The Ransom of the Soul

Peter Brown explores a revolutionary shift in thinking about the fate of the soul between 250 and 650 CE, showing how personal wealth in the pursuit of redemption led Church doctrine concerning th ...

Peter Brown explores a revolutionary shift in thinking about the fate of the soul between 250 and 650 CE, showing how personal wealth in the pursuit of redemption led Church doctrine concerning the afterlife to evolve from speculation to firm reality. This new relationship to money set the stage for the Church's domination of medieval society.