Vigiliae Christianae, Supplements

In this book, Dominus legem dat, labeled the most debated motif in early Christian art, is dealt with in all its different contexts, particularly Roman sarcophagi, where it most often occurs. In light of concurrent Roman funerary art, it offers a new understanding of the function of biblical motifs on sarcophagi, and a number of contemporary Christian texts are presented as a key for the interpretation of the so-called “traditio legis” composition. This first, richly illustrated monograph on the motif argues that it originated in Old St. Peter’s Basilica, substantiated by a broad discussion of its historical and theological context. A catalog of all occurrences is included.

In his commentary on Gregory of Nyssa’s Adversus Macedonianos, Piet Hein Hupsch highlights the carefully composed structure of this work and the important connection between its theological, rhetorical and stylistic elements. In his capacity of arbiter fidei, which was bestowed upon him by the Council of Constantinople in 381, Bishop Gregory wrote this circular letter in the form of a counteraccusation against the Pneumatomachi, developing his Trinitarian theology of adoration in which the Spirit occupies a central role.

In a systematic-theological synthesis of this work, Hupsch shows how the Spirit draws baptised human beings and human language into the relatio of the three divine persons, the dynamic circle of divine glory of which the Spirit is the personification.

Re-envisioning Theodore is the first comprehensive study of Theodore of Mopsuestia's biblical interpretation in his Catechetical Homilies. It challenges the common yet reductionist view of Theodore’s exegetical approach as “historical,” offering a balanced portrayal of this exegete. Theodore is not a slave of his interpretative methodology, and he may omit the exposition of the historical setting of the Bible and introduce elements not present in the biblical narrative.Re-envisioning Theodore also reveals Theodore’s previously little known exegetical ties with Pro-Nicenes and, through them, with Origen. For the first time, this book shows that his exegesis incorporates Greco-Syrian liturgical imagery.

In this volume Blake Hartung explores the place of the passion and death of Jesus in the writings of Ephrem of Nisibis (ca. 307–373). The book argues that the genre of Ephrem’s works (usually short poems for public performance), is key to understanding his unsystematic approach. Ephrem drew widely upon the Passion narratives and traditional motifs related to Christ’s death and deployed them differently in distinct settings. Each chapter explores a key theme in Ephrem’s discourse about the death of Christ in context (including anti-Judaism, the defeat of death, and economic imagery). Ultimately, Hartung urges further consideration of the role of Christ’s death in early Christian thought and practice beyond the traditional confines of atonement theology.

This book focuses on Irenaeus as key to the early Christian appropriation of divine simplicity as a philosophical principle, since he is the first Christian source to explain his usage in relation to God. Beyond providing limits for what a simple God can and cannot mean, he also applies this principle to God’s activity (i.e. creating), and to God’s names and powers. There is a growing interest in the early Christian appropriation of divine simplicity: Simons' study is timely as the first book to focus exclusively on the earliest explanation and application.

La restauration de la création se propose d’examiner le statut des animaux dans la pensée chrétienne ancienne et médiévale selon une perspective eschatologique, centrée sur la question du salut des animaux dans le projet divin. L'ouvrage est organisé en trois parties : les sources bibliques, notamment la promesse du renouvellement de la création dans Rm 8, 21 ; les élaborations doctrinales dans la période patristique puis au Moyen Âge ; enfin, des réflexions contemporaines à propos du statut des animaux dans nos sociétés. Souvent absente du débat sociétal à propos des animaux, la perspective historique chrétienne proposée dans ce volume se veut une contribution originale à la réflexion actuelle sur le statut juridique et éthique des animaux.

La restauration de la création aims to examine the status of animals in ancient and medieval Christian thought following an eschatological perspective, that is, focusing on the question of the salvation of animals according to the divine plan. The volume is articulated in three parts: Biblical sources, in particular the promise of the renewal of creation according to Rm 8, 21; Patristic and medieval doctrinal elaborations on the question; finally, contemporary considerations regarding the status of animals in our societies. Often absent from the current social debate on the subject, the historical Christian perspective which this volume proposes is intended as an original contribution to today’s ongoing reflexion on the legal and ethical status of animals.

