiry include Caesarius's own training and preoccupations; the social and cultural history of Arles; the bishop's dealings with the Visigothic, Ostrogothic, and Frankish rulers of the city; his relations with fellow bishops, including the bishops of Rome; the effects of his strategies of christianization in city and countryside; and the fate of his program of church reform and christianization under the later Merovingians and Carolingians.