THE RHETORIC OF RELIGIOUS CONFLICT IN ARNOBIUS’ADVERSVS NATIONES

2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 402-416
Author(s):  
Konstantine Panegyres
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Religious Identity ◽  
Religious Conflict ◽  
Religious Practices ◽  
Historical Evidence ◽  
Historical Source ◽  
Local Religion ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Christian Writer

In this paper I discuss the ways in which the early Christian writer Arnobius of Sicca used rhetoric to shape religious identity inAduersus nationes. I raise questions about the reliability of his rhetorical work as a historical source for understanding conflict between Christians and pagans. The paper is intended as an addition to the growing literature in the following current areas of study: (i) the role of local religion and identity in the Roman Empire; (ii) the presence of pagan elements in Christian religious practices; (iii) the question of how to approach rhetorical works as historical evidence.

Defining the Boundaries of Orthodoxy: Eunomius in the Anti-Jewish Polemic of his Cappadocian Opponents

2007 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 699-723
Author(s):  
Christine Shepardson
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Fourth Century ◽  
Gregory Of Nyssa ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Recent Scholarship ◽  
Anti Jewish ◽  
Christian Leaders

Scholars have long recognized that the theological arguments of Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Gregory of Nyssa against their opponent Eunomius helped to shape the development of Christian orthodoxy, and thus Christian self-definition, in the late fourth-century Roman Empire. The cultural and theological significance of the strong anti-Judaizing rhetoric contained within these Cappadocian authors’ anti-Eunomian treatises, however, remains largely unexamined. Recent scholarship has demonstrated the critical role of anti-Judaizing rhetoric in the arguments that early Christian leaders Athanasius of Alexandria and Ephrem of Nisibis used against “Arian” Christian opponents in the middle of the fourth century, and the implications of this rhetoric for understanding early Christian-Jewish and intra-Christian relations. Scholars have yet to recognize, however, that anti-Judaizing rhetoric similarly helped to define the terms and consequences of the anti-Eunomian arguments made by Basil, Gregory, and Gregory in the decades that followed. The anti-Judaizing rhetoric of their texts attests to the continuing advantages that these leaders gained by rhetorically associating their Christian opponents with Jews. By claiming that Eunomius and his followers were too Jewish in their beliefs to be Christian, and too Christian in their behaviors to be Jewish, Basil, Gregory, and Gregory deployed anti-Judaizing rhetoric to argue that Eunomians were significantly inferior to both true Christians and Jews. The Cappadocians’ strategic comparisons with Jews and Judaism rhetorically distanced their Eunomian opponents from Christianity and thus strengthened the Cappadocians’ own claims to represent Christian orthodoxy.

Hagiography and the Reconstruction of Local Religion in Late Antique Egypt: Memories, Inventions, and Landscapes

2006 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Frankfurter
Keyword(s):  
Religious Practices ◽  
Late Antique ◽  
Traditional Religion ◽  
Historical Evidence ◽  
Historical Interpretation ◽  
Local Religion ◽  
Mediterranean World ◽  
Historical Authenticity

AbstractScholars interested in the continuing vitality or decline of traditional religion in the late antique Mediterranean world often find themselves dependent on hagiographical texts, which inevitably depict traditional heathenism as a foil to their Christian heroes and thus cannot be used as simple documentation for historical realia. This paper proposes ways of drawing historical evidence for real, continuing local religion from hagiographical texts from late antique Egypt. After a discussion of the specific ways in which hagiography imposes literary and biblical themes on its representation of traditional religious practices, two points of authentic memory are presented: topographical traditions and traditions about expressive gesture. In contrast, the hagiographical image of the Egyptian priest, for example, carries little historical authenticity. A concluding section of the paper defends and outlines the use of anthropological models for the historical interpretation of hagiography.

Rome, the Arabs, and Iconoclasm

2021 ◽  
pp. 135-149
Author(s):  
Edward J. Watts
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Middle East ◽  
North Africa ◽  
Eighth Century ◽  
Seventh Century ◽  
Religious Practices ◽  
Christian Worship ◽  
Iconoclastic Controversy

By the early seventh century a combination of Persian invasions and, ultimately, Arab conquests removed the Roman Empire from the Middle East and North Africa. Although the emperor Heraclius sparked a brief but dramatic Roman resurgence in the early 630s, these traumatic losses pushed Romans to reintroduce the rhetoric of decline and renewal. Instead of focusing on the traditional, pagan Roman past as Romans had done in earlier centuries, their seventh- and eighth-century counterparts thought about how the empire’s Christian religious practices had fallen away from the ideals that had once made Rome a powerful Christian empire. One result was the Iconoclastic controversy, an argument between Romans who embraced the role of icons in Christian worship and others who wanted to suppress their use. Both sides claimed that the religious practices for which their opponents advocated had broken with the traditions that had once made the empire strong.