In Christen und Sethianer. Ein Beitrag zur Diskussion um den religionsgeschichtlichen und den kirchengeschichtlichen Begriff der Gnosis versucht Herbert Schmid zu zeigen, dass es vermutlich keine Vorform der Gnosis an den Rändern des antiken Judentums gegeben hat. Sowohl Schenkes Sethianismus, als auch der Valentinianismus und andere frühe Ausprägungen der Gnosis sind vermutlich als frühe Versuche christlicher Theologie zu begreifen. In diesem Zusammenhang erweist sich der Begriff Gnosis als eine durchaus brauchbare Kategorie, um antike Religionsgeschichte zu beschreiben.

In Christen und Sethianer. Ein Beitrag zur Diskussion um den religionsgeschichtlichen und den kirchengeschichtlichen Begriff der Gnosis, Herbert Schmid argues that there are no hints for a more primitive and independent form of Gnosticism which developed on the fringes of ancient Judaism. Not only the Valentinian school, but also Hans-Martin Schenkes Sethianism and other early manifestations of Gnosis are probably best understood as early attempts to phrase Christian theology. In this context, the term Gnosticism is a useful category to describe ancient religious history.

Now available in Open Access thanks to the support of the University of Helsinki. Women and knowledge are interconnected in several ways in late ancient and early Christian discourses, not least because wisdom (Sophia) and spiritual knowledge (Gnosis) were frequently personified as female entities. Ancient texts deal with idealized women and use feminine imagery to describe the divine but they also debate women’s access to and capacity of gaining knowledge. Combining rhetorical analysis with social historical approaches, the contributions in this book cover a wide array of source materials, drawing special attention to the so-called Gnostic texts. The fourteen essays, written by prominent experts of ancient Christianity, are dedicated to Professor Antti Marjanen (University of Helsinki).

In Ideas on Language in Early Latin Christianity, Tim Denecker investigates, in a comprehensive and systematic way, the views held on the history, diversity and properties of language(s) by Christian Latin authors from Tertullian (b. c.160) to Isidore of Seville (d. 636). This historical period witnessed various sociocultural changes, affecting linguistic situations and the ways in which these were perceived. Christian intellectuals were confronted with languages other than Latin in the context of the propagation of faith, and in reflecting on language were bound to comply with the relevant biblical accounts. Whereas previous research has mostly focused on the (indeed vital) contribution of Augustine, the present study reveals the diversified and dynamic nature of linguistic reflection in early Latin Christianity.

In Ignatius of Antioch and the Arian Controversy, Paul R. Gilliam III contends that the legacy of the second-century martyr Ignatius of Antioch was one battleground upon which Nicene and Non-Nicene personalities fought for their understanding of the relationship of the Son to the Father. It is well-know that Ignatius’ views continued to live on into the fourth century via the long recension of his letters. Gilliam, however, shows that there was much more to Ignatius’ fourth-century presence than the Ignatian long recension.

In Jewish, Christian, and Classical Exegetical Traditions in Jerome’s Translation of the Book of Exodus: Translation Technique and the Vulgate, Matthew Kraus offers a layered understanding of Jerome’s translation of biblical narrative, poetry, and law from Hebrew to Latin. Usually seen as a tool for textual criticism, when read as a work of literature, the Vulgate reflects a Late Antique conception of Hebrew grammar, critical use of Greek biblical traditions, rabbinic influence, Christian interpretation, and Classical style and motifs. Instead of typically treating the text of the Vulgate and Jerome himself separately, Matthew Kraus uncovers Late Antiquity in the many facets of the translator at work—grammarian, biblical exegete, Septuagint scholar, Christian intellectual, rabbinic correspondent, and devotee of Classical literature.

