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Cover of: The Role of Texts in Processes of Religious Grouping during the Principate
Jörg Rüpke

The Role of Texts in Processes of Religious Grouping during the Principate

Section: Articles
Volume 2 (2016) / Issue 2, pp. 170-195 (26)
Published 09.07.2018
DOI 10.1628/219944616X14655421286059
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    CC BY-SA 4.0
  • 10.1628/219944616X14655421286059
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Summary
Textual communities - a concept imported from medieval studies - have been accorded much importance in the formation of religious groups throughout the imperial period, operationalising the concept of 'religions of the book'. Every text seemed to betray a community behind it. From the perspective of 'lived ancient religion' the article will critically review the evidence and suggest different dimensions of the communication, continuation, and diffusion of texts. As a result, the importance of 'textual communities' for the imperial period is seriously questioned.