Concluding Remarks
Abstract
The concluding remarks summarise the main highlights of the volume, arguing that the condemnations of rituals at stones, trees and springs were not neutral records of lingering paganism but rhetorical strategies by ecclesiastical elites to regulate ritual plurality and reinforce episcopal authority. By framing natural spaces as loci of idolatry, councils, prelates and penitentials sought to control devotion and offerings. The book highlights these sources as cultural constructs that reveal tensions between lived religion, ritual landscapes and ecclesiastical efforts to impose orthodoxy in the episcopal sees of Late Antique Gaul and Hispania.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Classical Studies and Legal History
Medieval Literature and History
Medieval Architecture and Archaeology
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Routledge eBooks
- Pages
- 143–149
- Publication date
- 11 February 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Book chapter