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Decay/Decline
(820 words)

[German Version]

I. General – II. Greek Views – III. Roman Views

I. General

Decay/decline (cf. decadence, degeneration; inclinatio; Ger. Verfall) refers to a process of gradual deterioration that ends in sudden catastrophe (Gk καταστροφή), destruction, disintegration, slow dissolution, or ruin (Gk φϑορά/phthorá), unless it is averted by reform or renaissance. Decay/decline is the corresponding antonym of progress, an – often polemically employed – motif for the description, classification (periodiz…

Cite this page
Cancik, Hubert, “Decay/Decline”, in: Religion Past and Present. Consulted online on 28 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1877-5888_rpp_COM_025308>
First published online: 2011
First print edition: ISBN: 9789004146662, 2006-2013



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