Porphyry in fragments
Subtitle: reception of an anti-Christian text in late antiquity
By: Ariane Magny, Thompson Rivers University, Canada
Series: Ashgate Studies in Philosophy and Theology in Late Antiquity; Ashgate studies in philosophy & theology in late antiquity
Publisher: Ashgate
Published: 2014
Place of publication: Farnham, Surrey; Burlington, VT
Language: eng
Number of pages: 183
ISBN-13: 9781409441151; 9781409441168; 9781472401502
Copyright date: 2014
Subjects: Controversial literature; Christianity; Rezeption; Frühchristentum; Against the Christians (Porphyry); De consensu Evangelistarum (Augustine, of Hippo, Saint)
Description: The Greek philosopher Porphyry of Tyre had a reputation as the fiercest critic of Christianity. It was well-deserved: he composed (at the end the 3rd c. A.D.) fifteen discourses against the Christians, so offensive that Christian emperors ordered them to be burnt. We thus rely on the testimonies of three prominent Christian writers to know what Porphyry wrote. Scholars have long thought that we could rely on those testimonies to know Porphyry's ideas. Exploring early religious debates which still resonate today, 'Porphyry in Fragments' argues instead that Porphyry's actual thoughts became mixed with the thoughts of the Christians who preserved his ideas, as well as those of other Christian opponents.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 157-176) and index.
Table of contents: title: 1.; title: New Methods -- -- 2.; title: Eusebius -- -- 3.; title: Jerome -- -- 4.; title: Augustine's Letter 102 -- -- 5.; title: Augustine's On the Harmony of the Gospels.