28953 - Ancient Christian Literature (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the students will be acquainted of the literary production processes in Ancient Christianity between I and VIII century, beginning with the authors and their writings, in relation with classical literature and the 'Fortleben' in the Middle Ages and modern times.

Course contents

Necromancy in the Bible? 1 Samuel 28 in the interpretation of early Christianity

The singular scene of 1 Samuel 28, in which King Saul, thanks to the services of a necromancer, manages to dialogue with the deceased prophet Samuel, has always aroused astonishment and bewilderment in the readers of the biblical text. By examining the most relevant passages, the course aims to illustrate the main interpretative lines which the Christian exegetes of the first centuries adopted to neutralize the potentially explosive mix of magic, evocation of the dead and prophecy that converge in it.

The course will address the following issues:

Introduction:

- The scene of 1 Sam 28 in the Hebrew text and its translations (LXX and Vulgate); the theological and exegetical problems it raises; the 're-writing' of Flavius Josephus (Antiquitates Iudaicae VI 327-350 [in italian]) (5 hours)

Reading and commenting on the most significant interpretations of the scene:

- Devil’s deception or true necromancy? Tertullian (De anima 57.8-11) and Origen (Homilia in primum Regum, integral) (10 hours)

- The controversy explodes: Eustathius of Antioch (De engastrimytho contra Origenem, 10 selected chapters), Diodorus of Tarsus (fr. Ad 1 Reg. 27,8 Devreesse) and Gregory of Nyssa (De pythonissa) (10 hours)

The difficulty of choice: Augustine of Hippo (De diversis quaestionibus ad Simplicianum II 3; De octo Dulcitii quaestionibus VI) (5 hours)

Readings/Bibliography

Texts
Critical editions and translations

1 Samuel / Reigns 28: La Bibbia di Gerusalemme, Dehoniane, Bologna 2009 / LXX: A. Rahlfs – R. Hanhart, Septuaginta. Id est Vetus Testamentum graece iuxta LXX interpretes. Editio altera, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart 2006, pp. 558-560; traduzione italiana: La Bibbia dei Settanta, vol. 2: I libri storici, a c. di P.G. Borbone, Morcelliana, Brescia 2016, pp. 380-385 (tr. di M. Baretta)

Flavius Josephus: B. Niese, Flavii Iosephi Opera, vol. II, Antiquitatum Iudaicarum libri VI-X, Weidmann, Berlin 1885, pp. 76-81; tr. it: L. Moraldi, Giuseppe Flavio. Antichità giudaiche, vol. 1, Libri I-X, UTET, Torino 2006 (1998¹), pp. 401-404

Tertullian: J.H. Waszink, Q. S. F. Tertulliani De anima, Brill, Leiden 2010 (1947¹), pp. 77-78; tr. it.: Tertulliano, Opere dottrinali, a c. di C. Moreschini – P. Podolak (Scrittori Cristiani dell’Africa Romana 3/2.b), Città Nuova, Roma 2010, pp. 241-243

Origen: La maga di Endor, a c. di M. Simonetti (Biblioteca Patristica), Nardini, Firenze 1989, pp. 44-75 (testo greco e trad. it.); 76-93 (commento). Cf. anche Origène. Homélies sur Samuel, Édition critique, introduction, traduction et notes par P. et M.-Th. Nautin (Sources Chrétiennes 328), Paris 1986; Origenes. Die Homilien zum Ersten Buch Samuel, eingeleitet und übersetzt von A. Fürst (Origenes. Werke mit deutscher Übersetzung 7), De Gruyter – Herder, Berlin – Freiburg u.a. 2014

Eustathius of Antioch: La maga di Endor, a c. di M. Simonetti (Biblioteca Patristica), Nardini, Firenze 1989, pp. 94-207 (testo greco e trad. it.); 208-251 (commento). Cf. anche Eustathii Antiocheni Opera, ed. J.H. Declerck (Corpus Christianorum. Series Graeca 51), Turnhout, Leuven 2002

Diodorus of Tarsus: R. Devreesse, Les anciens commentateurs grecs de l’Octateuque et des Rois. Fragments tirés des chaînes (Studi e Testi 201), Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Città del Vaticano 1959, 163-165; tr. it. in La maga di Endor, a c. di M. Simonetti (Biblioteca Patristica), Nardini, Firenze 1989, 30-33

Gregory of Nyssa: La maga di Endor, a c. di M. Simonetti (Biblioteca Patristica), Nardini, Firenze 1989, pp. 252-263 (testo greco e trad. it.); 266-271 (commento). Cf. anche H. Hörner, De Pythonissa, Gregorii Nysseni Opera III/II, Brill, Leiden et al. 1987; Grégoire de Nysse. Lettre canonique, Lettre sur la pythonisse et six homélies pastorales, Intr., trad. et notes par P. Maraval (SC 588), Cerf, Paris 2017

