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2022 NAPS Presidential Address: How Shaky a Foundation: The Apostolic Fathers Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2024-03-28 Clayton N. Jefford
Abstract: The advent of canonized texts in the post-Constantinian church led to the widespread assumption that specifically approved literature reflected general Christian orthodoxy. The danger that non-canonical literature posed to this process was to provide an avenue by which quasi-acceptable views could enter ecclesiastical theology via courses such as catechetical instruction and teaching from
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The Death of James the Just Revisited Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2024-03-28 Nicholas List
Abstract: Based on the testimony of Josephus (Jewish Antiquities 20.197–203), most scholars place the death of James, the brother of Jesus in 62 c.e. This article breaks with this consensus, arguing that the reference to Jesus "called Christ" in Jewish Antiquities 20.200 is a later Christian interpolation. If it can be shown that the Josephan account was not originally about James, the early Christian
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Sex and Sanctity in the Apocryphal Acts of Andrew: A Christian Bedtrick and Its Biblical Bedrock Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2024-03-28 Fotini Hadjittofi, Hagith Sivan
Abstract: In the apocryphal Acts of Andrew, a familiar double plot of sex and mistaken identity features Maximilla, a recently converted wife, tricking her pagan husband, Aegeates, into bedding her masked maid in order to retain the purity of her own bed. In resorting to this stratagem of sexual deception, the heroine of this tale behaves in a manner that contemporary Christians would (and did) find
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Social Networks and the Origenist Controversy: The Case of Anastasius I of Rome, Jerome, and Paulinus of Nola Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2024-03-28 Geoffrey D. Dunn
Abstract: Attention to the complexities of social networks at the time of the first Origenist controversy at the end of the fourth century reveals that while both Jerome and Anastasius I, bishop of Rome, were anti-Origenist, they had differing attitudes towards Paulinus of Nola. Jerome was suspicious of him because of Origenist associates, while Anastasius seems to have held him in high regard. It
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The Ideal Feminine: Gender, Regendering, and Competition in the Acts of Thecla and the Acts of Xanthippe and Polyxena Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2024-03-28 Lily C. Vuong
Abstract: This article offers a close literary and feminist reading of the Acts of Thecla (A. Thecl.) and the Acts of Xanthippe and Polyxena (A. Xanthipp.). Although the former is ubiquitous among Christian apocrypha and feminist studies, the latter has received relatively little scholarly attention despite the fact that both stories share interest in ascetic practices and conflict with patriarchal
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The Book of Revelation and its Eastern Commentators: Making the New Testament in the Early Christian World by Thomas Schmidt (review) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2024-03-28 Martina Vercesi
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: The Book of Revelation and its Eastern Commentators: Making the New Testament in the Early Christian World by Thomas Schmidt Martina Vercesi Thomas Schmidt The Book of Revelation and its Eastern Commentators: Making the New Testament in the Early Christian World Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2021 Pp. viii + 246. $99
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The Crucified Book: Sacred Writing in the Age of Valentinus by Anne Starr Kreps (review) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2024-03-28 Pamela Reaves
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: The Crucified Book: Sacred Writing in the Age of Valentinus by Anne Starr Kreps Pamela Reaves Anne Starr Kreps The Crucified Book: Sacred Writing in the Age of Valentinus Divinations: Rereading Late Ancient Religion Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2022 Pp. 186. $65.00. In The Crucified Book, Anne Starr Kreps
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Carpocrates, Marcellina, and Epiphanes: Three Early Christian Teachers of Alexandria and Rome by M. David Litwa (review) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2024-03-28 Warren Campbell
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Carpocrates, Marcellina, and Epiphanes: Three Early Christian Teachers of Alexandria and Rome by M. David Litwa Warren Campbell M. David Litwa Carpocrates, Marcellina, and Epiphanes: Three Early Christian Teachers of Alexandria and Rome Routledge Studies in the Early Christian World New York: Routledge, 2022 Pp. 244. $42.43
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Education in Late Antiquity: Challenges, Dynamism and Reinterpretation, 300–550 CE by Jan R. Stenger (review) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2024-03-28 Lillian I. Larsen
