Early Christian and Jewish Narrative

Zusatztext

The authors of this volume elucidate the remarkable role played by religion in the shaping and reshaping of narrative forms in antiquity and late antiquity in a variety of ways. This is particularly evident in ancient Jewish and Christian narrative, which is in the focus of most of the contributions, but also in some "pagan" novels such as that of Heliodorus, which is dealt with as well in the third part of the volume, both in an illuminating comparison with Christian novels and in an inspiring rethinking of Heliodorus's relation to Neoplatonism. All of these essays, from different perspectives, illuminate the interplay between narrative and religion, and show how religious concerns and agendas shaped narrative forms in Judaism and early Christianity. A series of compelling and innovative articles, all based on fresh and often groundbreaking research by eminent specialists, is divided into three large sections: part one deals with ancient Jewish narrative, and part two with ancient Christian narrative, in particular gospels, acts, biographies, and martyrdoms, while part three offers a comparison with "pagan" narrative, and especially the religious novel of Heliodorus, both in terms of social perspectives and in terms of philosophical and religious agendas. Like the essays collected by Marília Futre Pinheiro, Judith Perkins, and Richard Pervo in 2013, which investigate the core role played by narratives in Christian and Jewish self-fashioning in the Roman Empire, the present volume fruitfully bridges the disciplinary gap between classical studies and ancient Jewish and Christian studies, offers new insights, and hopefully opens up new paths of inquiry.

Autorenportrait

Ilaria L. E. Ramelli (Herausgegeben von) Born 1973; earned two MAs, a PhD, a postdoc, and two Habilitations to Full Professor (History of Philosophy and Ancient Greek); Full Professor of Theology and Endowed Chair (Angelicum); Senior Visiting Professor of Greek Thought (Harvard); Senior Fellow/Member (Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, Princeton); Honorary Professor of Theology (Durham, KUL), of Philosophy (Stanford); Humboldt Forschungspreis awardee (Erfurt MWK, Bonn), and the Director of International Research Projects. Judith Perkins (Herausgegeben von) Born 1944; MA, PhD, University of Toronto; Professor Emeritus of Classics and Humanities, University of Saint Joseph.

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