This book details a topic of great importance in early Church history and late antiquity. It challenges the conventional view that after the adoption of Christianity by the Roman Empire the local community lost its voice in the appointment of bishops, and argues that this right remained in theory and practice for longer than is normally assumed. Given that bishops became important to the running of the empire at the local level, a proper understanding of how they came into office is essential for our understanding of the later empire. This book explores a topic of great relevance to an underst ... More

This book details a topic of great importance in early Church history and late antiquity. It challenges the conventional view that after the adoption of Christianity by the Roman Empire the local community lost its voice in the appointment of bishops, and argues that this right remained in theory and practice for longer than is normally assumed. Given that bishops became important to the running of the empire at the local level, a proper understanding of how they came into office is essential for our understanding of the later empire. This book explores a topic of great relevance to an understanding of how the later Roman Empire was administered.