In Clement’s Biblical Exegesis scholars from six countries explore various facets of Clement of Alexandria’s hermeneutical theory and his exegetical practice. Although research on Clement has tended to emphasize his use of philosophical sources, Clement was important not only as a Christian philosopher, but also as a pioneer Christian exegete. His works constitute a crucial link in the tradition of Alexandrian exegesis, but his biblical exegesis has received much less attention than that of Philo or Origen. Topics discussed include how Clement’s methods of allegorical interpretation compare with those of Philo, Origen, and pagan exegetes of Homer, and his readings of particular texts such as Proverbs, the Sermon on the Mount, John 1, 1 John, and the Pauline letters.

In diesem Band untersucht Christian Hornung den Glaubensabfall im spätantiken Christentum. Im Anschluss an eine umfangreiche Hinführung, in der die Apostasie in der nichtchristlichen Umwelt behandelt wird, nähert er sich dem Thema unter drei Perspektiven: Theologie, Disziplin und Pastoral. Analysiert werden theologische Erklärungsmodelle des Phänomens bei kirchlichen Autoren, seine disziplinäre Einordnung im spätantiken (Kirchen-)Recht sowie der konkrete Umgang mit Apostaten in städtischen Gemeinden.
Im Gegensatz zur bisherigen altertumswissenschaftlichen Forschung kann Hornung aufzeigen, dass die Apostasie bis weit in nachkonstantinische Zeit eine grundlegende Anfrage an das sich etablierende Christentum bleibt. Die Anlage der Arbeit erlaubt zudem neue Einblicke in das Verhältnis von altkirchlichem Recht und Pastoral.

In this volume, Christian Hornung examines the abandonment of faith in the Christianity of Late Antiquity. After an extensive introduction dealing with apostasy in the non-Christian world he approaches the subject from three perspectives: theology, church discipline and pastoral care. Hornung analyses the theological explanatory models of different ecclesiastical writers concerning apostasy, early (Canon) Law and concrete examples of apostates in urban parishes.
In contrast with prior classical and patristic scholarship, he points out that apostasy remains a fundamental problem for Christianity in the time after Constantine the Great. Furthermore, the special composition of Hornung’s work delivers new insights into the relationship between early Canon Law and pastoral care.

The studies collected in Preaching after Easter examine the festal history and homiletics of Mid-Pentecost, Ascension, and Pentecost in the late antique Mediterranean world. Articles on individual sermons or the work of individual preachers such as John Chrysostom, Augustine of Hippo, Peter Chrysologus, Leo the Great, and Severus of Antioch exhibit the richness of late antique festal preaching. Questions of authenticity, heresiology, and theological, exegetical, or liturgical history are addressed with methodological rigor. Complementary contributions that deal with ancient Jewish-Christian dialogue, art-historical reception, and contemporary liturgical theology illustrate the wide ramifications of ancient Christian festal practice. Students and scholars of these feasts and the interpretive traditions devoted to them will find this volume to be an indispensable source of information and analysis.

The author presents a comprehensive historical examination of the early Christian graeco-latin translations of the biblical 'apocrypha' and 'pseudepigrapha'. The analysis of the translation techniques employed yields a distinction between 'literal' and 'adaptive' translations on the hand and translations associated with the textual tradition of the bible and those not associated with it. Whereas the former can be distinguished by the respective handling of textual macrostructures, the latter 'biblical' translations were subject to constant revision according to their original and thus always display a number of different versions.

Als erster Schritt hin zu einer Geschichte der christlichen Übersetzungsliteratur werden hier die lateinischen Übersetzungen griechisch erhaltener „Apokryphen“ und „Pseudepigraphen“ erstmals umfassend historisch einzuordnen versucht und einer übersetzungstechnischen Analyse unterzogen. Obwohl keine dieser Übersetzungen wirklich sklavisch wörtlich vorgeht, ergibt sich dabei doch ein relativ deutlicher Unterschied zwischen ‚wörtlichen‘ und ‚literarischen‘ Übersetzungen einerseits und mit der biblischen Überlieferung assoziierten und nicht damit assoziierten andererseits: Lassen sich die ersteren beiden primär anhand ihres Umgangs mit textlichen Makrostrukturen auseinanderhalten, zeichnet sich die biblische Überlieferung durch ständig neue Rückbindung einer Übersetzung an ihr Original in Form unterschiedlicher Revisionen aus.

