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This paper provides a survey of the presence of female figures in some Byzantine visions of the other world. In describing the torments of sinners in hell, these tales present several women being punished for their sexual misconduct. The same attitude can be observed in the Life of St Basil the Younger (10th century), where even a woman ultimately destined to heaven is shown guilty of sexual misdemeanors. The anonymous authors of these works (be they male or female) apparently share the mysoginist prejudices commonly found in Byzantine literature, where women are often depicted as naturally lecherous and lascivious temptresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the main aspects of empress Eudocia's (400-460 CE) life and literary production, focusing especially on her formation and cultural program. After receiving a traditional classical education, probably related also to some pagan sympathies of her father, Eudocia became Christian and married the emperor Theodosius ii. For all her life, in Constantinople and later in Jerusalem, she had an engaged literary activity, producing epic panegyrics, verse paraphrase of the Optateuch, an hagiographic poem on Cyprian of Antioch, and she was involved in the project of the Homerocentones, a patchwork of Homeric lines rewriting the NT. Especially the poem on saint Cyprian, a verse paraphrase of a hagiographical dossier (known by Greek, Latin, Coptic, and Ethiopian versions), raises many interesting questions from the literary and religious point of view. Nevertheless it remains one of the most undervalued product of Late antique literature, despite some excellent recent studies. I argue that the S. Cyprian was an attempt to demystify secular wisdom and transforming in Christian sense the language of the epic tradition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The feminine universe in the ancient Near East is a research topic that has been widely debated at least since the 1960s and that has seen an acceleration in Italy thanks in part to the important data from Mature Early Syrian Ebla, from the texts of the Royal Archives and the production of female sculptures made with different materials, distinctive works in the known documentation of the 3rd millennium BC. This paper aims to offer some considerations on female figures and their roles, in both the divine and human spheres, on the basis of data from the visual documentation and the textual sources. It seems clear that women achieved various levels of visibility depending on their rank and/or role, and that in some cases they stood out for their remarkable power in the sphere of cult or the political management of the kingdom. Here we will focus instead on those female subjects of "second rank" who may provide clues of help in outlining the social hierarchy in the archaic cultures of Mesopotamia and Syria. Among the data that have emerged we can note that among the multitude of anonymous women, prisoners of war, there is an improvement in status for those skilled at writing, who achieved the rank of scribe within the temple apparatus and the families who owned them. The female workforce seems to have had specific skills already in the 3rd millennium BC and represented an important resource for the state economy. One specific category that still requires full definition in the social hierarchy are wet nurses, not all of whom are anonymous, who enjoyed privileged status and a degree of power in the elite class, also indicated by their ownership of seals with their names on them and the display of their image on royal seals. The famous inscribed Akkadian seal of the wet-nurse Takunai, in the retinue of her mistress in a classic presentation scene, raises the question of whether and in how many other similar scenes on seals, the women - albeit anonymous - were such devoted servants of high ranking women. Similarly, attention is devoted to that flock of "minor figures" of women who are unknown but still part of the social hierarchy, crowded onto reliefs, seal impressions and inlaid panels. They are increasingly present in the visual communication at the time of the city-states, alongside the images of wealthy women in the statuary deposed in the city temples. A significant feature in the social hierarchy of archaic Near-Eastern cultures as concerns women, already noted some time ago thanks to an analysis of the sources, is that their basic roles are generally defined by a family relationship with a prominent male, through which the identity of female subjects becomes recognizable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper tackles the issue of demographic change during the Neolithic period. The common belief that a move from a hunter-gatherer to an agricultural society automatically brings to an increase in population is tested on specific case studies in Central and Eastern Anatolia. Isotopic analyses from human bones of women and infants from three different Neolithic sites are considered with the aim of comparing weaning age as an indirect marker of fertility: a late weaning is taken to suggest greater distance between births, whilst early weaning would imply higher fertility. Through this comparison it appears that the change to a domestic economy (agriculture and pastoralism) on its own cannot be advocated as the sole reason for demographic increase. Sedentarisation and mobility, as well as social organisation and beliefs, are probably major motors of fertility rates. It is furthermore pointed out that social behaviour regulating women's fertility rates does not appear to depend upon the single women's and babies' health and survivorship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the many attempts by various scholars to identify the speaker in what is known as the Self-Glorification Hymn from the Qumran corpus (4Q471b, 4Q491, 4Q427, and 1QH XXV-XXVI). After reviewing the difficulties posed by the various theories, it offers the possibility of understanding the Self-Glorification Hymn as a "Hymn of Enoch" not originating in Qumran. The paper raises the possibility of this hymn constituting a form of creative literary meditation - a poetic excursus reflecting traditions within ancient Judaism similar to those later appearing in the Book of Parables (which was eventually incorporated into 1 Enoch) - rather than representing the mystic expressions of an actual historical figure or Qumran author. