Pluralism and Christianity: Illustrations from Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages

From its inception in a diverse and pluralistic society, Christianity has interacted with many different religions, governments, lifestyles and behaviors. My paper will include the historical importance of the multiple forces of separation and cohesion, the tensions between universalisms and localisms, and the development of identities and differences, as Christianity interacted and developed in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. I will overlay these processes with the dynamics of multilayered governance and the continuous creations of “middle grounds” to maintain peace and justice in Christian kingdoms.