scholarly journals THE ERA OF THE MARTYRS IN THE HISTORICAL MEMORY OF THE SYRIAN CHRISTIANS (LATE IV – FIRST HALF OF THE V CENTURY)

2020 ◽  
pp. 119-128
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Religious Identity ◽  
Historical Memory ◽  
Regional Identity ◽  
Christian Community ◽  
Economic Problems ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Warring States ◽  
Hard Times

This research is aimed at studying the nature of Christian Syrians’ historical memory about the era of the martyrs on the Syrian territory for the period between the end of the IV century and the first half of the V century. That was the time when Christianity was developing as the state religion in the Roman Empire. We tried to figure out how the historical memory of the martyrs reflects the peculiarities of the cultural identity of the Syrians and their attitude to representatives of other ethnic groups. It is the first analysis of Syrians’ historical memory about the era of the martyrs. It is also a systematic review of the main social and ideological functions that were inherent in Syrians’ historical memory about the era of the martyrs (for the period between the late IV century and the first half of the V century). The research resulted in several conclusions about the specificities of the Syrian identity of the designated period. The Christian – Pagan polemic in Syria, in its turn, was considered through the prism of historical memory. Conclusions. The era of early Christian martyrs in Syrian historical memory performed the whole set of cultural, social and ideological functions. The historical memory of the martyrs was an important part of the religious identity of the Syrians who lived on the territory of two warring states, namely Persia and Rome. Representatives of the Syrian church of the designated period emphasized that their church received a significant boost thanks to many martyrs, which became a serious argument in theological disputes and helped to strengthen the regional identity the Antioch school of theology representatives. This school, in its turn, was going through hard times in the 30–40s of V century because of accusations of heresy. The historical memory of the era of the martyrs reflects the issues of the polemic of Christians with their gradually dying paganism (these issues are relevant for the designated period). The texts which constitute a reception of the era of the martyrs often reflect certain socio-economic problems and ethnic contradictions. For instance, Jews are accused of persecuting Christian Syrians in Persia. They say that the Persian ruler increased taxes for Christian Syrians during their persecution. Legends about persecutions in Persia are trying to explain the non-religious causes of persecution and (implicitly) to create some model of behavior that would allow to avoid similar problems for the Christian community in the future.

scholarly journals Anubis in the “Isiac Family” in the Hellenistic and Roman World

2018 ◽  
Vol 58 (1-4) ◽  
pp. 529-548
Author(s):  
Giulia Sfameni Gasparro
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Religious Identity ◽  
Historical Analysis ◽  
Roman World ◽  
Hellenistic World ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Religious Meaning ◽  
Roman Age

Summary The aim of this paper is to investigate the role of Anubis as a member of the “Isiac Family” (Isis–Osiris/Sarapis–Horus/Harpokrates–Anubis) during the Hellenistic and Roman age. A new religious-historical analysis allows us to detect more or less profound changes of Anubis' ancient religious meaning due to the transfer from Egypt to Greece and Rome. The spread of this cult from its motherland to the Hellenistic world and subsequently to the Roman Empire caused, as well, the creation of its new religious identity.

Lamps

2019 ◽  
pp. 312-332
Author(s):  
Maria Parani
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Religious Identity ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Religious Images ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Christian Communities

Lamps with Christian imagery are among the earliest and most easily identifiable material witnesses to early Christian communities in the Roman Empire, but lamps employed by Christians were not confined to those adorned with religious images and symbols. This chapter presents an overview of the types of clay, metal, and glass lamps owned and used by Christians and discusses their functions in daily, funerary, ecclesiastical, and other ritual contexts. Continuities with and departures from earlier Roman practices are highlighted, while the emergence of a specifically Christian decorative repertory is associated both with the wish of early Christians to express their distinct religious identity in material terms and with the gradual elaboration of a Christian symbolism of light. The need for more focused, contextualized studies of lamps within the framework of Christian archaeology remains a desideratum for future research.

