Rhetoric And Religious Identity In Late Antiquity

Author : Richard Flower
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0192542656
Total Pages : 304 pages
Book Rating : 4.56/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Rhetoric and Religious Identity in Late Antiquity written by Richard Flower and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2020-08-31 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The topic of religious identity in late antiquity is highly contentious. How did individuals and groups come to ascribe identities based on what would now be known as 'religion', categorizing themselves and others with regard to Judaism, Manichaeism, traditional Greek and Roman practices, and numerous competing conceptions of Christianity? How and why did examples of self-identification become established, activated, or transformed in response to circumstances? To what extent do labels (whether ancient and modern) for religious categories reflect a sense of a unified and enduring social or group identity for those included within them? How does religious identity relate to other forms of ancient identity politics (for example, ethnic discourse concerning 'barbarians')? Rhetoric and Religious Identity in Late Antiquity responds to the recent upsurge of interest in this issue by developing interdisciplinary research between classics, ancient and medieval history, philosophy, religion, patristics, and Byzantine studies, expanding the range of evidence standardly used to explore these questions. In exploring the malleability and potential overlapping of religious identities in late antiquity, as well as their variable expressions in response to different public and private contexts, it challenges some prominent scholarly paradigms. In particular, rhetoric and religious identity are here brought together and simultaneously interrogated to provide mutual illumination: in what way does a better understanding of rhetoric (its rules, forms, practices) enrich our understanding of the expression of late-antique religious identity? How does an understanding of how religious identity was ascribed, constructed, and contested provide us with a new perspective on rhetoric at work in late antiquity?

Author : Richard Valantasis
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691188165
Total Pages : 528 pages
Book Rating : 4.64/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Religions of Late Antiquity in Practice written by Richard Valantasis and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2018-06-05 with total page 528 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is an unprecedented collection of nearly seventy Late Antique primary religious texts. These texts--all in new English translation and many appearing in English for the first time--represent every major religious current from the late first century until the rise of Islam. Produced through the efforts of thirty-six leading scholars in the field, they constitute a comprehensive view of religious practice in Late Antiquity. Religious life and performance during this period comprised diverse, often unusual practices. Philosophical ascent, magic, legal pronouncement, hymnography, dietary and sexual restriction, and rhetoric were all part of this deeply fascinating world. Religious and political identity often intertwined, as reflected in the Roman persecution of Christians. And a fluid boundary between religion and superstition was contested in daily life. Many practices, including ascetic training, crossed religious boundaries. Others, such as "incubation" at specific temples and certain divination rites, were distinctive practices of individual groups and orders. Intrinsically interesting, the practice of religion in the Late Antique also edifies modern-day religious life. As this volume shows, the origins of the contemporary Western religious terrain can be gleaned in this period. Rabbinic Judaism flourished and spread. Christianity developed still-important theological categories and structures. And even movements that did not survive intact--such as Neoplatonism and the once-powerful Manichaean churches--continue to influence religion today. This rich sourcebook includes discussions of asceticism, religious organization, ritual, martyrdom, religion's social implications, law, and theology. Its unique emphasis on practice and its inclusion of texts translated from lesser-known languages advance the study of religious history in several directions. A strong interdisciplinary orientation will reward scholars and students of religion, theology, gender studies, classical literatures, and history. Each text is accompanied by an introduction and a bibliography for further reading and research, making the book appropriate for use in any university or seminary classroom.

Author : Jeremy M. Schott
Publisher : University of Pennsylvania Press
ISBN 13 : 0812203461
Total Pages : 264 pages
Book Rating : 4.62/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Christianity, Empire, and the Making of Religion in Late Antiquity written by Jeremy M. Schott and published by University of Pennsylvania Press. This book was released on 2013-04-23 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Christianity, Empire, and the Making of Religion in Late Antiquity, Jeremy M. Schott examines the ways in which conflicts between Christian and pagan intellectuals over religious, ethnic, and cultural identity contributed to the transformation of Roman imperial rhetoric and ideology in the early fourth century C.E. During this turbulent period, which began with Diocletian's persecution of the Christians and ended with Constantine's assumption of sole rule and the consolidation of a new Christian empire, Christian apologists and anti-Christian polemicists launched a number of literary salvos in a battle for the minds and souls of the empire. Schott focuses on the works of the Platonist philosopher and anti- Christian polemicist Porphyry of Tyre and his Christian respondents: the Latin rhetorician Lactantius, Eusebius, bishop of Caesarea, and the emperor Constantine. Previous scholarship has tended to narrate the Christianization of the empire in terms of a new religion's penetration and conquest of classical culture and society. The present work, in contrast, seeks to suspend the static, essentializing conceptualizations of religious identity that lie behind many studies of social and political change in late antiquity in order to investigate the processes through which Christian and pagan identities were constructed. Drawing on the insights of postcolonial discourse analysis, Schott argues that the production of Christian identity and, in turn, the construction of a Christian imperial discourse were intimately and inseparably linked to the broader politics of Roman imperialism.

