Michael Beshay

Biography:

I am a scholar of religions of late antiquity who specializes in the history of early Christianity. My research centers on several interconnected topics, including the development of authoritative traditions; their transmission and reception in diverse artifacts and across confessional boundaries; the significance of ritual and "magic" for the production of novel religious idioms; and the legacies of so-called "heretical" Christians within the beliefs and practices that emerge as "Orthodox." I explore these dynamics relative to the ritual traditions surrounding the Virgin Mary and King Solomon—two prominent figures whose authorities span multiple religious communities and represent layers of cultural innovation and conflict.