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Education in Late Antiquity: Challenges, Dynamism and Reinterpretation, 300–550 CE by Jan R. Stenger Lillian I. Larsen Jan R. Stenger Education in Late Antiquity: Challenges, Dynamism and Reinterpretation, 300–550 CE Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2022 Pp. ix + 325. £81.00 Through looking at "how people of the late antique
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Let in the Light: Learning to Read St. Augustine's Confessions by James Boyd White (review) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2024-03-28 Ian Clausen
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Let in the Light: Learning to Read St. Augustine's Confessions by James Boyd White Ian Clausen James Boyd White Let in the Light: Learning to Read St. Augustine's Confessions New York: Columbia University Press, 2022 Pp. xxiii + 359. $30.00. Not many readers encounter Augustine in his native Latin. The problem is not confined
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The Reign of Constantius II by Nicholas Baker-Brian (review) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2024-03-28 Eric Fournier
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: The Reign of Constantius II by Nicholas Baker-Brian Eric Fournier Nicholas Baker-Brian The Reign of Constantius II London: Routledge, 2023 Pp. xxii + 414. $190.00 (Hardback) / $52.95 (e-book). The Roman emperors Constantine I (r. 306–37 c.e.) and Julian (r. 360–61), respectively known as "the Great" and "the Apostate," have
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Unfinished Christians: Ritual Objects and Silent Subjects in Late Antiquity by Georgia Frank (review) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2024-03-28 Naomi Janowitz
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Unfinished Christians: Ritual Objects and Silent Subjects in Late Antiquity by Georgia Frank Naomi Janowitz Georgia Frank Unfinished Christians: Ritual Objects and Silent Subjects in Late Antiquity Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2023 Pp. 208. $59.95. Georgia Frank's evocative volume reflects the popular turn
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Resetting the Origins of Christianity: A New Theory of Sources and Beginnings by Markus Vinzent (review) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2024-03-28 Michael Hollerich
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Resetting the Origins of Christianity: A New Theory of Sources and Beginnings by Markus Vinzent Michael Hollerich Markus Vinzent Resetting the Origins of Christianity: A New Theory of Sources and Beginnings Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2023 Pp. xvi + 401. $39.99. Markus Vinzent's new book applies the "retrospective"
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Revisiting the Date of the Acts of Peter: Engaging with Potential New Evidence from the History of Simon Cephas Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-12-18 Callie Callon
Abstract: Previous scholarly consensus held that the text preserved in the Latin Actus Vercellenses was a relatively faithful translation of a second-century Greek Acts of Peter. In partial support of this date was the posited intertextual relationship with the Acts of Paul, with particular attention given to the so-called "quo vadis" scenes related in both apocryphal acts. More recent scholarship
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Who Accused Whom of What? The Outbreak of the "Arian" Controversy Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-12-18 Samuel Fernández
Abstract: This article aims to reconstruct the outbreak and initial parameters of the so-called Arian crisis. To do that, it divides ancient sources into two different groups: 1) the sources that reproduce or depend on the polemical narrative of Athanasius and 2) the documents contemporary to the events, which are quoted in ancient works. Since Athanasius's narrative is one-sided and retrospective
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Converting after Constantine: Firmicus Maternus and the Scriptures Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-12-18 Mattias Gassman
Abstract: The two extant works by the senator Julius Firmicus Maternus, a manual of astrology (Mathesis, ca. 337) and a ferocious attack on senatorial paganism (De errore profanarum religionum, 343–50), offer exceptional insight into the transformation of a convert's beliefs in the era of Constantine. Study of Firmicus's Christianity has long been hampered by distaste for his desire to see pagan cult
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The Coptic Act of Peter in Late Antiquity: Virginity, Disability, Intertextuality Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-12-18 Luke Drake
Abstract: In this essay, I argue that the Coptic Act of Peter (Papyrus Berolinensis 8502.4) is a late ancient Christian reformulation of an early Jewish temple tradition preserved in the book of 3 Maccabees, according to which God preserves the sanctity of his temple by means of divine paralysis. I argue further that the implications of this intertextual relationship ought to influence how we interpret
