Scandalous Histories in the Early Christian Church

FAIN: FT-298775-24

Jennifer Ann Barry
University of Mary Washington (Fredericksburg, VA 22401-5300)

Research and writing a book that examines the use of scandal stories in the ecclesiastical history of the early Christian church.

Scandalous Christian Histories emphasizes how the agendas and scandals found within the ecclesiastical histories shaped competing visions of the formative years of Christianity. The book will engage multiple disciplines from the fields of Early Christian studies, late Roman studies, gender studies, and ancient historiography. The interdisciplinary nature of this project contributes to current trends that focus on the subjective nature of historical writing and sheds new light on the gendered tropes, power dynamics, and manipulations employed by early Christian historians. With meticulous research of the primary sources and applied critical analysis, I offer a new perspective on the process of writing early Christian history. Ultimately, the project will reshape our understanding of the past and spark discussions on the dynamics of power, gender, and manipulation in historical narratives.