Maria E. Doerfler

Illness, Pain, and Health Care in Early Christianity

History & Biography

“This important study examines Christian practices of identity formation in late antiquity around the nexus of health and its central corollaries: illness, pain, and health care. Rhee demonstrates that each of these reflects a touchpoint between Greco-Roman and early Christian discourses: patristic writers, whether popular or elite, drew on their classical heritage and constructed distinctively Christian ways of understanding their significance. Wide-ranging and unfailingly erudite, her work remains accessible and relevant to readers from a wide range of backgrounds, which is a testimony to Rhee’s skill as scholar and author. Illness, Pain, and Health Care in Early Christianity establishes Rhee’s voice as a vital contributor to the vibrant, interdisciplinary conversation surrounding health, illness, and disability in pre-modernity.”

Marriage and Sexuality in Early Christianity

Theology

“Marriage in ancient Christian circles has frequently received less scholarly attention than its ascetic counterpart, virginity. The latter was, of course, an important aspect of early Christianity, yet the overwhelming majority of Christians of this as well as later eras saw no conflict between their own, married state and their religious confession. This volume, edited and compiled by one of the field's foremost experts on ancient Christian marriage, provides an essential resource for students seeking to understand the social and theological climate of early Christianity. The selection of texts reflects an excellent and carefully contextualized survey of Christian views on marriage from both East and West, spanning a wide range of genres. From them, marriage emerges not only as a topic of vital importance and frequent contention in its own right, but as a fulcrum for some of the eras most pressing theological controversies.”

The Essential City of God

Theology

“Augustine’s magnum opus, City of God, remains a staple in the Western canon—its importance to historians, philosophers, and theologians matched only by its daunting size and density. The Essential ‘City of God’ provides readers with the tools to approach this incandescent-if-intimidating work with confidence. Amply supported by explanatory footnotes, essays elucidating key themes, and a helpful introduction, this book is bound to become a must-read for Augustine afficionados and newcomers to his oeuvre alike.”