Religie van alledag

During the fourth century, Christianity developed from a persecuted religion to the only official religion of the Roman Empire. Written sources suggest that this came at the expense of religious tolerance. Egypt and Syria play an important role in this narrative. In this article, I argue that the practice of religious life was much more nuanced than the writings suggest at first glance. This argument is illustrated by means of several case studies pertaining to Egypt and Syria during the third and fourth centuries, using traditional literary sources, papyri as well as remains of material culture.