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers together two scholarly controversies that have hitherto been considered separately, and suggests a crossover point. The first concerns the 364-day calendar whose pattern resonates throughout the Dead Sea Scrolls, and whose pre-Qumranic origins have been debated since the 1950's. The second concerns the origin of the perpetual seventhday Sabbath observance (which I will refer to as the "weekly Sabbath"), a debate which dates back to the nineteenth century. The paper proposes that a 364-day calendar similar to those best known from the Qumran Mishmarot texts was put into use in the Jerusalem Temple during the Persian Period, quite possibly as part of the sabbatarian reforms implemented by Nehemiah, and that this was key to the successful institutionalization of the weekly Sabbath. It may even be the case that the 364-day year was a catalyst for the conception of the perpetual weekly Sabbath, rather than vice-versa as is almost universally assumed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper tries to shed light on some moments of the byzantine tradition of Origen. Particular attention is paid to the transmission of the Commentary on Matthew: the codex Marc. Gr. 43 is shown to have been copied in Mystras for the emperor John VI Cantacuzenus, who took inspiration from the Commentary for his theological treaties, as proved by a reading note here transcribed. The following owner of the manuscript was Bessarion, who plaved a fundamental role in the circulation of Origen's writings and expressed great admiration for the heretic theologian of Alexandria. From a strictly philological point of view, Marc. Gr. 43 is demonstrated to be not a simple copy of Monac. Gr. 191 but to be the result of a probable contamination and to contain conjectures by the scribe himself. It is finally argued that the división between books X and XI of the Commentary on Matthew originated in the Marc. Gr. 43 and can't consequently be considered original. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hagiographical work narrating the legendary baptism of the emperor Constantine by the hand of the Roman bishop Sylvester is known in Syriac in two different versions: the first one, inserted in the Syriac Epitome of the Ecclesiastical History by Zachariah of Metilene (the so-called Pseudo-Zachariah); the second one, a still unpublished version, preserved, together with many other hagiographical tales, in a 12th century manuscript (BL Add 12 174, dated 1197). The unpublished witness of the Syriac Actus Silvestri reveals some interesting differences from Pseudo- Zachariah's version. These differences allow us to consider them as two independent witnesses of the hagiographical work, the BL Add 12 174 text showing, even in its shortness (the long final part of the narration is missing), a greater faithfulness to the supposed Latin original (as well as to the Greek redaction of the text). This paper aims to offer the text and the translation of this second Syriac version of the Actus Silvestri, providing them with a short general introduction to the Syriac tradition relating the story of Sylvester and Constantine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contribution offers the edition of the Ethiopic and Latin versions of a partially inedited text of ecclesiastical history, originally composed in Greek probably at the end of the fourth century AD. The text, to be distinguished from both the Coptic History of the Church and the Arabic History of the Patriarchs, testifies to a particularly ancient phase of the Patriarchate of Alexandria between the second and fourth centuries AD. The Ethiopic version, unknown until now, is preserved within a codex (siglum Σ) containing a canonical-liturgical collection composed of translations which appear to belong to the Aksumite period (fourth-seventh centuries AD). The manuscript dates from the thirtenth century at the latest, probably earlier. The Latin version has already been known since the times of Scipione Maffei thanks to an old Latin uncial codex of the Biblioteca Capitolare in Verona (seventh-eighth century, Codex Vero-nensis LX [58], siglum V), the two tomes of which contain documents concerning the Church of Africa and a very rich and varied canonical collection, published more than once in the last two centuries. This history, which has been given the title of Historia Episcopatus Alexandriae (siglum HEpA), has been the subject of a long-term research by the authors of this contribution, presented in several papers, notes and articles since 2000. The present edition is at the same time an editio princeps and an editio minor because the Ethiopic and Latin texts are accompanied by critical apparatuses but not the linguistic, literary and historical commentaries which are under their final editing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Ecclesiastical history Eusebius tells about some Christian women who died in order to preserve both their faith and their chastity. When translating these passages, Rufinus puts emphasis on the choice of continence or virginity made by the martyrs, who faced death or committed suicide just to avoid sexual and moral corruption (eg. Potamiena, the women in Antioch, Dorothea, Sophronia). This paper aims at comparing Eusebius' and Rufinus' accounts and at showing how the translator, who is evidently influenced by the monastic way of life which is spreading at his time, changes the original text in the light of the ascetic model that he wants to suggest to his readers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines Origen's doctrine of the soul, with the main aim to show its continuity with the relationship between soul and spirit as established and developed by the school of Valentinus, and more specifically by Gospel of Truth 34,20-34. By means of an in-depth analysis of the philosophical background implied by such a theologoumenon with special reference to Platonic and Stoic interpretations, this paper attempts to trace anew the historically complex connection between the notions of 'cold' and 'soul', and 'hot' and 'spirit'. As a result, the Valentinian doctrine of the cooled soul is identified as the prime source for Origen's doctrine as described in Prin II 8. