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'Rites of Passage' and the Writing of Church History: Reflections upon our Craft in the Aftermath of van Gennep.

  • Published In: Studies in Church History, 2023, v. 59. P. 8 1 of 3

  • Database: Academic Search Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: O'Loughlin, Thomas 3 of 3

Abstract

Van Gennep's work on rites of passage can be viewed as part of the rise of anthropology in the period prior to the First World War, and has been very influential conceptually and on the practice of churches ever since. This article examines how his own historical work, taking baptism as an example of a rite of passage, compares with the practice of church history at the time. It then seeks to assess van Gennep's assumptions in comparison with the assumptions about the past used in church history writing today, acknowledging that the turn to plurality -- that uniformity in doctrines, rituals and texts is subsequent to diversity -- of recent scholarship is in several respects anticipated by van Gennep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additional Information

  • Source:Studies in Church History. 2023/06, Vol. 59, p8
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Religion and Philosophy
  • Publication Date:2023
  • ISSN:0424-2084
  • DOI:10.1017/stc.2023.3
  • Accession Number:164505607
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of Studies in Church History is the property of Cambridge University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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