From shame to sin : the Christian transformation of sexual morality in late antiquity /

Harper (Univ. of Oklahoma; Slavery in the Late Roman World, AD 275-425, CH, Mar'12, 49-4020) brings a classicist's expertise to this rich, provocative account of early Christian attempts to transform Roman sexual culture and the understandings of the body, property, sexuality, and the cosmos that formed its basis. This important contribution contextualizes Christian Scripture in a more exhaustive and extensive way than most theological and biblical studies treatments do. The author shows how Christian preaching and teaching responded to social customs and understandings. He indicates the ways in which Christians both borrowed and transformed notions of fate, fortune, and self-control found in classical novels and other Christian literature. Harper also traces the arc of development of Christian sexual ethics into the first few centuries of the church, showing that not only Paul but other Christian writers and theologians as well were deeply shaped by cultural debates over the sexual role of slaves and the value of virginity. Students of classics, Christian ethics, and the New Testament will find this outstanding book indispensable. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty. A. W. Klink Duke University