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims at pointing out the great importance of 'analogy' in Origen's works. As a matter of fact, analogy is very often used - both in the commentaries and in the homilies - to link together biblical texts of the Old and the New Testament; so, it provides an extraordinary tool, whose sources would quite possibly be identified with contemporary Hellenistic-Roman as well as Jewish exegesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent research, the evolution and the very existence of a religious dialogue in Late Antiquity and in ancient Christianity have been questioned. While most studies focus on Christian literature, the aim of this paper is to investigate the role of the dialogue with Christians in Celsus' True Discourse, the first anti-Christian treatise of Antiquity. This article argues that although claiming to be willing to discuss with his adversaries, Celsus suggests that such an exchange is impossible because of the irrationality and the inconsistency of the Christian faith. Thus dialogue becomes a polemical argument against Christianity, and the True Discourse is presented as a failed attempt to engage with Christians. Furthermore, the study of Celsus' prosopopoeia (in which a Jew inveighs against Jesus and criticizes the Judeo-Christians) shows that, despite the dialogical form of its probable sources of inspiration, this section of the True Discourse is actually a monologue. By means of such a prosopopoeia, Celsus tries to show that, like the Christians of his time, Jesus and his first followers were unable to defend themselves against criticism. By the end of this study, it should have hopefully become clear that the negative portrayal of the dialogue with Christians plays a key role in the polemical strategy of the True Discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the use of the imperfect tense, the aorist tense and the perfect tense in some passages of Origen's Commentary on John. A few texts (CIo VI 60-61; X 186.271.288; XIII 30.37) prolongate investigation. It is neither an analysis of the theory of time nor of the theory of language but of the phrasing and its movement. The past tense and its modulation represent the place where Scripture per se and Origen's scripture became one and the same. But it is also a medium of difference, an expression of other and new relations between tenses and a place beyond (τόπος ὑπέρ). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1990, following the research of James Robinson, the idea that the so-called 'Dishna papers' (P. Bodmer and other manuscripts considered to have the same origin ) are the remains of a Pachomian library was not really questioned. Yet the question of the production of these books (by whom, under which circumstances, to what purpose) should be studied more closely. The few reflections presented here aim to do so for the Coptic manuscripts in successively examining their dialectal features, the textual features of the books and the texts they contain, and the selection principles of these texts in composite manuscripts. All these features are in fact consistent with school or scholar milieus and invite to rethink the forms of intellectual activity at that time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the different scripts used in the Bodmer papyri and especially the manuscripts copied by different hands, to understand the nature of this set of papyri. The conclusion is that the different manuscripts called 'Bodmer Papyri' have different 'origins'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a general presentation of the library which is the subject of this conference and of the problems it raises: the inventory of the books it contained; their bibliological characteristics; the profile of its users; its provenance. Regarding this last point, which was the subject of much discussion, I shall present (and edit with Jean Gascou in the Annex 2) for the first time unpublished documents coming from the binding of P.Bodm. XXIII and shedding new light on the origin of this library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes a Jewish legend involving an ancient institution known as the Synagogue of Severus. Attested in the medieval exegetical treatise Bereshit rabbati, the legend alludes to a Torah scroll supposedly transferred from Jerusalem to Rome and deposited in that synagogue, later to be examined by the second-century sage Rabbi Meir, who noted the variances of its text with the proto-Masoretic text of the Pentateuch. Arguing against the likelihood of its historicity, I contend that that the Severus legend was invented to impart authority upon the text-critical project of an anonymous Masoretic scribe attuned to the cultural sensibilities of the ancient rabbis. I conclude by proposing to locate the legend's geographical correlates with reference to the remains of the synagogue of ancient Ostia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whenever referring to Jewish traditional literature in his dialogus contra iudaeos Petrus Alfonsi used the word doctrina. By avoiding any explanation of the different literary genres contained in the Talmud, like halakhic and aggadic texts, Petrus wanted his Christian readers to perceive each and every part of the Talmud as religiously authoritative. In the frame of the Christian- Jewish controversy the concepts of halakha and aggada were an issue for the first time in the so called first disputation of Paris in 1240. As the encounter was carefully planned by the Christians they also dealt with the terms talmud, halakha and aggada before the debate really happened. The paper shows the way this was done and the impact it had on the Jewish side. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the highlights of papers presented during the international conference on scholar Paul Kahle held in Turin, Italy from April 10-11, 2014. Topics mentioned include the importance and meaning of the term masora and Kahle's understanding and misunderstanding of the history of the Biblical text.