Author : Sophia Papaioannou
Publisher : Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN 13 : 3110699621
Total Pages : 304 pages
Book Rating : 4.23/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Rhetoric and Religion in Ancient Greece and Rome written by Sophia Papaioannou and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2021-10-25 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is perhaps a truism to note that ancient religion and rhetoric were closely intertwined in Greek and Roman antiquity. Religion is embedded in socio-political, legal and cultural institutions and structures, while also being influenced, or even determined, by them. Rhetoric is used to address the divine, to invoke the gods, to talk about the sacred, to express piety and to articulate, refer to, recite or explain the meaning of hymns, oaths, prayers, oracles and other religious matters and processes. The 13 contributions to this volume explore themes and topics that most succinctly describe the firm interrelation between religion and rhetoric mostly in, but not exclusively focused on, Greek and Roman antiquity, offering new, interdisciplinary insights into a great variety of aspects, from identity construction and performance to legal/political practices and a broad analytical approach to transcultural ritualistic customs. The volume also offers perceptive insights into oriental (i.e. Egyptian magic) texts and Christian literature.

Author : Elizabeth DePalma Digeser
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 085771919X
Total Pages : 304 pages
Book Rating : 4.95/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book The Rhetoric of Power in Late Antiquity written by Elizabeth DePalma Digeser and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2010-10-30 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Late Antiquity, the period of transition from the crisis of Roman Empire in the third century to the Middle Ages, has traditionally been considered only in terms of the 'decline' from classical standards. Recent classical scholarship strives to consider this period on its own terms. Taking the reign of Constantine the Great as its starting point, this book examines the unique intersection of rhetoric, religion and politics in Late Antiquity. Expert scholars come together to examine ancient rhetorical texts to explore the ways in which late antique authors drew upon classical traditions, presenting Roman and post-Roman religious and political institutions in order to establish a desired image of a 'new era'. This book provides new insights into how the post-Roman Germanic West, Byzantine East and Muslim South appropriated and transformed the political, intellectual and cultural legacy inherited from the late Roman Empire and its borderlands.

Author : Alberto J. Quiroga Puertas
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317035011
Total Pages : 172 pages
Book Rating : 4.15/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book The Dynamics of Rhetorical Performances in Late Antiquity written by Alberto J. Quiroga Puertas and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-10-09 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book argues that narrations of rhetorical performances in late antique literature can be interpreted as a reflection of the ongoing debates of the time. Competition among cultural elites, strategies of self-presentation and the making of religious orthodoxy often took the shape of narrations of rhetorical performances in which comments on the display of oratorical skills also incorporated moral and ethical judgments about the performer. Using texts from late antique authors (in particular, Themistius, Synesius of Cyrene, and Libanius of Antioch), this book proposes that this type of narrative should be understood as a valuable way to decipher the cultural and religious landscape of the fourth century AD. The volume pays particular attention to narrations of deficient rhetorical deliveries, arguing that the accounts of flaws and mistakes in oratorical displays and rhetorical performances reveal how late antique literature echoed the concerns of the time. Criticisms of deficient deliveries in different speaking occasions (declamations, public speeches, oratorical agones, school exercises, sermons) were often disguised as accusations of practising magic, heresy or cultural apostasy. A close reading of the sources shows that these oratorical deficiencies hid struggles over religious, cultural and political issues.

