Habilitation of Dr. Sebastian Hanstein completed

His habilitation thesis "Sanctitas. Die 'vita christiana' und ihre biblische und theologische Fundierung bei Salvian von Marseille" examines how the Gallic presbyter Salvian (5th century) develops a model of Christian living. Hanstein shows how Salvian develops an ethic from the Holy Scriptures that closely links baptism, conversio and vita christiana: Being a Christian means a comprehensive transformation of thought, piety and social action. By reinterpreting traditional Roman values such as nobilitas and virtus, Salvian creates an alternative self-image for the upper classes of late antiquity. The work thus makes a contribution to the understanding of early Christian identity formation in late antiquity, especially in crisis-ridden Gaul.