MF CASR Annual Lecture 2024 - Candida Moss

Imaginative Limits and Invisible Labor: Early Christian History in the Shadows of Erasure

Welcome to CASR Annual Lecture 2024 with Candida Moss, scholar, author, public intellectual, TV commentator and Professor at the University of Birmingham.

Like all history, early Christian history has been shaped by selective memory practices, where certain narratives and figures have been elevated while others have been obscured or forgotten. The boundaries that dominant cultural forces have imposed on historical imagination have led to the erasure of the labour and lives of women, slaves, and other marginalized individuals. 

This lecture explores the complex interplay between historical memory, erasure, and the often-overlooked contributions of marginalized groups in early Christianity. It calls for a re-examination of how the past is understood and interpreted, urging scholars to consider the ethical implications of erasure and the importance of bringing marginalized voices to the forefront of historical narratives. 

Response by MF Professor Brent Nongbri and postdoctoral fellow Gregory Peter Fewster. 

 

Read more:

"Over the last few years, Candida Moss has published several very interesting articles on different aspects of slavery and early Christianity", Professor Brent Nongbri writes in this enlightening blogpost.