00555 - Ancient Christian Literature

Learning outcomes

The course leads the student to know ancient Christian Literature in its historical development, and in its connection with jewish and graeco-roman tradition and with literary genres. The student will learn how to read and analyze ancient Christian texts.

Course contents

Anti-Judaism or dialogue between Jews and Christians? Two Answers from the 2nd and 3rd Centuries

The course intends to investigate the complex relationship of distancing and at the same time reciprocal influence between Judaism and Christianity in the period from the second half of the 2nd century to the beginning of the 3rd century in the light of two of the first Christian writings that explicitly enter into this debate, albeit with different contents and forms. Beginning with the well-known but often criticised model of the “parting of the ways”, we will analyse on the one hand the attitude of relative openness that characterises Justin’s Dialogue with Tryphon, and on the other hand the bitter anti-Jewish polemic characteristic of Tertullian’s treatise Against the Jews. Through the examination of these two writings, an attempt will also be made to understand whether the Jewish-Christian dialogue or polemic was merely a literary fiction, perhaps conducted for purposes within Christianity, or instead reflected a real confrontation between different religious groups.

- The first module (Module 1; 30 hours) will be devoted to reading and commenting on Justin’s Dialogue with Tryphon

- The second module (Module 2; 30 hours) will instead be devoted to the treatise Against the Jews by Tertullian

Both modules will begin with a quick presentation of the author covered in the module and of the problematic relationship between Judaism and Christianity in Rome around the 160 AD and late 2nd/early 3rd century Carthage.

Readings/Bibliography

a) Literary Outline of Ancient Christian Literature

– M. Simonetti – E. Prinzivalli, Storia della Letteratura Cristiana Antica, Bologna 2010 (only chapters II; IV-VII; VIII/3; XII; XIII/7-10; XVI/; XVIII/3-5; XIX); alternatively:

– F. Young – L. Ayres – A. Louth, The Cambridge History of Early Christian Literature, Cambridge 2004 (only chapters 3; 5-6; 11-12; 23; 26-30)

 

b) Texts

Module 1:

– Justini Dialogus cum Tryphone: testo greco in Justin Martyr, Dialogue avec Tryphon, Édition critique, traduction, commentaire par Ph. Bobichon, vol. 1, Fribourg 2003; it. tr.: Giustino, Dialogo con Trifone, a c. di G. Visonà, Milano 1988; engl. tr.: Writings of Saint Justin Martyr, ed. T.B. Falls (The Fathers of the Church 6), Washington DC 1977, 147-366

§§ 1-34; 38-40; 48-51; 55-57; 61-62; 80-81; 89-91; 112-114; 119; 137; 138; 142

 

Module 2:

– Tertulliani Adversus Iudaeos: testo latino in Q.S.F. Tertulliani Adversus Iudaeos, ed. H. Tränkle, Wiesbaden 1964; it. tr.: C. Moreschini in Tertulliano, Opere apologetiche, ed. C. Moreschini – P. Podolak (SCAR 1), Roma 2006, 506-575; engl. tr. by S. Thelwall, in The ante-nicene Fathers, vol. 3: Latin Christianity. Its Founder, Tertullian, Grand Rapids 1989, 151-173

 

c) Essays

– I. Aulisa, Introduzione, in Tertulliano. Polemica con i giudei, Intr. Trad. e note di I. Aulisa, Roma 1998

– A.H. Becker – A. Yoshiko Reed, The Ways that Never Parted. Jews and Christians in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, Tübingen 2003

– A. Cacciari, Variazioni sul tema del “sostituzionismo”, in La Chiesa al posto d’Israele? The Parting of the Ways and/as Supersessionism, a cura di G.D. Cova, C. Neri, E. Norelli, Brescia 2021, 193-208

– G.D. Dunn, Tertullian’s Aduersus Iudaeos. A Rhetorical Analysis (NAPS Patristic Monograph Series 19), Washington DC 2008 [also available as eBook in AlmaRE]

– J.D.G. Dunn, Jews and Christians. The Parting of the Ways A.D. 70 to 135, Tübingen 1992

– E. Norelli, Verso le ideologie della sostituzione nel II secolo, in La Chiesa al posto d’Israele? The Parting of the Ways and/as Supersessionism, a cura di G.D. Cova, C. Neri, E. Norelli, Brescia 2021, 39-116

– S. Morlet, Les dialogues adversus Iudaeos: origine, caractéristiques, référentialité, in Les dialogues adversus Iudaeos. Permanences et mutations d’une tradition polémique, éd. par S. Morlet, O. Munnich, B. Pouderon, Paris 2013, 21-45

– O. Munnich, Le judaïsme dans le Dialogue avec Tryphon: une fiction littéraire de Justin, in Les dialogues adversus Iudaeos. Permanences et mutations d’une tradition polémique, éd. par S. Morlet, O. Munnich, B. Pouderon, Paris 2013, 95-156

– G. Otranto, La polemica antigiudaica da Barnaba a Giustino, Annali di Storia dell’Esegesi 14/1 (1997) 55-82

Teaching methods

Lectures; use of bibliographic and electronic databases

Assessment methods

Students with special needs are suggested to consult:

https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en

Oral exam. Students will have to prove

• to be able to discuss the main problems arising from a critical reading of the works of early Christian literature, with the help of the critical introduction quoted supra in Bibliography, point a);
• (classics students only) to be able to read the Greek text, translate and comment 30 chapters of your choice, among those indicated above, from Justin's Dialogue with Trypho (Module 1) and 10 chapters of your choice from Tertullian, Adversus Iudaeos (Module 2)
  
• to have read and be able to interpret early Christian literary production, supplementing and integrating class notes with one of the essays (pro each Module) quoted supra in Bibliography, point b);

Additionally, students who cannot attend the lessons will substitute class notes with two (6 CFU) or four (12 CFU) chapters of their choice from the books listed supra in Bibliography, point c).

More to the point, skills will be assessed according to the following guidelines:
- failing grade (< 18): lack of knowledge of ancient Christian literature; inability to provide a correct interpretation of texts; lacking notions of literary history and the exegetical approaches relevant for the understanding and contextualization of the works under scrutiny.
- passing grade (between 18 and 24): elementary knowledge of ancient Christian literature; interpretation of texts is partially correct, but lacks accuracy and autonomy; schematic knowledge of the notions of literary history and the exegetical approaches relevant for the understanding and contextualization of the works under scrutiny.
- positive grade (between 24 and 30): good knowledge of ancient Christian literature; interpretation of texts is correct, but mostly superficial and not entirely autonomous; good knowledge of the notions of literary history and the exegetical approaches relevant for the understanding and contextualization of the works under scrutiny.
- excellent grade (30L): in-depth knowledge of ancient Christian literature; ability to interpret, contextualize and critically compare texts in detail and in full autonomy; full acquaintance with the notions of literary history and the exegetical approaches relevant for the understanding and contextualization of the works under scrutiny.

Teaching tools

Computer and projector; bibliographic and electronic databases; fotocopies; texts and segments of texts in PDF format uploaded by the teacher as teaching materials (downloadable from https://virtuale.unibo.it).

Office hours

See the website of Andrea Villani