Ritual, Emotion, and Materiality in the Early Christian World

This scholarly work examines early Christianity through the tangible practices that defined daily religious life, focusing specifically on water rituals and communal dining as central experiences. By analyzing the connections between rites, emotions, and material settings, the book reconstructs how early Christians lived their faith through bodily actions and physical spaces. It addresses a significant gap in understanding how ritual, affect, and material culture intertwined in the ancient Mediterranean world. The approach treats early Christianity not merely as a system of beliefs but as a deeply embodied, practiced religion.

What distinguishes this study is its integrated methodology, weaving together ritual theory, emotion history, and material evidence to create a multidimensional portrait. Readers interested in the social history of religion, ancient Mediterranean studies, or the development of Christian practices will find its approach particularly illuminating. The focus on water and dining rites provides concrete case studies that reveal how emotions were cultivated through physical acts and material environments. This volume ultimately transforms our perception of early Christian communities by grounding them in the sensory and emotional realities of their ritual practice.