Ming Princes and Daoist Ritual

T oung Pao ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 95 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Wang
Keyword(s):  
Religious Identity ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Local Religion ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThis essay explores the relationship between the patronage of Ming princes and local Daoism, focusing on ritual. While the role of Ming princes in local religion is an under-appreciated subject, this essay demonstrates that their support is crucial to our understanding of Daoism during that period. The efforts of princes made local Daoist ritual visible. In fact, they occupied an important role in propagating Daoism as an element of cultural and religious identity. Moreover, by different approaches to Daoist ritual, the Ming princes represented the various religious and social needs of lay patrons in the local community. Cet article explore la relation entre le patronage des princes Ming et le taoïsme local, en s'attachant plus particulièrement au rituel. Alors qu'on tend à sous-estimer le rôle des princes Ming dans le domaine des religions locales, l'article montre que prendre en compte leur soutien est décisif pour notre compréhension du taoïsme pendant cette période. Les efforts des princes ont rendu visible les rituels taoïstes au niveau local. Ils ont en fait joué un rôle important dans la propagation du taoïsme comme élément d'identité culturelle et religieuse. En outre, par leurs approches différentes du rituel taoïste les princes Ming étaient représentatifs de la variété des demandes religieuses et sociales des laïques au sein de la communauté locale.

Paul's Uncommon Declaration in Romans 1:18–32 and Its Problematic Legacy for Pagan and Christian Relations

1999 ◽  
Vol 92 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathy L. Gaca
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Fourth Century ◽  
Religious Practices ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Historical Factors ◽  
Christian Leaders

By the late fourth century, prominent Christian leaders no longer remained content to advocate religious separatism from their polytheistic social environment. Instead they started making more strenuous efforts in law and in the streets to prohibit Greek and other pagan religious practices in the Roman Empire. This change in policy and practice was the outcome of historical factors that need better explanation than that of the unavoidable destiny of Christianity. One important aspect of this change, I argue here, is a problematic innovation in the tradition of Hellenistic Jewish and early Christian polemic against polytheism. The innovation derives from Paul's letter to the Ro-mans and develops through patristic endorsements of Paul's argument. In Rom 1:18–32 Paul fully reworks the Hellenistic Jewish polemical tradition, even though his argument is not yet recognized today as the distinctive proclamation that it is. Nonetheless, the polemic he wages in Rom 1:18–32 is anomalous in the tradition before, during, and for a century after he lived.

scholarly journals Subversive Faith and Competition in Patronage: A Note on ΠίΣΤΙΣ in Mark

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter-Ben Smit
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Gospel Of Mark ◽  
Human Relations ◽  
General Picture ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Roman World ◽  
Greco Roman ◽  
The People ◽  
Christian Discourse

Abstract In her influential monograph Roman Faith and Christian Faith: Pistis and Fides in the Early Roman Empire and Early Churches, Theresa Morgan has convincingly shown how closely the early Christian discourse on ‘faith’ was bound up with similar notions in the broader Greco-Roman world, particularly in relation to the system of patronage, with both humans and deities fulfilling the role of (trustworthy and trusted) patrons. Thus, she has shifted attention from πίστις/fides as a primarily ‘theological’ notion to an interpretation along more ‘social’ lines and situated it in realm of human and divine/human relations. She also analyses this in relation to the Gospel of Mark, showing how Mark also fits this general picture. This note builds on Morgan’s work and will further develop one aspect of Mark’s use of the language (and concept) of patronage and πίστις. This is its subversive character, which is present to a lesser extent in Morgan's work; by calling for πίστις directed to him on the part of the people that he encounters, Jesus also draws these people away from other allegiances and ‘πίστις commitments’, that is, intersubjective relationships based on trust and leading to personal allegiance.

“Religion Teaches Peace and Harmony”

Exchange ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 334-360
Author(s):  
Kor Grit
Keyword(s):  
Religious Identity ◽  
Interreligious Dialogue ◽  
Religious Conflict ◽  
Study Centre ◽  
Role Of Religion

Abstract As an organization working in a context that seems increasingly Islamized and marked by religious conflict, the Christian Study Centre (CSC) in Rawalpindi has tasked itself with facilitating “interfaith harmony” and “co-existence” between Christians and Muslims. The organization has a large and diverse network of Christian, Muslim and non-affiliated partner organizations, groups and actors, who participate in CSC’s interreligious dialogue activities. These participants differ from CSC in their perceptions about the role of religion in society at large and in facilitating interreligious coexistence in particular. As a result, the participants bring a variety of, sometimes opposing, expectations and attitudes to the interreligious dialogue encounter. In order to facilitate harmony and peace in its dialogue activities CSC carefully navigates the communication about religious identity between Christians and Muslims. This article will explore the strategies employed by CSC to navigate communication about religious identity in interreligious dialogue.

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