Description: Being Christian in Vandal Africa investigates conflicts over Christian orthodoxy in the Vandal kingdom, the successor to Roman rule in North Africa, ca. 439 to 533 c.e. Exploiting neglected texts, author Robin Whelan exposes a sophisticated culture of disputation between Nicene ("Catholic") and Homoian ("Arian") Christians and explores their rival claims to political and religious legitimacy. These contests--sometimes violent--are key to understanding the wider and much-debated issues of identity and state formation in the post-imperial West.
Review Quotes: "This is a remarkable first book by a young scholar.... it skillfully analyzes Christian texts from Vandal North Africa that have not received enough attention but which, as Whelan masterly shows, nevertheless constitute a significant contribution to the understanding of the period.-- "Bryn Mawr Classical Review" (1/27/2019 12:00:00 AM)