DOCSLIB.ORG

Damnatio and Interpretatio Christiana

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Damnatio and Interpretatio Christiana UvA-DARE (Digital Academic Repository) Antiquity in plaster : production, reception and destruction of plaster copies from the Athenian Agora to Felix Meritis in Amsterdam Godin, F.T.J. Publication date 2009 Link to publication Citation for published version (APA): Godin, F. T. J. (2009). Antiquity in plaster : production, reception and destruction of plaster copies from the Athenian Agora to Felix Meritis in Amsterdam. General rights It is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), other than for strictly personal, individual use, unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons). Disclaimer/Complaints regulations If you believe that digital publication of certain material infringes any of your rights or (privacy) interests, please let the Library know, stating your reasons. In case of a legitimate complaint, the Library will make the material inaccessible and/or remove it from the website. Please Ask the Library: https://uba.uva.nl/en/contact, or a letter to: Library of the University of Amsterdam, Secretariat, Singel 425, 1012 WP Amsterdam, The Netherlands. You will be contacted as soon as possible. UvA-DARE is a service provided by the library of the University of Amsterdam (https://dare.uva.nl) Download date:23 Sep 2021 3. CLASSICAL ART IN MEDIEVAL COLLECTIONS Damnatio and Interpretatio christiana Whatever the individual collector selects any ‘thing’ is ultimately destined to constitute an unconscious prophylactic device to assist the owner in mastering a feeling of threat and to control a sense of helpless frustration. Werner Muensterberger262 1. Christian versus pagan art, salvage or destruction? The controvercy of Christian versus pagan art is a relevant side-theme of copying, because it determined the fate of ancient classical artforms. However, the dualism was not always as rigorous as the literary sources, first and foremost the Church fathers, suggest. A lot was derived of Greco-Roman imagery, but also from Classical architecture.263 Early Christian churches imitated the Roman basilica and often spolia were incorporated, most conspicuously the antique columns. The art forms themselves remained unchanged, for one continued to illustrated manu- scripts, carve stone relief's (sarcophagi and architectural decorations), create mosaics, wall paintings and wood panel-paintings. Ancient gemstones were admired and, occasionally with small alterations, icorporated into liturgical objects. Overall there was a generally accepted structure, which was (subconsciously?) accepted. From this perspective it is not surprising that to medieval man Greco-Roman imagery was regarded as Christian, for it all looked very similar. This symbiosis or coexistence was a general phenomenon and not an exception.264 During the medieval period large freestanding Classical sculpture was the subject of a comprehensive controversy. No other genre was more appealing or was discussed with greater intensity. The Bible after all encouraged the destruction of pagan sculpture. Deuteronomy verse 7:25 reads: 262. Muensterberger 1994, 170. To shed more light on the phenomena of collecting from a psychoanalytical perspective Muensterberger examined the underlying driving factors of collectors, while taking into account the cultural influence on human behaviour. 263 See: Grabar 1969, Engelmann 1976, Kaiser-Minn 1981. 264. Ramsay MacMullen (1997) refuted the traditional view of a victorious Christendom that prevailed on all fronts as one-sided and false. A distorting factor is the way in which historians dealt with literary sources. One has to keep in mind that the Church fathers did not recoil from manipulating history. An illustration of this is a statement of one of the great church historians of the 4th century, Eusebius of Caes- area, who stated that historiography should be limited to that which was profitable for the spreading of the Christian faith. His successors adopted this attitude, as a result details were bent out of shape or passed over and some events were entirely suppressed (Euseb., Hist.eccl., 8.1 ; quoted by MacMullen 1997, 4). Later historians never questioned these literary sources and regarded them as truthful beyond any doubt. Whereas from early on all the books of pagan writers were considered heretical, were destroyed and disappeared from the libraries and therefore also from history (see: MacMullen 1997, 3.). Additional arguments in this context came from Robin Lane Fox (1986, especially chapt. 