In this work T. Scott Manor provides a new perspective on a common view, known as the ‘Johannine Controversy’, which maintains that the early church once tried to jettison the Gospel and Apocalypse of John as heretical forgeries.
Primary evidence comes from Epiphanius of Salamis, who mentions a heretical group with such views, the Alogi. This along with with other evidence from sources including Irenaeus, Hippolytus, Origen, Eusebius, Photius, Dionysius bar Salibi, Ebed-Jesu and others has led to the conclusion that a certain Gaius of Rome led the Alogi in this anti-Johannine campaign. By carefully examining Epiphanius’ account in relation to these other sources, Manor arrives at very different conclusions that question whether any such controversy ever existed at all.

The Apostles in Early Christian Art and Poetry presents the first in-depth analysis of the origins of the representation of the apostles (the twelve disciples and Paul) in verse and image in the late antique Greco-Roman world (250-400). Especially in the West, the apostles are omnipresent, in particular on sarcophagi and in Biblical and martyr poetry. They primarily function as witnesses of Christ’s stay on earth, but Peter and Paul are also popular saints of their own. Occasionally, the other apostles come to the fore as individual figures. Direct influence from art on poetry or vice versa appears to be difficult to trace, but principal developments of late antique society are reflected in the representation of the apostles in both media.

The authorship of De Resurrectione traditionally ascribed to the apologist Athenagoras, and its dating are controversial to this day. Nikolai Kiel proves in this study that the resurrection treatise is pseudonymous. By positioning the text within the intellectual-historical context of early resurrection debates, its origin can be dated to the first half of the 3rd century. The discourse horizon of the discussed tractate has been determined more precisely by means of a reconstruction of the constituent opposing position. Through his interpretative survey of De Resurrectione, the author has advanced the study of apologetic literature from the early patristic Era.

Die Verfasserschaft der traditionell dem Apologeten Athenagoras zugeschriebenen Schrift De Resurrectione und ihre Datierung sind bis heute umstritten. Nikolai Kiel weist in dieser Studie nach, dass der Auferstehungstraktat ein Pseudonym darstellt.
Durch eine Verortung des Textes im ideengeschichtlichen Kontext der altkirchlichen Auferstehungsdebatten kann seine Entstehung auf die erste Hälfte des dritten Jahrhunderts datiert werden. Hierzu wird auch der Diskurshorizont des untersuchten Traktats mittels einer Rekonstruktion der in der Leugnung der Totenauferstehung bestehenden gegnerischen Position näher bestimmt. Ausgehend von einem interpretierenden Durchgang durch De Resurrectione leistet der Verfasser einen wesentlichen Beitrag zur patristischen Forschung des apologetischen Zeitalters.

The essays collected in Christians Shaping Identity celebrate Pauline Allen’s significant contribution to early Christian, late antique, and Byzantine studies, especially concerning bishops, heresy/orthodoxy and christology. Covering the period from earliest Christianity to middle Byzantium, the first eighteen essays explore the varied ways in which Christians constructed their own identity and that of the society around them. A final four essays explore the same theme within Roman Catholicism and oriental Christianity in the late 19th to 21st centuries, with particular attention to the subtle relationships between the shaping of the early Christian past and the moulding of Christian identity today. Among the many leading scholars represented are Averil Cameron and Elizabeth A. Clark.

In Community Building in the Shepherd of Hermas, Mark Grundeken investigates key aspects of Christian community life as reflected upon in the early Christian writing the Shepherd of Hermas (2nd century C.E.). Grundeken’s thematic study deals with various topics: the community’s identity, including its (alleged) ‘Jewish Christianness’, (lack of) resurrection belief, sectarian tendencies and its relation to the authorities and to the emperor cult; social features, encompassing gender roles and charity; and rituals such as baptism, metanoia, Eucharistic meals, the Sunday collection, dancing (and singing), the ‘holy kiss’ and reading of Scripture. The many fruitful entries prove Hermas to be one of the main texts for studying the development of community building in the early church.