Author : Maijastina Kahlos
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0190067276
Total Pages : 464 pages
Book Rating : 4.74/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Religious Dissent in Late Antiquity, 350-450 written by Maijastina Kahlos and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2019-11-13 with total page 464 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Religious Dissent in Late Antiquity reconsiders the religious history of the late Roman Empire, focusing on the shifting position of dissenting religious groups - conventionally called 'pagans' and 'heretics'. The period from the mid-fourth century until the mid-fifth century CE witnessed a significant transformation of late Roman society and a gradual shift from the world of polytheistic religions into the Christian Empire. This book challenges the many straightforward melodramatic narratives of the Christianisation of the Roman Empire, still prevalent both in academic research and in popular non-fiction works. Religious Dissent in Late Antiquity demonstrates that the narrative is much more nuanced than the simple Christian triumph over the classical world. It looks at everyday life, economic aspects, day-to-day practices, and conflicts of interest in the relations of religious groups. Religious Dissent in Late Antiquity addresses two aspects: rhetoric and realities, and consequently, delves into the interplay between the manifest ideologies and daily life found in late antique sources. It is a detailed analysis of selected themes and a close reading of selected texts, tracing key elements and developments in the treatment of dissident religious groups. The book focuses on specific themes, such as the limits of imperial legislation and ecclesiastical control, the end of sacrifices, and the label of magic. Religious Dissent in Late Antiquity examines the ways in which dissident religious groups were construed as religious outsiders, but also explores local rituals and beliefs in late Roman society as creative applications and expressions of the infinite range of human inventiveness.

Author : Willi Braun
Publisher : Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press
ISBN 13 : 0889209138
Total Pages : 275 pages
Book Rating : 4.38/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Rhetoric and Reality in Early Christianities written by Willi Braun and published by Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press. This book was released on 2006-01-01 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the most pressing issues for scholars of religion concerns the role of persuasion in early Christianities and other religions in Greco-Roman antiquity. The essays in Rhetoric and Reality in Early Christianities explore questions about persuasion and its relationship to early Christianities. The contributors theorize about persuasion as the effect of verbal performances, such as argumentation in accordance with rules of rhetoric, or as a result of other types of performance: ritual, behavioural, or imagistic. They discuss the relationship between the verbal performance of rhetoric and other performative modes in generating, sustaining, and transmitting a persuasive form of religiosity. The essays in this book cover a wide chronological range (from the first century to late antiquity) and diverse topical examples contribute to the collection’s thematic centre: the relations among formalized and technical verbal performances (rhetoric, texts) and other forms of persuasive performances (ritual, practices), the social agendas that early Christians pursued by means of verbal, rhetorical performances, and the larger social context in which Christians and other religious groups competitively jockeyed to attract the minds and bodies of audiences in the Greco-Roman world.

Author : Elizabeth DePalma Digeser
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 0755605578
Total Pages : 303 pages
Book Rating : 4.76/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book The Rhetoric of Power in Late Antiquity written by Elizabeth DePalma Digeser and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2018-10-18 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Late Antiquity, the period of transition from the crisis of Roman Empire in the third century to the Middle Ages, has traditionally been considered only in terms of the 'decline' from classical standards. Recent classical scholarship strives to consider this period on its own terms. Taking the reign of Constantine the Great as its starting point, this book examines the unique intersection of rhetoric, religion and politics in Late Antiquity. Expert scholars come together to examine ancient rhetorical texts to explore the ways in which late antique authors drew upon classical traditions, presenting Roman and post-Roman religious and political institutions in order to establish a desired image of a 'new era'. This book provides new insights into how the post-Roman Germanic West, Byzantine East and Muslim South appropriated and transformed the political, intellectual and cultural legacy inherited from the late Roman Empire and its borderlands.

Author : Alberto J. Quiroga Puertas
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9783161522697
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.99/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book The Purpose of Rhetoric in Late Antiquity written by Alberto J. Quiroga Puertas and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this volume Alberto J. Quiroga Puertas brings together twelve essays that deal with the role and importance of rhetoric in theology, literature and politics in Late Antiquity, more specifically in the fourth century CE. The point of departure of this book is the assumption that religious, cultural and political issues of that period were fought in the rhetorical arena. Thus aspects related to religious orthodoxy and the condemnation of heresies, to spiritual advancement, to the composition of a literary work, or to the ideological objectives of the rhetorical education in Late Antiquity are discussed in this volume. Authors such as Themistius, Libanius, Augustine, Evagrius, Firmicus, or the emperor Julian deployed in their works rhetorical devices and strategies in order to strengthen their arguments. The protean nature of rhetoric facilitated its use as a hermeneutical, persuasive and exegetical tool. Contributors: Nicholas Baker-Brian, Lieve Van Hoof, David Konstan, Manfred Kraus, Josef Lossl, Guadalupe Lopetegui, Laura Miguelez, Peter Van Nuffelen, Robert Penella, Aglae Pizzone, Alberto J. Quiroga Puertas, Ilaria Ramelli, Philip Rousseau, John Watt