This article focuses on the so-called 'Eunomian interpolation' contained in Pseudoclementine Recognitions (= R III 2- 11). A comparative analysis of the Syriac and Latin translations of the lost Greek text will suggest that the Syriac translator (or the author of his Greek Vorlage) tampered with the interpolation, neutralizing its radically subordinationist theological agenda and bringing its contents in line with a broadly Homoiousian perspective. After assessing the ways in which scholarship has dealt with the connections between Heteroousianism ('Eunomianism') and 'Jewish Christianity' emerging in R III 2-11 and other late ancient texts, this paper will use the rich reception history of this section to suggest that fourth-century Trinitarian debates in the Syrian region are to be set against the discursive and institutional backdrop of a Christian-Jewish continuum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims at validating some hypothesis set forth by previous studies, on the ground of texts already known. In particular: 1) do the new homelies add new elements to confirm the existence of daily liturgical congregations in Caesarea? If considered singularly, the texts are not very explicit, but taken together they strengthen the hypothesis that the initiated and catechumens of Caesarea did listen to the Word daily. 2) Who listened to the sermons? As in the other homelies, it was a mixed public composed of initiated and catechumens. 3) Which and how many lectures were done in the different types of meetings? Only from H67Ps I it is possible to conjecture the use of several lectures taken from different books of the Scripture. 4) Which new elements are there to establish a relative chronology of Origen's predication? References to other exegesises on Psalms abund, but there is only one clear reference to the commentary on Hosea, which permits to fix a terminus post quem. 5) When were the homilies preached? The Greek text of Rufin's translation, that made Nautin place Origen's preaching between 238-244, is much more generic, whereas a passage from H77Ps VIII places this predication after the Against Celsus. Such evidence leads to conclude that the extant homilies on Psalms cannot be part of a single series on this biblical book. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The great importance of the newly discovered collection of Origenian Homilies on Psalms can be summarized as follows: 1) we did not held any Origen's homily (neither the Homilies on Jeremiah, nor the homilies translated to Latin by Rufinus and Jerome) containing such an amount of scholiographic material, until the discovery of Cod. Gr. 314, as results from the examples given in this paper; 2) the setting out of an exegesis 'without aberrations' confirms and extends what we know from other Origenian works containing the same topic (see e.g. Prin IV 3,1ff., about the 'obscurities' of the Bible). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contribution aims at identifying a number of philosophical elements in Origen's exegetical works, with a threefold purpose: to collect traces of Origen's scholarship, to assess a possible indexing of it, and to analyze the way in which Origen interweaves the tools of the Greek thought in the texture of the biblical commentaries. The kinship of Origen with philosophical texts is evident in several ways: a word or a set of words, an entire linguistic register; an image or a metaphor; a concept or a doctrine. The samples presented in this paper are meant to demonstrate the wealth of this material and the different functions that the quotations hold in the structure of Origen's arguments. An attempt is made to show some variables that allow a catalogue of this material: a) the function of the resumption of philosophical material -- erudite. dialectic, polemical, instrumental; b) the mode of insertion of the allusion or quote in the Origenian prose; c) the fact that the author declares the source or, on the contrary, lets the text speak in his place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on four points: 1. a brief survey of relevant works on the Catenae on Psalms (Barthélemy, Cadiou, Devreesse, Dorival, Harl, Karo-Lietzmann, Mühlenberg, Richard, Rondeau, Schenker); 2. an outline of the history of the Catenae (Procopius of Gaza and the subsequent stages of their transmission in Palestine, first, and then in Constantinople and its dependencies); 3. Origen's έρμηνείαι on Psalms and extant editions (Homilies; Commentaries on Psalms 1-25; Commentaries on Psalms 1-150; Scholia on Psalms); 4. Forthcoming new editions of the Catenae material by a team of German scholars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper takes into consideration the last great Roman-Persian war of 602-628 as an example of how the eschatological expectations are a frequent response to perceived crises. Jews and Christians welcomed the looming downfall of the Roman Empire and the takeover by the Messiah or Christ soon to follow. Imperial propaganda attempted to counter such scenarios by presenting Emperor Heraclius not simply as the defeater of a political adversary but as a redeemer king, the savior of pagans from their disbelief, the unifier of Christendom, God's chosen general and basileus, a new King David and, finally, the converter of the Jews. All these images clearly pointed to an eschatological redemption