13), who made a study of religious life in declining years of the Roman Empire. Lane Fox opposed the persisting theory of Edward Gibbon (1776) and followers who believed that Christianity evolved in a decaying pagan culture. For more recent studies on the Fall of Rome, see: Smith 2005; Ward-Perkins 2005; Heather 2006. 41 ‘The graven images of their [the gentiles] gods shall ye burn with fire (..) for it is an abomination to the Lord thy God’. Such medieval controversies opposing Classical Antiquity actually functioned as a kind of bridge towards the Renaissance.265 In the intellectual realm the attitude of the Church Fathers toward ancient philosophy - little distinction was made between philosophy and theology- is determined by synthesis on the one side and antithesis on the other. Tertullian (c.160-c.230) regarded pagan philosophy as the foolishness of this world and the philosophers as mere patriarchs of the heretics.266 Clement of Alexandria (c.150-219) sought to develop the systematic presentation of the Christian wisdom in a true, as opposed to a false, gnosis (Greek: insight).267 He believed, like Justin (c.100-c.165) before him, that Plato had borrowed his knowledge from Moses and the prophets.268 In the end the neo-platonic ideas as formulated by Clement and after him Augustine (354-430) prevailed. A Greek philosopher that fitted well in this ideology was Socrates. A passage in the 10th chapter of Justin's Second Apology is eloquent: (..)’Our doctrine, then, appears to be greater than all human teaching. Those who by human birth were more ancient than Christ, when they attempted to consider and prove things by Logos were brought before the tribunal (..) And Socrates, who was more zealous in this direction than all of them, was accused of the very same crimes as ourselves’.269 Nevertheless, the dogmatic tenets held by the Church rejected pagan idol worship and polytheistic myth. Clement’s Protrepticus or Exhortation to the Gentiles exemplifies this attitude. In line with the tradition of apologetic writing it is entirely directed against image worship of all kinds, from primitive xoana (ancient wooden idol statues) to Serapis and the statues of the emperor.270 He believed that all pagan gods were representatives of demons, in opposition to the one Christian God who created the heavens and all that is in it.271 Marcianus Aristides wrote an Apology (c.140 A.D.) addressed to the emperor Antoninus Pius. A good deal of it is devoted to an attack on the pagan deities of Greece and Egypt.272 Hippolytus, a learned presbyter of Rome who lived in the 3rd-century, wrote about the screening of candidates for instruction prior to baptism. He gave these directives among others: (..)’If a man were a sculptor or a painter, he shall be charged not to make idols. If he does not desist, he must be rejected. (..) A heathen priest or anyone who tends idols must desist or be rejected’.273 265. Gramaccini 1996, 11. 266. Tert. De anim, 3. 267. Copleston 1993, 26. 268. Clem.Al., Strom., I, 5. 269. As quoted by Hannestad 1994, 156. The art historian William Heckscher (1939, 205) argued that the idea of a concordance between Paganism and Christianity was quite common and anything but heretical. The archaeologist Glen Bowersock (1990, 13) explained this as the need of rising Christianity for cultural legitimacy: acculturation rather than confrontation would have been the determining factor. 270. Clem.Al., Protr.: Against image worship in general, see: 47,1. Against xoana (primitive wooden idols), see: 51,3. Against Serapis, see: 48,1-4,6 / 50,3 / 52,4 / 53,2. 271. Clem.Al., Protr., 62, 4. 272. Copleston 1993, 15ff. 273. Hippol., Apost. Trad. 16. 11. 16. 42 Attitudes such as these determined the fate of classical sculptures, which were regarded as repulsive idols only good for sending to the limekiln or to the forge. Despite their rejection of any idolatry whatsoever, Tertullian, Origin and Clement of Alexandria never ordered the destruction of pagan works of art.274 Neither is their any direct evidence that Christians publicly insulted or destroyed pagan shrines or idols or any specific occasion before the end of the 3rd- century A.D. 275 The apostle Paul, in his Letter to the Romans (mid-first century A.D.), likewise condemned the robbing of pagan temples: ‘Thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?’276 Renewed persecution of Christians under Emperor Diocletian in 303 A.D. seems to mark a change in attitude. In his History of the Martyrs of Palestine Eusebius, bishop of Caesarea, recorded