In Physicalist Soteriology in Hilary of Poitiers, Ellen Scully presents Hilary as a representative of the “mystical” or “physical” trajectory of patristic soteriology most often associated with the Greek fathers. Scully shows that Hilary’s physicalism is unique, both in its Latin non-Platonic provenance and its conceptual foundation, namely that the incarnation has salvific effects for all humanity because Christ’s body contains every human individual.

Hilary’s soteriological conviction that all humans are present in Christ’s body has theological ramifications that expand beyond soteriology to include christology, eschatology, ecclesiology, and Trinitarian theology. In detailing these ramifications, Scully illumines the pervasive centrality of physicalism in Hilary’s theology while correcting standard soteriological presentations of physicalism as an exclusively Greek phenomenon.

The treatise “De Graecarum affectionum curatione” (Therapeia of the Greek Maladies) is considered a highlight of Christian apologetic literature. Bishop Theodoret of Cyrrhus(ca AD 393 - ca AD 460) disputes the prejudice that the Christian faith was incompatible with classical education and civilization. He shows the integrating ability of globally aligned Christianity to establish peaceful local communities. The Greek tradition itself demonstrates the truth of Christianity.
The text is placed in the context of Theodoret’s life and works. Its literary character, place in Christian apologetics, sources, cultural and historical context, and the possibility that Syrian Antioch was its place of origin are all examined. The present edition contains the critical text by Raeder and a German translation with notes.


Die Schrift „De Graecarum affectionum curatione“ (Heilung der griechischen Krankheiten) ist ein Höhe¬punkt der Apologetik der Alten Kirche. Theodoret (circa 393 – circa 460), Bischof von Kyrrhos, tritt dem Vorurteil entgegen, Glaube und Lebensführung der Christen vertrügen sich nicht mit klassischer Bildung und Gesittung. Er wirbt für die integrative Fähigkeit des global ausgerichteten Christentums, friedliche lokale Ge¬meinschaften eta¬blieren zu können. Die griechische Tradition selbst bezeuge die Wahrheit des Christentums.
Die Schrift wird in Leben und Werk Theodorets eingeordnet, ihre literarische Eigenart, ihr Platz in der christlichen Apologetik, ihre Quellen, ihr soziales und historisches Umfeld und Antiochien als möglicher Entstehungsort werden untersucht. Die vorliegende Ausgabe enthält den kritischen Text von Raeder und eine deutsche Übersetzung mit kommentierenden Anmerkungen.

In The Constancy and Development of the Christology of Theodoret of Cyrrhus Vasilije Vranic offers an assessment of the involvement of Theodoret of Cyrrhus in the Nestorian and Miaphysite controversies of the fifth century.
Theodoret’s Christological language and concepts are examined in their historical contexts. The study is based on the comparison between the early period of Theodoret’s Christological output (Expositio rectae fidei and Refutation of the Twelve Anathemas) and his mature period (Eranistes). Theodoret’s Christology is ultimately vindicated and his position as a credible theologian who anticipated the definition of the Council of Chalcedon (AD 451) is assured, while proposing that challenges to the consistency of his Christology ought to be reconsidered.

Isaac of Nineveh (7th century AD), or Isaac the Syrian, was, among all the Syriac writers, the one to exert the greatest influence outside the Syriac-speaking world, becoming a highly venerated Father of Byzantine Orthodox spirituality and theology. In Isaak von Nineve und seine Kephalaia Gnostika, Nestor Kavvadas first draws out the frictions between East Syrian episcopacy and the anchorite mystical movement as represented by Isaac, in search of the historical context of Isaac’s teaching on the working of the Holy Spirit on the monk. Then, he draws out of Isaac’s writings, and especially the Kephalaia Gnostika, the underlying structure of Isaac’s thought on the working of the Holy Spirit, with the tension here between the here and now and the ‘New World’ that can be momentarily anticipated in the present world.

