Barbarian or Greek?
Subtitle: the charge of Barbarism and early Christian apologetics
By: by Stamenka E. Antonova
Series: Studies in the history of Christian traditions -- volume 187; Studies in the history of Christian traditions -- v. 187.
Publisher: Brill
Published: 2019
Place of publication: Leiden; Boston
Language: eng
Number of pages: 336
ISBN-13: 9789004306257; 9789004306240
Subjects: Church history; Christianity; Controversial literature; Apologetics; Ancient Civilization; Primitive and early church; Altertum; Apologeten; Apologetik; Barbar; Begriff; Frühchristentum; Religiöse Identität; Rhetorik
Description: In her book 'Barbarian or Greek?: The Charge of Barbarism and Early Christian Apologetics', Stamenka Antonova examines different aspects of the charge of barbarism in the Greek and Latin Christian apologetic texts (2-4th centuries) and the various responses to it by the early Christians. The author demonstrates that the charge of barbarism encompasses a broad range of meanings, such as low social class, inadequate education, immorality, criminal activity, political treason, as well as foreign ethnicity and language. In addition to contextualizing the charge of barbarism in ancient rhetorical practices, the author also applies literary criticism and post-colonial theory to shed light on the concept of the barbarian as an ideological-rhetorical tool for othering, marginalization and persecution in the Roman Empire.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages [307]-333) and index.