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Evagrius the Cappadocian: Redating the Kephalaia gnostika Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-12-18 Joel Kalvesmaki
Abstract: The three works Praktikos, Gnostikos, and Kephalaia gnostika (KG) are traditionally dated to the late 380s, when Evagrius Ponticus was a monk in Egypt. The trilogy is commonly seen as a unified, gradated curriculum for monks. In this article, I argue that this paradigm is deficient. Evagrius wrote the KG largely in the 370s, before he ever became a monk, and well before he even started the
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Speaking for and against the Imperial Portrait Statue in Late Antiquity: Libanius's Orations 19–22 and John Chrysostom's Homilies on the Statues (387 C.E.) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-12-18 Sean V. Leatherbury
Abstract: In the city of Antioch-on-the-Orontes in 387 c.e., statues of the emperor Theodosius I and his family were destroyed by a crowd angered by a recent tax increase, resulting in a series of imperial punishments enacted upon the city. In the months after the event, two prominent residents, the pagan author Libanius and the Christian priest John Chrysostom, wrote (in the case of Libanius) and
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Politics and the Earthly City in Augustine's by Veronica Roberts Ogle (review) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-12-18 Naoki Kamimura
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Politics and the Earthly City in Augustine's by Veronica Roberts Ogle Naoki Kamimura Veronica Roberts Ogle Politics and the Earthly City in Augustine's City of God Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020 Pp. x + 201. $99.00. In her 2020 book, Politics and the Earthly City in Augustine's City of God, Veronica Roberts Ogle
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Tatian's Diatessaron: Composition, Redaction, Recension, and Reception by James W. Barker (review) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-12-18 Charles E. Hill
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Tatian's Diatessaron: Composition, Redaction, Recension, and Reception by James W. Barker Charles E. Hill James W. Barker Tatian's Diatessaron: Composition, Redaction, Recension, and Reception Oxford Early Christian Studies Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021 Pp. ix + 157. $85.00. James Barker states his case for a major
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Divine Scripture and Human Emotion in Maximus the Confessor: Exegesis of the Human Heart by Andrew J. Summerson (review) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-12-18 Kevin M. Clarke
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Divine Scripture and Human Emotion in Maximus the Confessor: Exegesis of the Human Heart by Andrew J. Summerson Kevin M. Clarke Andrew J. Summerson Divine Scripture and Human Emotion in Maximus the Confessor: Exegesis of the Human Heart The Bible in Ancient Christianity 15 Leiden: Brill, 2021 Pp. xi + 147. $106.00. Andrew
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Athanasius' Use of the Gospel of John: A Rhetorical Analysis of Athanasius' by Wijnand Adrianus Boezelman (review) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-12-18 Chibugo Lebechi
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Athanasius' Use of the Gospel of John: A Rhetorical Analysis of Athanasius' by Wijnand Adrianus Boezelman Chibugo Lebechi Wijnand Adrianus Boezelman Athanasius' Use of the Gospel of John: A Rhetorical Analysis of Athanasius' Orations Against the Arians Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2021 Pp. xxi + 395. $144.95. Wijnand Boezelman
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Fallen Angels in the Theology of Saint Augustine by Gregory D. Wiebe (review) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-12-18 Travis Proctor
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Fallen Angels in the Theology of Saint Augustine by Gregory D. Wiebe Travis Proctor Gregory D. Wiebe Fallen Angels in the Theology of Saint Augustine Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021 Pp. xviii + 258. $100. This book offers a thorough exploration of Augustine's understanding of fallen angels and demons, with special attention
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New Narratives for Old: The Historical Method of Reading Early Christian Theology, Essays in Honor of Michel René Barnes ed. by Anthony Briggman and Ellen Scully (review) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-12-18 Shawn J. Wilhite
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: New Narratives for Old: The Historical Method of Reading Early Christian Theology, Essays in Honor of Michel René Barnes ed. by Anthony Briggman and Ellen Scully Shawn J. Wilhite Anthony Briggman and Ellen Scully, editors New Narratives for Old: The Historical Method of Reading Early Christian Theology, Essays in Honor of
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The Notion of Heresy in Greek Literature in the Second and Third Centuries by Alain Le Boulluec (review) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-12-18 Nicolò Sassi