Isaak von Ninive (7. Jh. n.Chr.), oder Isaak der Syrer, war unter allen Syrischen Autoren derjenige, der den größten Einfluss außerhalb der syrischsprachigen Welt ausübte, indem er ein besonders verehrter Vater der byzantinischen orthodoxen Spiritualität und Theologie wurde. In Isaak von Ninive und seine Kephalaia Gnostika zeichnet Nestor Kavvadas zuerst die Reibungen zwischen dem ostsyrischen Episkopat und der v.a. durch Isaak vertretenen, anachoretischen mystischen Strömung nach, auf der Suche nach dem historischen Kontext der Lehre Isaaks vom Wirken des Heiligen Geistes auf den Mönch. Dann rekonstruiert er aus den Schriften Isaaks, insbesondere aus den Kephalaia Gnostika, die Isaaks Denken vom Wirken des Heiligen Geistes zugrundeliegende Struktur; leitend ist hier die Spannung zwischen dem „hier und jetzt“ und der „Neuen Welt“, die in dieser Welt augenblicklich antizipiert werden kann.

In Irenaeus on the Trinity, Jackson Lashier provides a fresh reading of Irenaeus' understanding of God, in dialogue with his opponents and sources, which reveals a more developed Trinitarian theology than traditionally thought. Key Trinitarian themes that emerge are the Fatherhood of God, the mutual indwelling relations of Father, Son, and Spirit, and the cooperative divine work of all three in the economy. The study finds Irenaeus' thought to depart in these areas from standard second century trajectories--Apologists and Gnostics--moving Trinitarian theology in the direction of more developed Trinitarian thought of later centuries. This monograph offers not only a better understanding of Irenaeus' thought, but also a fuller picture of the development of Trinitarian thought in early Christianity.

Gregory of Nyssa's Contra Eunomium, one of the major books on trinitarian theology of the 4th century, documents the exchange between Eunomius and the Cappadocian Father in the last episode of the so-called "Arian Crisis". The present volume is devoted to the third and last book of Contra Eunomium. It offers a fresh English translation with a running commentary in the form of ten studies by first-rank specialists. Seventeen shorter papers enlighten various aspects of Contra Eunomium and other writings of the same author. The contributions will be of interest for scholars of historical and systematical theology, philosophy, spirituality, rhetoric and the history of the Early Church.

Ancient Christianity had an ambivalent stance toward violence. Jesus had instructed his disciples to love their enemies, and in the first centuries Christians were proud of this lofty teaching and tried to apply it to their persecutors and to competing religious groups. Yet at the same time they testify to their virulent verbal criticism of Jews, heretics and pagans, who could not accept the Christian exclusiveness. After emperor Constantine had turned to Christianity, Christians acquired the opportunity to use violence toward competing groups and pagans, even though they were instructed to love them personally and Jewish-Christian relationships flourished at grass root level. General analyses and case studies demonstrate that the fashionable distinction between intolerant monotheism and tolerant polytheism must be qualified.

In Pre-Nicene Christology in Paschal Contexts Dragoş A. Giulea re-examines the earliest texts related to the festival of Easter in light of Second Temple traditions. Commonly portrayed as sacrificial lamb, the key actor of the paschal narrative is here designated as heavenly Kabod, Divine Image, King of the Powers, celestial Anthropos, Demiurge, Son of Man, each of these divine names implying a corresponding soteriological function.
Dragoş A. Giulea indicates as well that the Greek philosophical vocabulary and certain idioms of the mystery religions inspired new categories which reshaped the traditional way of describing the nature of celestial entities and the epistemological capacities able to access these realities. Thus, the King of the Powers, or the Son of Man, is several times described as a noetic Anthropos, while initiation and noetic perception become the appropriate methods of accessing the divine.