several violent acts of sacrilege committed by Christians under the strains and stresses of persecution in the days of Maximian and Galerius (292-311), although this did not involve the destruction of idols.277 The change of attitude was further stimulated by the Edict of Milan where Constantine and his co-emperor in the East, Licinius, agreed on a policy of religious freedom for all, Christians and pagans alike. This meant that Christianity now earned official approval and support throughout the Roman empire. The recently persecuted Church shifted from defence to attack. Eusebius, who wrote a biography of Constantine- had high hopes; he described the emperor as a destroyer of idols and as a suppressor of pagan worship.278 Eusebius also stated that Constantine issued a law that prohibited all pagan sacrifices.279 Although this statement is highly disputable and this law was certainly not put into motion.280 In the same year, Constantine issued, joint by Licinius, a decree proclaiming tolerance for all religions of the empire including Christianity.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Hérésies : Une Construction D’Identités Religieuses
    Hérésies : une construction d’identités religieuses Quelles sortes de communautés réunissent les hommes ? Comment sont- elles construites ? Où est l’unité, où est la multiplicité de l’humanité ? Les hommes peuvent former des communautés distinctes, antagonistes, s’opposant violemment. La division externe est-elle nécessaire pour bâtir une cohésion interne ? Rien n’est plus actuel que ces questions. Parmi toutes ces formes de dissensions, les études qui composent ce volume s’intéressent à l’hérésie. L’hérésie se caractérise par sa relativité. Nul ne se revendique hérétique, sinon par provocation. Le qualificatif d’hérétique est toujours subi par celui qui le porte et il est toujours porté DYE BROUWER, GUILLAUME CHRISTIAN PAR EDITE ROMPAEY VAN ET ANJA Hérésies : une construction sur autrui. Cela rend l’hérésie difficilement saisissable si l’on cherche ce qu’elle est en elle-même. Mais le phénomène apparaît avec davantage de clarté si l’on analyse les discours qui l’utilisent. Se dessinent dès lors les d’identités religieuses représentations qui habitent les auteurs de discours sur l’hérésie et les hérétiques, discours généralement sous-tendus par une revendication à EDITE PAR CHRISTIAN BROUWER, GUILLAUME DYE ET ANJA VAN ROMPAEY l’orthodoxie. Hérésie et orthodoxie forment ainsi un couple, désuni mais inséparable. Car du point de vue de l’orthodoxie, l’hérésie est un choix erroné, une déviation, voire une déviance. En retour, c’est bien parce qu’un courant se proclame orthodoxe que les courants concurrents peuvent être accusés d’hérésie. Sans opinion correcte, pas de choix déviant. La thématique de l’hérésie s’inscrit ainsi dans les questions de recherche sur l’altérité religieuse.
    [Show full text]
  • Origen in the Likeness of Philo: Eusebius of Caesarea's Portrait Of
    SCJR 12, no. 1 (2017): 1-13 Origen in the Likeness of Philo: Eusebius of Caesarea’s Portrait of the Model Scholar JUSTIN M. ROGERS [email protected] Freed-Hardeman University, Henderson, TN 38340 The name of Philo of Alexandria occurs more in the writings of Eusebius of Caesarea than in those of any other ancient author. Philo’s name can be located over 20 times in the surviving literary corpus of Eusebius,1 and there is strong ev- idence that Eusebius’ Caesarean library is the very reason Philo’s works exist today.2 In all probability, the core of this library can be traced to the personal col- lection of Origen when he settled in Caesarea in 232 CE.3 Eusebius’ own teacher Pamphilus expanded the library, and took great pains to copy and preserve Ori- gen’s own works. What we have, then, is a literary union between Philo and Origen, Alexandrians within the same exegetical tradition. But we can go further. Ilaria Ramelli has argued that Eusebius’ accounts of Philo and Origen in the Ecclesiastical History are strikingly similar, picking up Robert Grant’s stress on the similarity between Origen and the Philonic Therapeutae.4 Here, I further Ramelli’s work by noting additional similarities in the Eusebian biographical presentations. I also point to the tension Eusebius felt between Philo Christianus and Philo Judaeus, a tension detectible in his presentation of the Therapeutae, a group about whom Philo reported and whom Eusebius considered to be the first Egyptian Christians.5 The result is that Eusebius recognized Philo to be exegeti- cally closer to Christianity, and religiously closer to Judaism.
