Theologische Kontroversen innerhalb der römischen Reichskirche und ihre Widerspiegelung in der Christenpolemik Kaiser Julians
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Adolf Martin Ritter
Abstract
The paper discusses how the prominent polemicist, the Emperor Julian, became aware of contemporary debates within Christianity (including on appropriate hermeneutical approaches to biblical exegesis); it additionally asks how far he made use of Jewish-‘rabbinical’ arguments in opposing the Christian claim to the Hebrew Bible, the Christian Old Testament. This seems necessary because what makes Julian’s polemic against the ‘Galileans’ stand out - even by comparison to the works of Celsus and Porphyry which push in the same direction - is “the prominent role assigned in it to Judaism as a third term in the argument” (R. Smith). Regarding the theological debates within the Christian churches of his time, Julian proves to be uniquely well informed, yet completely uninterested. His intimate knowledge as well as his obvious indifference are, without doubt, biographically founded. A primary motive for his contempt, even hatred, of Christians seems to be his firm conviction of the enormous cultural superiority of the ‘Hellenes’ by comparison with the Jews and, even more so, with the ‘Galilaeans’; another motive (possibly even stronger) was his belief in the political threat posed by the advance of the ‘Galilaeans’ and their fatal mentality to the survival of a tolerant, multi-ethnic and multi-religious society - in Julian’s eyes characteristics of and indispensible for Roman rule. In Julian’s view, what was needed was a universal divinity for a universal empire rather than the exclusivism of Christianity.
Abstract
The paper discusses how the prominent polemicist, the Emperor Julian, became aware of contemporary debates within Christianity (including on appropriate hermeneutical approaches to biblical exegesis); it additionally asks how far he made use of Jewish-‘rabbinical’ arguments in opposing the Christian claim to the Hebrew Bible, the Christian Old Testament. This seems necessary because what makes Julian’s polemic against the ‘Galileans’ stand out - even by comparison to the works of Celsus and Porphyry which push in the same direction - is “the prominent role assigned in it to Judaism as a third term in the argument” (R. Smith). Regarding the theological debates within the Christian churches of his time, Julian proves to be uniquely well informed, yet completely uninterested. His intimate knowledge as well as his obvious indifference are, without doubt, biographically founded. A primary motive for his contempt, even hatred, of Christians seems to be his firm conviction of the enormous cultural superiority of the ‘Hellenes’ by comparison with the Jews and, even more so, with the ‘Galilaeans’; another motive (possibly even stronger) was his belief in the political threat posed by the advance of the ‘Galilaeans’ and their fatal mentality to the survival of a tolerant, multi-ethnic and multi-religious society - in Julian’s eyes characteristics of and indispensible for Roman rule. In Julian’s view, what was needed was a universal divinity for a universal empire rather than the exclusivism of Christianity.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Inhalt V
- Vorwort VII
- Abkürzungen und Zitierweisen XIII
- Von götterlosen Galiläern und grotesken Gräberkulten 1
- Theologische Kontroversen innerhalb der römischen Reichskirche und ihre Widerspiegelung in der Christenpolemik Kaiser Julians 15
- Callidior ceteris persecutor (Rufin. hist. 10,33) 39
- Un’eco del Contra Galilaeos in Liutprando di Cremona e ulteriori tasselli della polemica contro Giuliano nel Medioevo bizantino 65
- La trasmissione del testo del Contra Galilaeos di Giuliano e un nuovo misterioso frammento 91
- Structure and Sitz im Leben of Cyril of Alexandria’s Contra Iulianum 111
- Kyrills Argumentationsstrategien in Contra Iulianum 131
- Ἀποστροφή in Contra Iulianum: Julian als fiktives Gegenüber Kyrills 153
- Le livre VIII du Contre Julien de Cyrille d’Alexandrie : éléments pour la datation, le plan et la méthode de réfutation 165
- Le prologue de l’évangile de Jean au coeur de la polémique entre l’empereur Julien et Cyrille d’Alexandrie 195
- Werke des Kyrill in syrischer Überlieferung 229
- A German Renaissance Humanist as Predecessor & Some Further Surprises 257
- Personenregister 287
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Inhalt V
- Vorwort VII
- Abkürzungen und Zitierweisen XIII
- Von götterlosen Galiläern und grotesken Gräberkulten 1
- Theologische Kontroversen innerhalb der römischen Reichskirche und ihre Widerspiegelung in der Christenpolemik Kaiser Julians 15
- Callidior ceteris persecutor (Rufin. hist. 10,33) 39
- Un’eco del Contra Galilaeos in Liutprando di Cremona e ulteriori tasselli della polemica contro Giuliano nel Medioevo bizantino 65
- La trasmissione del testo del Contra Galilaeos di Giuliano e un nuovo misterioso frammento 91
- Structure and Sitz im Leben of Cyril of Alexandria’s Contra Iulianum 111
- Kyrills Argumentationsstrategien in Contra Iulianum 131
- Ἀποστροφή in Contra Iulianum: Julian als fiktives Gegenüber Kyrills 153
- Le livre VIII du Contre Julien de Cyrille d’Alexandrie : éléments pour la datation, le plan et la méthode de réfutation 165
- Le prologue de l’évangile de Jean au coeur de la polémique entre l’empereur Julien et Cyrille d’Alexandrie 195
- Werke des Kyrill in syrischer Überlieferung 229
- A German Renaissance Humanist as Predecessor & Some Further Surprises 257
- Personenregister 287