These essays on late antiquity traverse a territory in which Christian and pagan imagery and practices compete, coexist, and intermingle. The iconography of the most significant late antique ceramic, African Red Slip Ware, is an important and relatively unexploited vehicle for documenting the diversity and interpenetration of late antique cultures. Literary texts and art in other media, particularly mosaics, provide imagery that complement and enhance the messages of the ceramics. Popular entertainments, pagan cults, mythic heroes, beasts, monsters, and biblical visions are themes dealt with on the patrician and popular levels. With interpretive supplements from these diverse realms, it is possible to achieve greater insight into the life, attitudes, and thought of Late Antiquity.

Pauline Allen and Bronwen Neil investigate crisis management as conducted by the increasingly important episcopal class in the 5th and 6th centuries. Their basic source is the neglected corpus of bishops’ letters in Greek and Latin, the letter being the most significant mode of communication and information-transfer in the period from 410 to 590 CE. The volume brings together into a wider setting a wealth of previous international research on episcopal strategies for dealing with crises of various kinds. Six broad categories of crisis are identified and analysed: population displacement, natural disasters, religious disputes and religious violence, social abuses and the breakdown of the structures of dependence. Individual case-studies of episcopal management are provided for each of these categories. This is the first comprehensive treatment of crisis management in the late-antique world, and the first survey of episcopal letter-writing across the later Roman empire.

The theory of apokatastasis (restoration), most famously defended by the Alexandrian exegete, philosopher and theologian Origen, has its roots in both Greek philosophy and Jewish-Christian Scriptures and literature, and became a major theologico-soteriological doctrine in patristics. This monograph—the first comprehensive, systematic scholarly study of the history of the Christian apokatastasis doctrine—argues its presence and Christological and Biblical foundation in numerous Christian thinkers, including Syriac, and analyses its origins, meaning, and development over eight centuries, from the New Testament to Eriugena, the last patristic philosopher. Surprises await readers of this book, which results from fifteen years of research. For instance, they will discover that even Augustine, in his anti-Manichaean phase, supported the theory of universal restoration.

In Jerome and the Monastic Clergy, Andrew Cain provides the first full-scale commentary on the famous Letter to Nepotian, in which Jerome articulates his radical plan for imposing a strict ascetic code of conduct on the contemporary clergy. Cain comprehensively addresses stylistic, literary, historical, text-critical and other issues of interpretive interest. Accompanying the commentary is an introduction which situates the Letter in the broader context of its author’s life and work and exposes its fundamental propagandistic dimensions. The revised critical Latin text and the new facing-page translation will make the Letter more accessible than ever before and will provide a reliable textual apparatus for future scholarship on this key writing by one of the most prolific authors in Latin antiquity.

Pseudo-Cyril of Jerusalem's Coptic homily On the Life and the Passion of Christ is in fact a collection of apocryphal stories. Roelof van den Broek offers a critical edition of this text, with introduction, translation and notes. The text provides information about the worldly crafts of the apostles and Jesus' external appearance; it also contains a peculiar chronology of Holy Week (implying that Jesus was arrested on Tuesday evening) and a long story about Pilate’s role in the trial of Jesus. The latter contains, int. al., letters by Pilate and Herod, discussions between Pilate and Jesus during a dinner they had together, and a description of the dreams of Pilate and his wife Procla and their explanation by Jesus.

The seventh book of the Stromateis is the culmination of Clement of Alexandria's ethic. Introduced as an apology of the piety of the perfect Christian (the 'gnostic'), it broaches such topics as divine pedagogy, angelology, superstition, prayer, assimilation to God, martyrdom, eschatology, and the criteria of orthodoxy. This volume contains sixteen studies dealing with all major themes of the seventh book and the method of their presentation. It includes a Clementine bibliography of the last fifteen years and two appendices concerned with Clement's 'Hymn to Christ the Saviour.' The publication may serve as a companion to the reader of Stromateis VII and as a compendium of contemporary scholarship dealing with major aspects of Clement's thought in general.