    [Show full text]
  • Pythagorean, Predecessor, and Hebrew: Philo of Alexandria and the Construction of Jewishness in Early Christian Writings
    Pythagorean, Predecessor, and Hebrew: Philo of Alexandria and the Construction of Jewishness in Early Christian Writings Jennifer Otto Faculty of Religious Studies McGill University, Montreal March, 2014 A thesis submitted to McGill University in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy © Jennifer Otto, 2014 ii Table of Contents Abstracts v Acknowledgements vii Abbreviations viii Introduction 1 Method, Aims and Scope of the Thesis 10 Christians and Jews among the nations 12 Philo and the Wisdom of the Greeks 16 Christianity as Philosophy 19 Moving Forward 24 Part I Chapter 1: Philo in Modern Scholarship 25 Introducing Philo 25 Philo the Jew in modern research 27 Conclusions 48 Chapter 2: Sects and Texts: The Setting of the Christian Encounter with Philo 54 The Earliest Alexandrian Christians 55 The Trajanic Revolt 60 The “Catechetical School” of Alexandria— A Continuous 63 Jewish-Christian Institution? An Alternative Hypothesis: Reading Philo in the Philosophical Schools 65 Conclusions 70 Part II Chapter 3: The Pythagorean: Clement’s Philo 72 1. Introducing Clement 73 1.1 Clement’s Life 73 1.2 Clement’s Corpus 75 1.3 Clement’s Teaching 78 2. Israel, Hebrews, and Jews in Clement’s Writings 80 2.1 Israel 81 2.2 Hebrews 82 2.3 Jews 83 3. Clement’s Reception of Philo: Literature Review 88 4. Clement’s Testimonia to Philo 97 4.1 Situating the Philonic Borrowings in the context of Stromateis 1 97 4.2 Stromateis 1.5.31 102 4.3 Stromateis 1.15.72 106 4.4 Stromateis 1.23.153 109 iii 4.5 Situating the Philonic Borrowings in the context of Stromateis 2 111 4.6 Stromateis 2.19.100 113 5.
    [Show full text]
  • Religion and Competition in Antiquity-Manuscript-January 2…
    COLLECTION LATOMUS Fondée par m. RenaRD en 1939 continuée par c. D eRoux et D. e nGels volume 343 –––––––––––– David ENGELS and Peter VAN NUFFELEN Religion and Competition in Antiquity ÉDitions latomus BRuxelles 2014 TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface. David Engels / Peter Van Nuffelen ................................................... 7 1. Religion and Competition in Antiquity. An Introduction. David Engels / Peter Van Nuffelen ................................................... 9 2. Religious Rivalry in Seleucid Babylonia. Marduk of Babylon versus Anu of Uruk. Tom Boiy .......................................................................................... 45 3. Oracles and Oracle-Sellers. An Ancient Market in Futures. Esther Eidinow ................................................................................. 55 4. Liberty versus Religious Tradition. Some ‘Impious’ Thinkers in Ancient Greece. Aikaterini Lefka ................................................................................ 96 5. Etrusca disciplina and Roman Religion. From Initial Hesitation to a Privileged Place. Dominique Briquel ........................................................................... 112 6. Cohabitation or Competition in Ostia under the Empire? Françoise Van Haeperen .................................................................. 133 7. The End of Open Competition? Religious Disputations in Late Antiquity. Peter Van Nuffelen ........................................................................... 149 8. Competing Coenobites. Food and Drink
    [Show full text]
  • Jesus from Easter to Valentinus (Or to the Apostles' Creed) Author(S): James M
    Jesus from Easter to Valentinus (Or to the Apostles' Creed) Author(s): James M. Robinson Reviewed work(s): Source: Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 101, No. 1 (Mar., 1982), pp. 5-37 Published by: The Society of Biblical Literature Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3260438 . Accessed: 06/04/2012 11:21 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. The Society of Biblical Literature is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of Biblical Literature. http://www.jstor.org JBL 101/1 (1982) 5-37 JESUS FROM EASTER TO VALENTINUS (OR TO THE APOSTLES' CREED)* JAMESM. ROBINSON CLAREMONT GRADUATE SCHOOL, CLAREMONT, CA 91711 I HE first hundred years of Christianity-A.D. 30 to 130, more or less-is the period from Easter to Valentinus, or if you prefer, until the Apostles' Creed. That hundred years is also the time in which the NT was written. It is also the time in which oral traditions about Jesus were in circu- lation. It is this period, largely for these reasons, that occupies us here. The present paper will not seek to argue for or presuppose a solution to the perennial debate between the traditional (and still largely British) view of Gnosticism as a second-century inner-Christian heresy and the religions- geschichtlich (and Continental) view of Gnosticism as a broad syncretistic phenomenon surfacing at least as early as Christianity in various religions of the day, of which Christianity was only one.
