".an exemplary study of the interaction between Christian authority figures and those over whom they claimed pastoral oversight. It deserves to be read by anyone interested in the construction (and contestation) of Christian identity in late antiquity." --Robin Whelan, Bryn Mawr Classical Review "Recommended to any reader with an interest in the rich religious culture that flourished in the last phases and long aftermath of Roman imperial rule in Gaul." -- The Classical Review "Lisa Bailey's The Religious Worlds of the Laity in Late Antique Gaul is both a masterpiece and a model. It drastically revises common assumptions about the religious role of the laity in early Christian Gaul. She recovers the features of an entire world of Christian lay men and women that is usually cast into the shadows by the glare of assertive clerical texts. We overhear, at long last, the muted voices of the laity, as they pressed in around the rituals, trooped in to the churches and clung to the holy places of the new religion.

She has brought to life again the role of ordinary men and women in the religious transformation that made western Europe what it is." -- Peter Brown, Professor Emeritus of History, Princeton University, USA "Lisa Bailey's starting point is that the laity of late antique Gaul deserve to have their voices heard, and this rich and fascinating new book certainly bears this out. The diverse religious experiences of real people are brought to life convincingly in this account. Bailey builds up on her knowledge of a vast range of different source material and up-to-date scholarship to produce a readable and insightful book that will be greatly appreciated by scholars and students alike." -- Lucy Grig, Senior Lecturer in Classics, The University of Edinburgh, UK "Ordinary people are often absent from history. As a step toward remedying this persistent omission, Lisa Bailey searched for the laity in an array of sources from late antique Gaul, including sermons, secular and canon law, hagiography, epitaphs and archaeological evidence. Her study provides a nuanced account of the diverse beliefs and behaviors of ordinary Christians, challenging the tendency of scholarship to define religious norms according to the standards of the Church authorities." -- Jaclyn Maxwell, Associate Professor of History, Ohio University, USA.