that was partly realized here and now, in the form of a glorified Christian Empire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After an introduction, which outlines the status quaestionis of the problem regarding Hieronymus' authorship of the Tractatus in psalmos, the paper focuses attention on the interpretation of the image of the tree which has fruits and leaves (Sal 1,3), by highlighting Origen's influence and the particularity of Hieronymus' exegesis. The same method of analysis is applied to the interpretation of the image of the treasure in earthen vessels (2Cor 4,7) and of the meaning of the name of Jesus. The research allows us to understand the features of Hieronymus' philology and offers further proof in favour of Hieronymus' authorship of the Tractatus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the Council of Aquileia in 381, the bishop Palladius of Ratiaria, condemned as an Arian by the Synodal bishops, asked Ambrose to organize a sort of larger arbitration on the doctrinal issues discussed in that council, since he believed that he would get a more equitable judgment than the one emitted by the superb intolerance of Ambrose, in collusion with the 'arrogance of Damasus'. He was sure that the Holy Scriptures were well known to all and that gentilitatis cultores (= gentiles antiquarii) and veteris legis studiosi (= Iuddei) were able to judge his doctrinal arguments with enough authority. Therefore he proposed their treaties de fide to be sent to the Senate of Rome and to be published by imperial order both in the Urbs, by publica recitatio, and in the churches of all the other cities, by auditorum relatione (Pall. Apol. 139). This paper does intend to verify whether the intellectual life of Late Antiquity was really so dominated by theological disputes, as Palladius of Ratiaria imagined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Syriac ascetic society was the arena of a steady stream of condemnation of the Messalians in late antiquity, which may have created a sense of religious crisis within the Eastern Church and in monastic circles specifically. In this study, which deals with the Messalian controversy in the seventh and eighth century, I suggested leaving aside the use of Messalianism as a label in Syriac monastic conflicts, as well as the question of historicity, seeking to shift instead to a discussion of the perception of Messalianism and the power of the imaginaire in the Syriac ascetic milieu. One of the main questions here is how one should approach the formal refutations and the scornful language concerning the Messalians in the long history of their galling presence in the Eastern Christian heresiological context. The first part of this paper traces how several imageries associated with the Messalian heresy, particularly those relating to contemplative prayer, functioned in shaping Syriac ascetic tradition as reflected in the writings of Babai the Great and Isaac of Nineveh. It is argued that Mesalianism in this phase was used as a pedagogical tool and a rhetorical mechanism for refining the limit of the mystical layer in Syriac ascetic society. The second part is devoted to the decisive struggle of Timothy I, the Catholicos of the Church of the East, against the mystical school of the East Syriac Church in one of its culminating moments. He used the anti-Messalian rhetoric for exercising his ecclesiastical power, aiming to control the philosophical and mystical tendencies prevailing in the Nestorian Church, and to impose his theological doctrines on his Church. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper offers a taxonomy of asceticism in the cities of Antioch and Edessa during the crucial formative stage of the monastic movement and across the crises of the fourth and fifth centuries. In Antioch, this was the era of Libanius and John Chrysostom, a time of civic and religious tumult. In Edessa, the 360s and 370s saw the arrival of Ephrem from Nisibis, the death of Julian Saba (the city's first 'monastic' saint), and the death of Ephrem himself. Then, in the early 5th century, with the advent of Rabbula as bishop in 412, Edessa offers a unique moment to see the full array of traditional and new forms of asceticism. Rabbula's regulations for ascetics - clergy, bnaylbnāt qyāmā, and monks (dayrāyē) - provide the most clearly delineated and detailed ascetic taxonomy in Syriac literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Offering the fullest yet reconstruction of Theophilus of Alexandria's liber adversus Iohannem Chrysostomum (CPG 2677), this paper proceeds to reconsider the grounds for John's deposition. It argues that John was accused of disciplinary and theological offenses, including a suggestion of origenism. The various accounts of John's trial are then situated within the context of the polemical strategies of their authors. Scholars have followed Johannite sources in stating that John was ultimately deposed because of a procedural matter (his refusal to appear in court) in a sloppy procedure, thus assuming that his detractors did not have serious arguments. Such a representation of events is, in fact, a partisan distortion of what actually happened. John's enemies tried to follow legal procedure carefully and his deposition was not based on just a technical issue: in Roman law, followed by ecclesiastical law, not appearing in court equalled a confession of guilt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