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: The Notion of Heresy in Greek Literature in the Second and Third Centuries by Alain Le Boulluec Nicolò Sassi Alain Le Boulluec The Notion of Heresy in Greek Literature in the Second and Third Centuries Edited by David Lincicum and Nicholas Moore Translated by A. K. M. Adam, Monique Cuany, Nicholas Moore, and Warren Campbell
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The Hay Archive of Coptic Spells on Leather: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Materiality of Magical Practice ed. by Elisabeth R. O'Connell (review) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-12-18 Michael Beshay
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: The Hay Archive of Coptic Spells on Leather: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Materiality of Magical Practice ed. by Elisabeth R. O'Connell Michael Beshay Elisabeth R. O'Connell, editor The Hay Archive of Coptic Spells on Leather: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Materiality of Magical Practice London: The British Museum
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Mirrors of the Divine: Late Ancient Christianity and the Vision of God by Emily R. Cain (review) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-12-18 Derek King
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Mirrors of the Divine: Late Ancient Christianity and the Vision of God by Emily R. Cain Derek King Emily R. Cain Mirrors of the Divine: Late Ancient Christianity and the Vision of God Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2023 Pp. viii + 194. $83.00. What does it mean to see God? For Christians, the matter is complicated. On the
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Christianity and the Contest for Manhood in Late Antiquity: The Cappadocian Fathers and the Rhetoric of Masculinity by Nathan D. Howard (review) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-12-18 Richard Flower
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Christianity and the Contest for Manhood in Late Antiquity: The Cappadocian Fathers and the Rhetoric of Masculinity by Nathan D. Howard Richard Flower Nathan D. Howard Christianity and the Contest for Manhood in Late Antiquity: The Cappadocian Fathers and the Rhetoric of Masculinity Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2023
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Contents Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-12-18
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Contents Deification and Defecation: Valentinus Fragment 3 and the Physiology of Jesus's Digestion M. David Litwa 1 In Search of Clement of Alexandria's Hypotyposes Vít Hušek 19 Imprecatory Psalms as Prophecy: How John Chrysostom's Commentary on the Psalms Addresses the Moral Problem of Anger Elizabeth Sunshine Koroma 33 Augustine and
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The Lady Advances: The Voices of Women in Early Christianity Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-08-25 Robin Darling Young
Abstract: This article examines the purpose and features of womens' writing in early Christianity. Among early Christian texts, only three can be attributed reliably to women authors, and all three are primarily efforts at biblical interpretation. In her section of The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity, Perpetua becomes an inspired prophet and interpreter. The Spanish traveler Egeria investigates the
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Augustine's Use of Didymus the Blind on John 5.19 Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-08-25 Carl L. Beckwith
Abstract: Augustine cites the beginning of Didymus's De Spiritu sancto in his Quaestiones in Heptateuchum, which he began in 419. Some scholars think that Augustine read no more than the beginning of Didymus's work; others think that he read and made use of Didymus but have identified no textual correspondence between the two. I argue that Augustine's use of Didymus's De Spiritu sancto may be seen
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Finding Forgiveness: Augustine and Greco-Roman Thought on Interpersonal Forgiveness Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-08-25 Christopher R. Mooney
Abstract: Despite the great esteem for forgiveness in the modern world, recent historical studies have cast doubt on the existence of the practice or even the concept of interpersonal forgiveness in the Greco-Roman world. Classical scholars have noted the prevalence of vengeance in the popular and literary imagination, the scarcity of apology, the subordination of clemency to political power, and the
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Incest and the Maintenance of Episcopal Consensus in the Vita s. Albini Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-08-25 Gregory I. Halfond
Abstract: Usually dated among the earliest of Venantius Fortunatus's hagiographical works, the Vita s. Albini describes a dispute between Bishop Albinus of Angers and his episcopal colleagues at an ecclesiastical council. At the council, the saintly bishop was forced to lift an order of excommunication that he had placed upon an unnamed layperson guilty of incest. While modern scholars occasionally