    [Show full text]
  • Sanmark2004 OPIA34
    UHI Research Database pdf download summary Power and Conversion. A Comparative Study of Christianization in Scandinavia Sanmark, Alexandra Publication date: 2004 The Document Version you have downloaded here is: Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Link to author version on UHI Research Database Citation for published version (APA): Sanmark, A. (2004). Power and Conversion. A Comparative Study of Christianization in Scandinavia. The University of Uppsala. General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the UHI Research Database are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights: 1) Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the UHI Research Database for the purpose of private study or research. 2) You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain 3) You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the UHI Research Database Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us at [email protected] providing details; we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 24. Sep. 2021 OCCASIONAL PAPERS IN ARCHAEOLOGY 34 Alexandra Sanmark POWER AND CONVERSION - A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF CHRISTIANIZATION IN SCANDINAVIA University College London 2002 Ph.D. Thesis Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Uppsala University, 2004 D0ctoral thesis from University College London 2002, revised 2003 ABSTRACT Sanmark, Alexandra 2004. Power and Conversion - a Comparative Study of Chris- tianization in Scandinavia.
    [Show full text]
  • The Locus Amoenus: Ethically Justified Space in Seventeenth- Century Poetry
    The Locus Amoenus: Ethically Justified Space in Seventeenth- Century Poetry By Sarah Dempster 19418890 Grad. Dip. Education, University of Western Australia, 2001 BA (Hons), University of Western Australia, 2006 This thesis is presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of The University of Western Australia School of Social Sciences 2012 ii iii Abstract The subject of this thesis is the locus amoenus, the classically derived ideal place appropriated by seventeenth-century rural poets. The poetic representation of a place of both safety and comfort took both topographical and ideological form in the upheaval of the seventeenth century. To date, no extended studies of the locus amoenus in seventeenth-century rural poetry have been published. Moreover, examinations of this subject conventionally focus on classical expressions of an ideal place. This thesis provides a critical consideration of the locus amoenus regarding the poetry of Aemilia Lanyer, Ben Jonson, Mildmay Fane, Robert Herrick, John Denham, Andrew Marvell, and John Milton. The classical roots of the term locus amoenus reveal many of the elements that went in to the poetic fashioning of the ideal place. More than classical symbolism, the ideal place of the seventeenth century was set against a backdrop of agrarian capitalism, anxieties over social hierarchy, and civil war. By studying a variety of poets and their contexts, it is possible to account for and clarify the manifestations of the ideal place the century produced. Aemilia Lanyer and Cookham are considered first in this thesis. The poet envisages the female family at the centre of the ideal place in command of the estate.
