Praetextatus – Verteidiger des römischen Glaubens? Zur gesellschaftlichen (Neu-)Inszenierung römischer Religion in Macrobius' Saturnalien
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Christa Frateantonio
Abstract
The Christianisation of the Roman Empire in the late decades of the 4th century stopped the public celebration of traditional feasts as the Saturnalia. That's why Macrobius, proconsul Africae in 410 and praefectus praetorio Italiae in 430, wrote his Saturnalia, describing a convivium with scholarly discussions and aristocratic behaviour. The feast of the Saturnalia itself is extensively discussed, and in this way, the Roman religion is the subject of long explanations. Between the fictive persons introduced by Macrobius the person of Euangelus is the only one who is not knowing the rules of Saturnalia and the background of the Roman religion. Perhaps the name of Euangelus is similar to “euangelium” not only by chance, but the person named Euangelus can be considered as a representative of Christianity, considered as rude and uneducated person. So, perhaps Marcobius wrote his Saturnalia supporting the ideas of a pagan and noble culture which is superior to the new Christian culture. In this way, the Saturnalia are probably a kind of pagan “counter-concept” discussing several subjects claimed by Christian theology as strong evidence for the superiority of Christianity.
© Walter de Gruyter
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Articles in the same Issue
- Wo lag das neutestamentliche Emmaus (Lukas 24,13)?
- Spazio geografico, etnografia ed evangelizzazione nella Synagoge di Ippolito
- Vom Sonnen-Tag zum Sonntag. Der dies solis in Gesetzgebung und Politik Konstantins d. Gr.
- Eusèbe de Césarée face à l'essor de la littérature chrétienne au IIe siècle: Propos pour un commentaire du IVe livre de l'Histoire Ecclésiastique
- Die kerygmatische Dimension der Lehre von der Menschwerdung in der Rede 38 des Gregor von Nazianz
- Diatessaron-Zitate bei Theodor von Mopsuestia?
- Praetextatus – Verteidiger des römischen Glaubens? Zur gesellschaftlichen (Neu-)Inszenierung römischer Religion in Macrobius' Saturnalien
- The New Critical Edition of Athanasius' Defence before Constantius
