The papers presented here explore the interactions between clerics and the society in which Christian churches put down roots in Late Antiquity. Some of these complex processes involved in the christianization of the Late Roman world, form the theme of the first three sections. The essays in these sections examine the Three Chapters controversy and the participation of lay and clerical protagonists in it, the social standing of Italian bishops including their use of lay personnel and their economic impact and a comparison of pagan and Christian places of worship. The essays included in the last section deal with communication