Draws on historical, ethnographical and anthropological studies to create a fresh understanding of Christianization in medieval Europe.

"The Encyclopedia of Christianity is the first of a five-volume English translation of the third revised edition of Evangelisches Kirchenlexikon. Its German articles have been tailored to suit an English readership, and articles of special interest to English readers have been added. The encyclopedia describes Christianity through its 2000-year history within a global context, taking into account other religions and philosophies. A special feature is the statistical information dispersed throughout the articles on the continents and over 170 countries. Social and cultural coverage is given to such issues as racism, genocide, and armaments, while historical content shows the development of biblical and apostolic traditions. This comprehensive work, while scholarly, is intended for a wide audience and will set the standard for reference works on Christianity."--"Outstanding reference sources 2000", American Libraries, May 2000. Comp. by the Reference Sources Committee, RUSA, ALA.

Remembering the dead is a topic which connects various cultures and traditions. The reception of the African tradition of ancestorship is a theological enrichment in the ecumenical discussions all over the world. In our time, the exchange of gifts plays a great role in promoting unity of the Churches. Especially the concepts of African theology with the incomparable special position of Jesus Christ as "proto ancestor" are important for the interconfessional dialogues. The veneration of the ancestors in Africa can be a help to begin ecumenical discussions in this regional context on the question of the veneration of the saints. According to African tradition the ancestors also have influence on the process of purification. Therefore, the veneration of the ancestors contributes to providing answers to the ecumenical controversies about the understanding of the eschatological purification. Sentus Francis Dikwe SDS, born in 1980 in Morogoro, Tanzania, ordained priest of the Salvatorian Congregation. He attained doctorate in theology 2020 in Munster, Germany.

Death in Second-Century Christian Thought explores how the meaning of death was conceptualized in this crucial period of the history of the church. Through an exploration of some key metaphors and other figures of speech that the early church used to talk about this interesting but difficult topic, the author argues that the early church selected, modified, and utilized existing views on the subject of death in order to offer a distinctively Christian view of death based on what they believed the word of God taught on the subject, particularly in light of the ongoing story of Jesus following his death-his burial and resurrection. In short, the book shows how Christians interacted with the views of death in late antiquity, coming up with their own distinctive view of death.

The prayer "Go forth Christian Soul, on your journey from this world" has supported generations of Christians in the moments of their dying. In this original biography of the prayer known as the Proficiscere the author traces the history of this well-known text from its origins in eighth-century France to the present day. During 1,200 years of biography we meet an extraordinary range of people whose lives have affected or interacted with the life of the prayer. These include Thomas Cranmer, William Caxton, Cardinal Newman, General Gordon of Khartoum, Edward Elgar, and Cardinal Basil Hume. Versions of this famous prayer have found their way into contemporary funeral liturgies. The author draws on liturgical scholarship history and not least his own experiences as a minister to the dying. At the end of this biography you will never look on your own dying, or that of others around you, as you have before. You will be better prepared, at your death, to hear the words "Go forth Christian Soul."

A provocative analysis of how Christianity helped legitimize the death penalty in early modern Europe, then throughout the Christian world, by turning execution into a great cathartic public ritual and the condemned into a Christ-like figure who accepts death to save humanity. The public execution of criminals has been a common practice ever since ancient times. In this wide-ranging investigation of the death penalty in Europe from the fourteenth to the eighteenth century, noted Italian historian Adriano Prosperi identifies a crucial period when legal concepts of vengeance and justice merged with Christian beliefs in repentance and forgiveness. Crime and Forgiveness begins with late antiquity but comes into sharp focus in fourteenth-century Italy, with the work of the Confraternities of Mercy, which offered Christian comfort to the condemned and were for centuries responsible for burying the dead. Under the brotherhoods’ influence, the ritual of public execution became Christianized, and the doomed person became a symbol of the fallen human condition. Because the time of death was known, this “ideal” sinner could be comforted and prepared for the next life through confession and repentance. In return, the community bearing witness to the execution offered forgiveness and a Christian burial. No longer facing eternal condemnation, the criminal in turn publicly forgave the executioner, and the death provided a moral lesson to the community. Over time, as the practice of Christian comfort spread across Europe, it offered political authorities an opportunity to legitimize the death penalty and encode into law the right to kill and exact vengeance. But the contradictions created by Christianity’s central role in executions did not dissipate, and squaring the emotions and values surrounding state-sanctioned executions was not simple, then or now.