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Eusebius's Four Tempora: A Brief Survey of Christian Chronological Traditions through Their Reception in Byzantine Supputationes Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-08-25 Patricia Varona
Abstract: No one would deny that Eusebius of Caesarea's chronicle exerted an enormous influence on later Greek chronicle writing, but there is still much to be said about the concrete characteristics of this influence and its extent, which is difficult to assess due to the loss of many sources and the precarious state of preservation of others. This article examines several supputationes—a basic element
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Hell Hath No Fury: Gender, Disability, and the Invention of Damned Bodies in Early Christian Literature by Meghan R. Henning (review) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-08-25 Amy Hughes
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Hell Hath No Fury: Gender, Disability, and the Invention of Damned Bodies in Early Christian Literature by Meghan R. Henning Amy Hughes Meghan R. Henning Hell Hath No Fury: Gender, Disability, and the Invention of Damned Bodies in Early Christian Literature New Haven: Yale University Press, 2021 Pp. 288. $65.00. In Hell Hath
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Christian Emperors and Roman Elites in Late Antiquity by Rita Lizzi Testa (review) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-08-25 Carlos Machado
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Christian Emperors and Roman Elites in Late Antiquity by Rita Lizzi Testa Carlos Machado Rita Lizzi Testa Christian Emperors and Roman Elites in Late Antiquity Abingdon: Routledge, 2022 Pp. xxi + 279. £130.00. The publication of Rita Lizzi Testa's most recent book is a significant occasion. Lizzi Testa is the finest scholar
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The Slow Fall of Babel: Languages and Identities in Late Antique Christianity by Yuliya Minets (review) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-08-25 Alison John
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: The Slow Fall of Babel: Languages and Identities in Late Antique Christianity by Yuliya Minets Alison John Yuliya Minets The Slow Fall of Babel: Languages and Identities in Late Antique Christianity Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2022 Pp. xvi + 418. $120.00 (Hardback) / $36.99 (Paperback). Late antiquity has long been
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Contested Cures: Identity and Ritual Healing in Roman and Late Antique Palestine by Megan S. Nutzman (review) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-08-25 Theodore de Bruyn
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Contested Cures: Identity and Ritual Healing in Roman and Late Antique Palestine by Megan S. Nutzman Theodore de Bruyn Megan S. Nutzman Contested Cures: Identity and Ritual Healing in Roman and Late Antique Palestine Edinburgh Studies in Religion in Antiquity Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2022 Pp. xviii + 253. $103
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Demonic Bodies and the Dark Ecologies of Early Christian Culture by Travis W. Proctor (review) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-08-25 Sarah F. Porter
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Demonic Bodies and the Dark Ecologies of Early Christian Culture by Travis W. Proctor Sarah F. Porter Travis W. Proctor Demonic Bodies and the Dark Ecologies of Early Christian Culture Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2022 Pp. 271. $99.00. "This book-about-demons will at times shapeshift into a book-about-humans, and back
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Living Martyrs in Late Antiquity and Beyond: Surviving Martyrdom by Diane Shane Fruchtman (review) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-08-25 Joseph Pucci
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Living Martyrs in Late Antiquity and Beyond: Surviving Martyrdom by Diane Shane Fruchtman Joseph Pucci Diane Shane Fruchtman Living Martyrs in Late Antiquity and Beyond: Surviving Martyrdom London: Routledge, 2023 Pp. 294. $136.00. Martyrdom is understood to be a phenomenon of suffering and death, yet Fruchtman tugs her readers
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The Virgin Mary in Byzantium, c.400–1000 by Mary B. Cunningham (review) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-08-25 Stephen J. Shoemaker
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: The Virgin Mary in Byzantium, c.400–1000 by Mary B. Cunningham Stephen J. Shoemaker Mary B. Cunningham The Virgin Mary in Byzantium, c.400–1000 Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2021 Pp. 275. $99.99. This long-awaited work represents the culmination of twenty years of research by the author on devotion to the Virgin Mary
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Terminum figat: Remarks on a Difficult Phrase in the Eucharistic Prayer of the Traditio Apostolica Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-06-02 Predrag Bukovec
Abstract: The former communis opinio, according to which the Traditio Apostolica (TA) was a church order written by Hippolytus of Rome and representing valuable insights into third-century Roman liturgy and church discipline, has been radically questioned in recent research. The similarities between the eucharistic liturgies in TA and oriental anaphoras no longer seem to support the theory of a transregional