John Chrysostom's failure as bishop of Constantinople, following as it did on his successful Antiochene career, continues to puzzle scholars. Increasingly, accusations of Origenism emerge as one of the many factors that led to the bishop's down-fall, initiated at the Synod of the Oaks. But what did Origenism mean to those who accused Chrysostom? How was it defined? And, more importantly, how can we assess the attitudes of those in power, instrumental in toppling the bishop of the capital, who left no written record, namely the members of the imperial elite? This paper uses elite male fashion and display, including forms of display achieved through the public sponsoring of ascetics in and near the city, to address some of these questions. Here, the fact that John's alleged Origenism was linked, rhetorically, to Arianism and Eunomianism gains particular relevance, not least because some of the elites involved in the conflicts that led to Chrysostom's downfall, were themselves Gothic Arians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to study and define the meaning of the Anthropomorphite controversy as described in Cassian's tenth conference, where he chooses to begin this part of the book with an account of an "incident" happened in Egypt. This story is a suitable starting point for the ensuing discourse of abba Isaac on pure prayer. Because the accuracy of any historical recontruction of the Anthropomorphite controversy is compromised by the bias of the extant primary sources, the more urgent need is to put in the 'correct' order the literary evidences. According to the reconstruction of this order offered by Dmitrij Bumazhnov, even the Life of apa Aphou, generally considered the first text related to Anthropomorhism, cannot be considered crucially important for a balanced theological understading of the issues debated at the time. The logical (and theological) sequence 'simpliciores=Anthropomorphites=anti-Origenists is a weak historiographic reconstruction rooted only in the historical accounts of Sozomen and Socrates. A close examination of Cassian's tenth conference shows as this Latin author as well is quite far from this sequence and the entire dossier related to the Anthropomorphite controversy needs to be, at least, divided in two parts and the pieces need to be put in a different and new order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholarly debate about E. P. Sanders' concept "covenantal nomism" has usually implicitly assumed that the concept can only be used to analyze Judaism, particularly Second Temple Judaism. This paper tests whether the concept can be used to analyze non-Jewish texts from the Greco-Roman Culture(s) of the Roman era, and concludes that the concept is a good heuristic tool for cross-cultural comparison. Behavioral sciences are used as a heuristic aid in the analysis of the concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to be the first step toward accomplishing the program of the reconstruction of the argumentation in Origen's Contra Celsum. The first section treats some preliminary questions about the debate and about the interrelation between the logical, dialectical point of view and theory of argumentation, after which the author tries to identify and to classify the Origenian arguments. The Christian theologian sets a formal refutation against Celsus' informal criticism. Origen's charges aim at showing that his opponent's manifestations are inaccurate wordings, false factual propositions, ungrounded statements, self-contradictions and false reasoning which can be discovered only by a professional knowledge of dialectics. It cannot be affirmed that Origen wanted to refute every statement of Celsus, although the criticism of the Alexandrian master extends also to the refutation of the presuppositions or surmised presuppositions of Celsian statements and interrogations. In the course of the critics a common theoretical ground is outlined which is shared by both the Greek philosopher and the Christian theologian: the acceptance of the theistic idea [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will attempt to trace the development of the 'classic' Gnostic myth, as far as is feasible, from a comparison of the summary of the first part of it in Iren., Haer. I,29 with the four versions of it in the Apocryphon of John and the abbreviated versions of it in the Gospel of Judas and the Sophia of Jesus Christ. It will sketch the original context of the myth, arising in Syria in the early second century from the personal visions of a religious genius on a par with Valentinus and Mani, a Christian deeply influenced by his/her initiation and reacting against contemporary Judaism with its exclusiveness and appeal to a god who had failed. It will suggest that the key components of the myth include Christian ideas centring on the primal anointing of the Son and on the heavenly Adam; a Sophia myth, Jewish midrashim and speculation on Adam, and concepts from Middle Platonism and contemporary popular astrology. It will hint at the likely later development of the myth, including a process of Sethianisation in the third century, to its developed fourth- and fifth-century form in the Apocryphon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ecclesiastical History by Evagrius can be seen as an