Raised on Christian Milk: Food and the Formation of the Soul in Early Christianity
Raised on Christian Milk: Food and the Formation of the Soul in Early Christianity
Cite
Abstract
What if the idea that “you are what you eat” weren’t a simple metaphor? What if it revealed a deeper medical, moral, and religious history about the relationship between food and the soul? In the early Roman Empire, food (and especially breast milk) was invested with the power to transfer characteristics, improve intellect, and establish bonds of kinship. Ancient Jews and Christians participated in this discourse surrounding the symbolic power of food and feeding. This book explores the legacy and complex history of food, feeding, and the formation of ancient religious cultures. Highlighting the apostle Paul’s reference to breastfeeding in 1 Corinthians 3, the book argues that this metaphor must be viewed as the result of social ideologies and embodied practices focused on the feeding of infants that were prominent throughout the Greco-Roman world. Drawing upon Paul and this broader cultural context, a wide range of early Christian authors (including Irenaeus of Lyon, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Gregory of Nyssa, and Augustine of Hippo) used milk and solid food to think about how humans become what they eat—for good or for ill. In so doing, the book demonstrates the deep connection between “eating well” and “being well” for diverse models of growth, education, and identity within early Christianity.
-
Front Matter
-
Introduction
Same Essence, Same Food: Nourishment, Formation, and Education in Early Christianity
-
One
The Symbolic Power of Food in the Greco-Roman World
-
Two
Mother’s Milk as Ethno-religious Essence in Ancient Judaism
-
Three
Ruminating on Paul’s Food in the Second Century
-
Four
Animal, Vegetable, Milk: Origen’s Dietary System
-
Five
Gregory of Nyssa at the Breast of the Bridegroom
-
Six
Milk Without Growth: Augustine and the Limits of Formation
-
Conclusion
-
End Matter
Sign in
Personal account
- Sign in with email/username & password
- Get email alerts
- Save searches
- Purchase content
- Activate your purchase/trial code
- Add your ORCID iD
Purchase
Our books are available by subscription or purchase to libraries and institutions.
Purchasing informationMonth: | Total Views: |
---|---|
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 8 |
October 2022 | 8 |
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 8 |
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 24 |
October 2022 | 15 |
October 2022 | 15 |
October 2022 | 8 |
October 2022 | 10 |
November 2022 | 1 |
November 2022 | 2 |
November 2022 | 2 |
November 2022 | 2 |
November 2022 | 2 |
December 2022 | 4 |
December 2022 | 3 |
December 2022 | 1 |
December 2022 | 1 |
January 2023 | 2 |
January 2023 | 1 |
March 2023 | 1 |
March 2023 | 3 |
March 2023 | 1 |
March 2023 | 4 |
May 2023 | 2 |
May 2023 | 2 |
May 2023 | 4 |
May 2023 | 1 |
June 2023 | 6 |
June 2023 | 1 |
June 2023 | 2 |
October 2023 | 1 |
October 2023 | 3 |
October 2023 | 1 |
October 2023 | 1 |
October 2023 | 2 |
November 2023 | 6 |
January 2024 | 2 |
February 2024 | 1 |
February 2024 | 1 |
February 2024 | 1 |
February 2024 | 1 |
March 2024 | 2 |
March 2024 | 1 |
March 2024 | 1 |
April 2024 | 1 |
April 2024 | 1 |
April 2024 | 1 |
May 2024 | 1 |
June 2024 | 2 |
July 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
October 2024 | 7 |
October 2024 | 1 |
October 2024 | 1 |
October 2024 | 19 |
October 2024 | 1 |
November 2024 | 2 |
November 2024 | 2 |
November 2024 | 2 |
November 2024 | 3 |
November 2024 | 2 |
November 2024 | 2 |
November 2024 | 2 |
November 2024 | 2 |
December 2024 | 1 |
January 2025 | 2 |
March 2025 | 2 |
March 2025 | 2 |
April 2025 | 1 |
April 2025 | 1 |
April 2025 | 1 |
April 2025 | 1 |
April 2025 | 1 |
April 2025 | 2 |
April 2025 | 1 |
April 2025 | 1 |
Get help with access
Institutional access
Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:
IP based access
Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.
Sign in through your institution
Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.
If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.
Sign in with a library card
Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.
Society Members
Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:
Sign in through society site
Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:
If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.
Sign in using a personal account
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.
Personal account
A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.
Viewing your signed in accounts
Click the account icon in the top right to:
Signed in but can't access content
Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.
Institutional account management
For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.