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Phrenitis in Gregory of Nyssa's De hominis opificio Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-06-02 Lampros Ap. Alexopoulos
Abstract: In this paper, I examine Gregory of Nyssa's concept of phrenitis, as posited in the twelfth and thirteenth chapters of his De hominis opificio. Using as a starting point an episode where Gregory depicts himself taking care of a phrenitis patient, I compare the symptoms and the causes of phrenitis, as described by Gregory, with systematic discussions of the disease found in the extant medical
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Seeing Sanctity: John Chrysostom's Use of Optics in His Homilies on the Saints Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-06-02 Michelle Freeman
Abstract: This article analyzes John Chrysostom's discursive use of ancient medicophilosophical theories of optics in his homilies on the saints. In his homilies on Saints Meletius, Babylas, Julian, Drosis, Ignatius, and the Maccabean Martyrs, inter alia, Chrysostom uses technical optical terminology and concepts to describe the psycho-somatic effects of the saints' relics upon those who merely look
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Rufinus's Version of Eusebius's Origen and the Politics of Martyrdom Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-06-02 Michael Hanaghan, Stephen C. Carlson
Abstract: Rufinus's depiction of Origen in the Historia ecclesiastica varies from Eusebius's depiction of Origen. For much of the twentieth century, this was attributed either to Rufinus's negligence or censoriousness as a translator or to his personal admiration for the third-century theologian, but recent scholarship has come to appreciate Rufinus as an author in his own right. This article re-examines
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Letter as Spirit in Cyril of Alexandria: Typology and the Christological Defense of Literal Exegesis Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-06-02 Nathan E. Porter
Abstract: Cyril of Alexandria, often regarded as a mediating voice between Antiochene and Alexandrian exegetes, frequently cites his distinctively unitive Christology as warrant for literal interpretations of the Old Testament. That is, what scholars have regarded as rapprochement with Antiochene exegetes was partly motivated by a Christology with which they were at odds. For Cyril, christological
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Byzantine Intersectionality: Sexuality, Gender, and Race in the Middle Ages by Roland Betancourt (review) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-06-02 Luis Josué Salés
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Byzantine Intersectionality: Sexuality, Gender, and Race in the Middle Ages by Roland Betancourt Luis Josué Salés Roland Betancourt Byzantine Intersectionality: Sexuality, Gender, and Race in the Middle Ages Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2020 Pp. 288. $39.95. Byzantine Intersectionality is driven by the author's
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From Idols to Icons: The Emergence of Christian Devotional Images in Late Antiquity by Robin Jensen (review) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-06-02 Katherine Marsengill
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: From Idols to Icons: The Emergence of Christian Devotional Images in Late Antiquity by Robin Jensen Katherine Marsengill Robin Jensen From Idols to Icons: The Emergence of Christian Devotional Images in Late Antiquity Oakland: University of California Press, 2022 Pp. xv + 244. $65.00. Robin M. Jensen's latest monograph on
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In Defiance of History: Orosius and the Unimproved Past by Victoria Leonard (review) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-06-02 Jamie Wood
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: In Defiance of History: Orosius and the Unimproved Past by Victoria Leonard Jamie Wood Victoria Leonard In Defiance of History: Orosius and the Unimproved Past New York: Routledge, 2022 Pp. xxii + 199. $136.00; £120.00. Having worked on another of the less celebrated historians of late antiquity, Isidore of Seville, I have
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Death of the Desert: Monastic Memory and the Loss of Egypt's Golden Age by Christine Luckritz Marquis (review) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-06-02 Dana Robinson
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Death of the Desert: Monastic Memory and the Loss of Egypt's Golden Age by Christine Luckritz Marquis Dana Robinson Christine Luckritz Marquis Death of the Desert: Monastic Memory and the Loss of Egypt's Golden Age Divinations: Rereading Late Ancient Religion Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2022 Pp. 212. $65
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The Cult of Stephen in Jerusalem: Inventing a Patron Martyr by Hugo Méndez (review) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-06-02 Kyle Smith