attempt to provide a memoir of monasticism and the monks: the author is interested in preserving and delivering a shared narrative and, above all, in reflecting upon the model which monks offered to his contemporaries. Amongst the monastica in Evagrius' works, a group of texts addressing all the biographical narrations of monks can be found; then, another group includes texts dealing with a 'monastic pattern' created by the author on the basis of his information; finally, several texts are about disputes in which both Syriac and, mostly, Palestinian monks are protagonists or actors. The present paper illustrates each of these three text typologies. The aim is to highlight the strategies used by Evagrius to narrate only what interests him, thus shaping monasticism and its variety of forms in a way that is consistent with his use of ecclesiastical history as a militant historian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a conference "The "Cambridge Origenists"-George Rust's Letter of Resolution Concerning Origen and the Chief of his Opinions," held at the Department for Catholic Theology, Münster University on November 12-13, 2010. As stated, conference was aimed to provide information on Origen's history, and Origenian traditions. As further stated, several papers were presented in the conference that compared Origen's Christian philosophy with philosophical modernity.

This paper tries to collect what we know about Pamphilus of Caesarea's 'school', and to evaluate its impact on the development of Eusebius' work and thought. Pamphilus' school was a circle of friends, not an institution.The few members of the school, known thanks to the Martyrs of Palestine, were very different in terms of age and condition. Pamphilus' teaching is not precisely known. Eusebius suggests that he taught theology and Scripture. He also taught morals, but probably not in a theoretic form. Even if Eusebius often introduces Pamphilus and his pupils as «philosophers», there is no reason to think that Greek philosophy was taught by Eusebius' master, though this remains possible. The general impression is that, though Pamphilus probably intended to imitate Origen who founded a school in Caesarea around 233, the nature of his own teaching was, at least in part, very different from that of Origen. It is sure, however, that the circle venerated Origen and devoted a good deal of its time to search, defend and copy his whole work. It remains to be seen if the circle learnt Origen's thought alone, or also the thought of subsequent Alexandrian masters, such as Theognostus and Pierius, the teacher of Pamphilus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper questions the traditional view which sees a threefold pattern in Clement's literary activity, namely the sequence of Protrepticus, Paedagogus and Stromata (or a different projected but not realized work). A close analysis of Paed. I.1 and a general overview of Clement's remaining writings allow us to individuate two literary domains within his work; on the one hand, rhetorically shaped writings as the Protrepticus, the Paedagogus and the Quis dives salvetur address a large audience, Christian or Heathen, making use of contemporary epideictic style and of mere literal exegesis; on the other hand, writings coming from Clement's teaching activity, as the Stromata, the Eclogae propheticae and the Excerpta ex Theodoto deal with doctrinal issues by means of intellectual speculation and allegorical hermeneutics. In this way it is also possible to contextualize better Clement's literary effort: it aimed to build a complex and multifaceted presentation of Christianity, that could unify the different ways in which Christian tradition was displayed in his days' Alexandria, ranging from radical Jewish Christian communities to elitist and purely intellectual Gnostic teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jerome never wrote neither ecclesiastical history nor a monastic history, nonetheless he cultivated the ambition to be a Church and monasticism historian competing with both Eusebius of Caesarea and Athanasius of Alexandria. The paper focuses on the several stages of this relationship, going through the Vita Pauli;Vita Hilarionis; De viris illustribus, Praecepta Pachomiana and the Epistula 127. Jerome's main concern is to establish who was the first and this aim makes him draw 'authentic' genealogies of the monasticism, challenging other historical reconstructions. His work is mainly targeted to ascetics and his origins' reconstruction and it is important since it reports of the rising of a monastic self-awareness in the first generation of western ascetics. Their experiences were linked to the Egyptian tradition, as it was the generating, most ancient and prestigious one; on the other side, they believed monasticism being related to the apostolic Church and considered themselves as contemporary 'apostolic men'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about several papers discussed at a conference held April 16-17, 2010 sponsored by the Department of Classics at the University of Texas on the role of Roman memory in history and literature. Topics include the social memory, evidences for Ennius statue, and the transformation of Rome's religious landscape during Augustus period. The conference featured several scholars including Eric Orlin, Brigitte Libby, and Lisa Mignone.