    [Show full text]
  • Jesus in the Genuine Letters of Paul
    UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA PORTUGUESA FACULDADE DE TEOLOGIA MESTRADO INTEGRADO EM TEOLOGIA (1.º grau canónico) MARIA Jesus in the Genuine Letters of Paul Dissertação Final sob orientação de: PROF. ARNOLD T. MONERA (Ph. D. - S.T.D) Lisboa 2015 Acknowledgment 2 Corinthians 2:9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” I give thanks to God for all the graces and chances that I have received throughout my study years in USJ. Gratefully thanks to our Provincial Sr. Teresa and all the Sisters in our community for all their support, encouragements and prayers. And also thanks to José Lai Bishop of Macaoand Rector: Fr. Peter Stilwell for their help. A lot of thanks to my supervisor Prof. Arnold Monera for his guidance, effort and helping me to finish my Thesis paper in spite of his busy schedules. Thanks to all the professors for their good heart, help and understanding and generosity especially to Fr. João Eleutério Prof. Arnold T. Monera and Fr. Franz Gassner. Thanks to all of my friends with their friendly, laughter and help in times of needs that make my school years enjoyable. Special thanks to my parents and all those who remember me in their prayers. II Abbreviations NRSV New Revised Standard Version LXX Septuagint OT Old Testament NT New Testament BCE Before Common Era CE Common Era TDNT Theological Dictionary of the New Testament EDNT Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament Gen Genesis Dan Daniel Lev Leviticus 1Sam 1Samuel Jer Jeremiah Rom Romans 1Cor 1Corinthians 2Cor 2Corinthians Phil Philippians Gal Galatians 1Thess 1Thesalonians 2Thess 1Thessalonians V Verse Vv Verses III Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGMENT .........................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • De Syon Exierit Lex Et Verbum Domini De Iherusalem’: an Exegetical Discourse (C
    Quidditas Volume 36 Article 5 2015 De Syon exierit lex et verbum Domini de Iherusalem’: An Exegetical Discourse (c. 400-c. 1200) that Informed Crusaders’ Views of Jews Todd P. Upton Denver, Colorado Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/rmmra Part of the Comparative Literature Commons, History Commons, Philosophy Commons, and the Renaissance Studies Commons Recommended Citation Upton, Todd P. (2015) "De Syon exierit lex et verbum Domini de Iherusalem’: An Exegetical Discourse (c. 400-c. 1200) that Informed Crusaders’ Views of Jews," Quidditas: Vol. 36 , Article 5. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/rmmra/vol36/iss1/5 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Quidditas by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Quidditas 36 (2015) 17 De Syon exierit lex et verbum Domini de Iherusalem’: An Exegetical Discourse (c. 400-c. 1200) that Informed Crusaders’ Views of Jews Todd P. Upton Denver, Colorado This paper assesses how medieval Christian writers transformed encounters with Middle Eastern peoples such as the Jews into a complex theological discourse via the medium used by Pope Urban II in 1095 to launch the First Crusade, the Latin sermon. It argues that a hitherto unnoted homiletic tradition about Jews origi- nated in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages based (1) on exegetical polem- ics that stretched back centuries in Christian theology, and (2) on a discernible chronicle and sermon tradition that depicted Jews in varying degrees of apologia based on a prophesied role as “witnesses” to the eschatological expectations of Christian revelation.
    [Show full text]
  • Christian Or Pagan? Some Reflections on the Ico­Nog­Raphy of U 448
    Runrön Runologiska bidrag utgivna av Institutionen för nordiska språk vid Uppsala universitet 24 Gräslund, Anne-Sofie, 2021: Christian or Pagan? Some Reflections on the Ico nog raphy of U 448. In: Reading Runes. Proceedings of the Eighth Inter- national Symposium on Runes and Runic Inscriptions, Nyköping, Sweden, 2–6 September 2014. Ed. by MacLeod, Mindy, Marco Bianchi and Henrik Williams. Uppsala. (Runrön 24.) Pp. 177–192. DOI: 10.33063/diva-438875 © 2021 Anne-Sofie Gräslund (CC BY) ANNE-SOFIE GRÄSLUND Christian or Pagan? Some Reflections on the Iconography of U 448 Abstract ’The iconography of the rune-stone U 448, a peacock and a rider, forms the basis of this paper. The inscription is a normal memorial one and has no explicitly Christian element. The ornament- ation does not include a cross. However, I will argue that the peacock and probably also the rider may be interpreted as images loaded with Christian meaning. The peacock, originally a sun symbol in India, was taken up by early Christianity in the Mediterranean area as a symbol of immortality. At the same time the fondness for representations of domestic fowl may show con- tinuity with Old Norse mythology and Viking-Age burials, where unburnt skeletons of domestic fowl are found in cremation graves. The rider may be regarded as an image of a holy rider and is compared with riders on Pictish symbol stones. My conclusion is that many of the images on rune-stones may be interpreted as a kind of syncretism, in fact Christian but understood as having a background in Old Norse religion.
