Speaking as the Other: Late Ancient Jewish and Christian Multivocal Texts and the Creation of Religious Legitimacy by Michail Kitsos A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Near Eastern Studies) in the University of Michigan 2020 Doctoral Committee: Professor Ellen Muehlberger, Co-Chair Associate Professor Rachel Rafael Neis, Co-Chair Dr. Ra῾anan S. Boustan, Princeton University Associate Professor Jay Crisostomo Dr. Andrew S. Jacobs, Harvard Divinity School Associate Professor Ryan Szpiech Michail Kitsos
[email protected] ORCID iD: 0000-0002-0992-2752 © Michail Kitsos 2020 Τὸ δὲ ζητούμενον ἁλωτὸν, ἐκφεύγει δὲ τἀμελούμενον... ii Acknowledgements I wish to express my deepest gratitude to my co-advisors and mentors, Professor Ellen Muehlberger and Professor Rachel Rafael Neis whose support and contribution were instrumental for me to complete this dissertation. They guided me and taught me throughout this academic journey with generosity and selflessness, and with their feedback and stature, they set up for me an example of what it means to be an academic and on how to strive to improve academically. Their advice during these years added up to an invaluable treasure for me. I thank them from the bottom of my heart for playing an instrumental role in my graduate studies, in my academic forging, and in my dissertation. I also want to express my warmest gratitude to the rest of my dissertation committee, Professor Ra῾anan S. Boustan, Professor Jay Crisostomo, Professor Andrew S. Jacobs, and Professor Ryan W. Szpiech, whose academic excellence, compassion, and guidance enriched my academic life during the composition of my dissertation and whose help often extended beyond their call of duty as committee members.