Information about several papers discussed at a symposium titled "2009 Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting" on the role of biblical studies is presented. Topics include the function of apocryphal and pseudepigraphical writings in early Judaism and early Christianity and the translation of Philo's allegorical hermeneutics. The symposium featured several professionals including Benjamin G. Wright, Tessa Rajak and Kenneth L. Schenck.

Information about several papers discussed at a bilingual (German-English) international conference with a concept on Judaeo-Christianity is presented. Topics include the relationship between Jews and Christians, canonical Gospel of John and the rabbinic story of the Messiah Menahem. The symposium featured several professionals including Gesine Palmer, Folker Siegert and Andreas Bedenbender.

Information about several papers discussed at a symposium organized by the World Union of Jewish Studies with themes from the Bible and its world contemporary Jewish Society and Jewish Education. Topics include the aspects of and/or scrolls within the Qumran library, the rabbinic halakhah in light of the Qumran Scrolls and the psalmodic literature from Qumran. The symposium featured several professionals including Aharon Shemesh, Lawrence H. Schiffman and Daniel Schwartz.

Information about several papers discussed at a symposium of the Society for Ancient Mediterranean Religions with an aim on facilitating conversations among scholars working on different aspects of ancient religions. Topics include the disciplines in classics, religion and anthropology from the range of Pharaonic Egypt imperial Rome time periods. The symposium featured several professors including Steven Gregory, Lauren Petersen and Laura Gawlinski.

Information about several papers discussed at a meeting titled "2009 International Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature," with topics on Heroch. Topics include the Qumran section, the historical issues of Jewish identity both from a Rabbinic and a Hellenistic perspective and the relationship of Judaism with Rome. The meeting featured several professors including Ranon Katzoff, Rivka Ulmer and Bennie H. Reynolds.

Information about several papers discussed at the fifth Enoch Seminar sponsored by the University of Michigan on 2 Enoch and the three mediatorial figures Enoch, Adam, and Melchizedek in the Second Temple Judaism is presented. Topics include the discovery of Coptic fragments known in the Slavonic manuscripts and its classification as well as the connection of 2 and 3 Enoch. The seminar featured several 2 Enoch's leading scholars including Christfried Böttrich and Grant Macaskill.

Information on the papers discussed at the first "Symposium on Christian Origins" entitled "The Septuagint and Christian Origins - Die Septuaginta und das frühe Christentum" at the Universität Tübingen, Germany on April 1-3, 2009. Topics include the Jewish development and the Christian appropriation of the LXX, the Lukes methodology, and the meaning of the word Bible. The symposium featured several speakers including Emanuel Tov, Carl Holladay, Loren Stuckenbruck.

The fragmentary scroll 1Q19, dated to 30-1 B.C.E, was published by J.T. Milik in DJD 1. Two fragments of this scroll (frgs. 1-2) display an affinity to 1 En 7-9, reworking the story of the "sons of God" and the "daughters of men" from Gen 6:1-4. Another fragment (frg. 3) describes the miraculous birth of Noah. A similar reworking of Gen 5:28-29 is found in 1 En 106-107 and 1QapGen II-V. According to an influential theory, chapters 6-11 and 106-107 of the Book of Enoch originate in a work attributed to Noah, mentioned in several Second Temple sources. Given the similarity between 1Q19 1-3 and 1 En 7-9, 106-107, Milik assumed that it preserves the lost Book of Noah and published it as a "Livre de Noé." Various aspects of 1Q19 were discussed by D. Dimant, J. Fitzmyer, K. Beyer, F. García Martínez, L. Stuckenbruck, and S. Bhayro. Yet, it appears that since its publication in 1955 this scroll has never been treated as a whole. Moreover, due to the editorial policy adopted in the first volumes of DJD, 1Q19 was published without a commentary. Given the progress that was made during the past fifty years in the field of Qumran studies in general, and in the study of the 1 Enoch and Genesis Apocryphon in particular, a detailed discussion of 1Q19 is long overdue. This paper provides a new edition of 1Q19, based on a fresh examination of the fragments and their photographs, followed by a commentary and a discussion of broader issues related to this scroll. This analysis sheds further light on the contents of 1Q19, as well as on its relation to 1 Enoch and Genesis Apocryphon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]