    [Show full text]
  • Christianity's Criminal History by Karlheinz Deschner (Abridged
    A DRAFT Be fore final proofreading - September 10th 2018 Draft before final proof reading 10 September 2018 88, 304 words + footnotes 250 pages CHRISTIANITY’S CRIMINAL HISTORY Vol. I Karlheinz Deschner Daybreak Publications, 2018 Soft cover ISBN: ??? 2 (This free translation is dedicated to my German friend, Albus) 3 4 CONTENTS Editor’s preface INTRODUCTION The Early Period: from Old Testament origins to the death of Saint Augustine The following chapters appear in Deschner’s second and third volumes of the original German edition: FORGERIES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT The bibles and some peculiarities of the Christian Bible The five books of Moses, which Moses did not write Other forgeries in the Old Testament The Jewish apocalyptic Portrayals of the biblical female world Opposition to the Old Testament Forgeries in diaspora Judaism FORGERIES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT The error of Jesus The ‘Holy Scriptures’ are piled up God as the author? Christians forged more consciously than Jews Neither the Gospel of Matthew, nor the Gospel of John, nor John’s Book of Revelation come from the apostles to whom the Church attributes them Six forged ‘epistles of Paul’ The Pastoral Epistles The Second Epistle to the Thessalonians 5 Colossians, Ephesians and The Epistle to the Hebrews All the ‘general epistles’ are forgeries Peter, John and other apostles Interpolations in the New Testament Neither Jesus instituted the papacy nor Peter was bishop of Rome There is no evidence of Peter’s stay and death in Rome The story of the discovery of Peter’s tomb The list of
    [Show full text]
  • Revival and Resurgence in Christian History Kate
    REVIVAL AND RESURGENCE IN CHRISTIAN HISTORY PAPERS READ AT THE 2006 SUMMER MEETING AND THE 2007 WINTER MEETING OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY SOCIETY EDITED BY KATE COOPER AND JEREMY GREGORY PUBLISHED FOR THE ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY SOCIETY BY THE BOYDELL PRESS 2008 REVIVING THE MEMORY OF THE APOSTLES: APOCRYPHAL TRADITION AND TRAVEL LITERATURE IN LATE ANTIQUITY by SCOTT FITZGERALD JOHNSON N this essay I aim to consider the association of place with apostolic personae.^ The imaginative worlds generated between the time of Ithe apostles in the first century and the rise of the medieval Chris­ tian world in the seventh and eighth centuries can be seen as an integral part of what we now label late antiquity'.^ The period of late antiquity, roughly from 300 to 600 AD (from Constantine to Mohammed), is substantively a period of consolidation and reorientation: knowledge from the ancient Greco-Roman civilizations was queried, repackaged, and disseminated; classical literature was copied, commented upon, and imitated; Roman law was collected, rearranged, and declared authorita­ tive? What has been less studied in this period is the reception of the apostolic world as a realm of knowledge in its own right. The theme of revival offers a valuable framework in which to consider this resurgence of devotion. The awakening of historical interest in the apostles and their geographical associations can be linked to the advent of the Christian pilgrimage movement. This movement, beginning in earnest in the early fourth century, appropriated classical genres of writing, such as the itinerarium and the periplous, for the purposes of describing the topography of the Holy Land and other 1 This essay takes inspiration from treatments by Peter Brown in The Making of Late An­ tiquity (Cambridge, MA, 1978), esp.
    [Show full text]