Augustine of Hippo: A. Mutzenbecher, S. A. Augustini De diversis quaestionibus ad Simplicianum (Corpus Christianorum. Series Latina 44), Turnhout 1970, pp. 81-86 e A. Mutzenbecher, S. A. Augustini De octo Dulcitii quaestionibus (Corpus Christianorum. Series Latina 44/A), Turnhout 1975, pp. 282-287; tr. it.: Sant’Agostino. La vera religione VI/2: Le diverse questioni a Simpliciano, Le otto questioni di Dulcizio …, introduzioni, traduzioni e note di G. Ceriotti et al. (Nuova Biblioteca Agostiniana VI/2), Città Nuova, Roma 1995, pp. 377-383; 431-437 (available also online: http://www.augustinus.it/italiano/questioni_simpliciano/index2.htm /  http://www.augustinus.it/italiano/otto_questioni/index2.htm)

A collection of the previous mentioned texts, starting from Tertullian - but without Augustine - can be found in: R.A. Greer – M.M. Mitchell, The “Belly-Myther” of Endor. Interpretations of First Kingdoms 28 in the Early Church, transl. with introd. and notes, Atlanta 2007

Studies

T. Braccini, “Peripherein ton daimona: La voce del ventriloquo”, I Quaderni del Ramo d’Oro on-line 6 (2013/2014) [http://www.qro.unisi.it/frontend/node/162]

R.A. Greer – M.M. Mitchell, The “Belly-Myther” of Endor. Interpretations of First Kingdoms 28 in the Early Church, transl. with introd. and notes, Atlanta 2007 (pp. vii-xix; xxxi-lxxxiii)

M. Kleiner, Saul in En-Dor – Wahrsagung oder Totenbeschwörung? Eine synchrone und diachrone Untersuchung zu 1 Sam 28, Benno Verlag, Leipzig 1995

F. Lecercle, Le retour du mort. Débats sur la sorcière d’Endor et l’apparition de Samuel (XVI^e-XVIII^e siècle), Droz, Genève 2011 (pp. 53-101)

P. Lombardi, “La strega come necromante: il caso della pitonessa di Endor”, in G. Bosco – P. Castelli, Stregoneria e streghe nell’Europa moderna, Pacini Editore, Pisa 1984, 181-206

P. Lombardi, Il filosofo e la strega. La ragione e il mondo magico, Raffaello Cortina Editore, Milano 1997 (pp. 1-34)

M. Simonetti, La maga di Endor (Biblioteca Patristica), Nardini, Firenze 1989 (pp. 7-41)

K.A.D. Smelik, “The Witch of Endor: 1 Samuel 28 in Rabbinic and Christian Exegesis till 800 A.D.”, Vigiliae Christianae 33 (1977) 160-179

Students can request further bibliography on individual authors or specific aspects from the teacher.

Monograph on the history of patristic exegesis

M. Simonetti, Lettera e/o allegoria. Un contributo alla storia dell’esegesi patristica (Studia Ephemeridis Augustinianum 23), Instititum Patristicum Augustinianum, Roma 1985 (only the authors discussed during the lessons)

Teaching methods

Lectures; analysis of literary texts; use of bibliographic and electronic databases.

Assessment methods

Oral exam:

a) The students who attend lessons will be able

• to read and translate the text discussed during the lessons in the Greek / Latin original (required for students of Classics). The students not belonging to the course of Classics will read the text in an italian translation, and will replace the translation from the original text with the reading of one of the essays mentioned above (see Bibliography, Studies)
  
• to outline the Christian interpretation of 1 Samul 28 from an exegetical, historical and literary point of view with the help of the class notes and one of the essays mentioned above (see Bibliography, Studies).
• to discuss the main lines of ancient Christian exegesis according to the study mentioned above (see Bibliography, Monograph on the history of patristic exegesis)
  

b) The students who cannot attend lessons will study the same program as the students who attend lessons; they will substitute lesson notes with two essays by choice from the list mentioned above (see Bibliography, Studies)

 

Skills will be assessed according to the following guidelines:
- failing grade (< 18): inability to translate short sections from the Greek/Latin texts discussed during the lessons (exclusively required of LM15 students); inability to provide a correct interpretation of the texts or, as for non-attending students, to comment on the critical essays of their choice.
- passing grade (between 18 and 24): elementary ability to translate short sections from the Greek/Latin texts discussed during the lessons (exclusively required of LM15 students); inaccuracy and lack of autonomy in providing a correct interpretation of the texts or, as for non-attending students, in commenting on critical essays of their choice.
- positive grade (between 24 and 30): good comprehension of the grammatical and syntactical structures of the Greek/Latin texts discussed during the lessons (exclusively required of LM15 students); interpretation of the texts is correct, but mostly superficial and not entirely autonomous; as for non-attending students, the critical essays of their choice are cursorily commented upon.
- excellent grade (30L): in-depth knowledge of the grammatical and syntactical structures of the Greek/Latin texts discussed during the lessons (exclusively required of LM15 students); precision and full autonomy in interpreting, contextualizing and critically comparing the texts; as for non-attending students, critical discussion of the essays of their choice is detailed and deep-ranging.

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://iol.unibo.it).

Office hours

See the website of Andrea Villani