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: The Cult of Stephen in Jerusalem: Inventing a Patron Martyr by Hugo Méndez Kyle Smith Hugo Méndez The Cult of Stephen in Jerusalem: Inventing a Patron Martyr Oxford Early Christian Studies Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2022 Pp. xiv + 175. $90.00. Twenty years ago, in explaining the need for a comprehensive dossier on Stephen
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Deification and Defecation: Valentinus Fragment 3 and the Physiology of Jesus's Digestion Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-03-08 M. David Litwa
Abstract: The aim of this article is to shed light on the physiological (digestive) background of Valentinus fragment 3 (Layton frag. E). When Valentinus claimed that Jesus did not excrete waste, he assumed that the regular process of human digestion included a stage in which food was putrefied in the gut. For Valentinus (and later Epiphanius of Salamis), it was unholy—and thus wrong—for Jesus to contain
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In Search of Clement of Alexandria's Hypotyposes Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-03-08 Vít Hušek
Abstract: This article aims to contribute to the discussion about Clement of Alexandria’s Hypotyposes and the alleged existence of the manuscript of this work. The only modern witness of the manuscript was Louis-Alexandre d’Antraigues, who claims to have seen it in the Monastery of Saint Macarius in Wadi Natrun in 1779. The article re-examines Eric Osborn’s remarkable efforts to follow d’Antraigues’s
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Imprecatory Psalms as Prophecy: How John Chrysostom's Commentary on the Psalms Addresses the Moral Problem of Anger Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-03-08 Elizabeth Sunshine Koroma
Abstract: John Chrysostom’s Commentary on the Psalms, typically dated to his time in Antioch between 386 and 398 c.e., aims to shape the moral character of his congregants, which also involves directing their emotional lives. In this commentary, which was probably delivered orally, Chrysostom usually interprets the Psalms as expressing salutary emotions, feelings which, even if painful, encourage virtue
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Augustine and the Origins of North African Anthropomorphism Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-03-08 Brendan A. Harris
Abstract: This article offers a reconstruction and analysis of the anthropomorphite beliefs of Augustine’s North African contemporaries through a close reading of Augustine’s writings and through comparison with other cases of anthropomorphism within early Christianity. I argue that the anthropomorphite faith of Augustine’s contemporaries in the North African church was more sophisticated than scholars
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Reading (in) a Quadriform Cosmos: Gospel Books in the Early Christian Bibliographic Imagination Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-03-08 Jeremiah Coogan
Abstract: Early Christian thinkers developed the widespread linguistic cosmology of the Roman Mediterranean in a novel way in order to advance a specific bibliographic project: aligning the emergent fourfold Gospel with the structure of the physical cosmos. Employing interlocking concepts from the disciplines of meteorology, geography, music, mathematics, and astronomy, a number of figures—including
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The Beginning of the Cult of Relics by Robert Wiśniewski (review) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-03-08 Adrien Palladino
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: The Beginning of the Cult of Relics by Robert Wiśniewski Adrien Palladino Robert Wiśniewski The Beginning of the Cult of Relics Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019 Pp. 249. $85.00. Historian Robert Wiśniewski attempts to examine the birth of the Christian cult of relics from an all-encompassing perspective, examining texts
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Augustine on the Will: A Theological Account by Han-luen Kantzer Komline (review) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-03-08 Christopher R. Mooney
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Augustine on the Will: A Theological Account by Han-luen Kantzer Komline Christopher R. Mooney Han-luen Kantzer Komline Augustine on the Will: A Theological Account New York: Oxford University Press, 2020 Pp. xv + 469. $150.00. What does Augustine mean by the notoriously elusive term “the will”? Hanluen Kantzer Komline’s Augustine
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Heavenly Stories: Tiered Salvation in the New Testament and Ancient Christianity by Alexander Kocar (review) Journal of Early Christian Studies Pub Date : 2023-03-08 Carl Johan Berglund
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Heavenly Stories: Tiered Salvation in the New Testament and Ancient Christianity by Alexander Kocar Carl Johan Berglund Alexander Kocar Heavenly Stories: Tiered Salvation in the New Testament and Ancient Christianity Divinations: Rereading Late Ancient Religion Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2021 Pp. 312.