Augustine’s ideas of sinful desire, including its sexual manifestations, have fueled controversies for centuries. In Augustine and the Functions of Concupiscence, Timo Nisula analyses Augustine’s own theological and philosophical concerns in his extensive writings about evil desire (concupiscentia, cupiditas, libido).
Beginning with a terminological survey of the vocabulary of desire, the book demonstrates how the concept of evil desire was tightly linked with Augustine’s fundamental theological views of divine justice, the origin of evil, Christian virtues and grace.
This book offers a comprehensive account of Augustine’s developing views of concupiscence and provides an innovative, in-depth picture of the theological imagination behind disputed ideas of sex, temptation and moral responsibility.

This is a critical edition of texts of Codex 573 (ninth century, Monastery of Metamorphosis, Meteora, Greece), which are published along with the monograph identifying The Real Cassian, in the same series. They cast light on Cassian the Sabaite, a sixth century highly erudite intellectual, whom Medieval forgery replaced with John Cassian. The texts are of high philological, theological, and philosophical value, heavily pregnant with notions characteristic of eminent Greek Fathers, especially Gregory of Nyssa. They are couched in a distinctly technical Greek language, which has a meaningful record in Eastern patrimony, but mostly makes no sense in Latin, which is impossible to have been their original language. The Latin texts currently attributed to John Cassian, the Scythian of Marseilles, are heavily interpolated translations of this Greek original by Cassian the Sabaite, native of Scythopolis, who is identified with Pseudo-Caesarius and the author of Pseudo Didymus' De Trinitate. Codex 573, entitled The Book of Monk Cassian, preserves also the sole extant manuscript of the Scholia in Apocalypsin, the chain of comments that were falsely attributed to Origen a century ago. A critical edition of these Scholia has been published in a separate edition volume, with commentary and an English translation (Cambridge).

This is a critical analysis of texts included in Codex 573 (ninth century, Monastery of Metamorphosis, Meteora, Greece), which are published along with the present volume, in the same series. The Codex, entitled ‘The Book of Monk Cassian the Roman’, reveals a sixth-century heretofore unknown intellectual, namely, Cassian the Sabaite, native of Scythopolis, being its real author. By means of Medieval forgery, he has been eclipsed by a figment currently known as ‘John Cassian of Marseilles’, native of Scythia. Exploration reveals critical aspects of the interplay between Hellenism and Christianity, the Origenism and pseudo-Origenism of the sixth century, and Christian influence upon Neoplatonism in Late Antiquity. Cassian the Sabaite is probably the last great representative of a prolonged fruitful autumn of Late Antique Christian scholarship, who saw Hellenism as a treasured patrimony to draw on, rather than as a demon to be exorcised -which resulted in his ‘second death’(Rev. 2,11). Two edition volumes are now being published along with the present monograph. One, A Newly Discovered Greek Father, Cassian the Sabaite Eclipsed by John Cassian of Marseilles (folia 1r-118v). Two, An Ancient Commentary on the Book of Revelation: A Critical Edition of the Scholia in Apocalypsin. These Scholia were falsely attributed to Origen a century ago, but their real author is Cassian the Sabaite mainly drawing on a lost commentary on the Apocalypse by Didymus the Blind, as well as on Origen, Theodoret, Clement of Alexandria, Irenaeus, and others (folia 210v-290r).

Examining the usage of the term ἐνυπόστατος both in the trinitarian debates before Chalcedon and especially the Christological ones afterwards, this study illustrates the gradual, yet profound change in its meaning initiated by Leontius of Byzantium: In distinguishing between the hypostasis and the ἐνυπόστατον Leontius initiates a crucial shift in that an ἐνυπόστατον is no longer straightforwardly considered as a proper, independent hypostasis of its own, but as something realized in a hypostasis which is by no means necessarily endowed with a hypostasis of its own. This technical discussion of the term is accompanied by an attempt at classifying the entirety of the different usages it keeps on displaying despite its Christian theological origin and its outstanding importance during the post-chalcedonian Christological debates.

The doctrine on grace, one of the most discussed themes in his later years, was regarded by Augustine as the very core of Christianity. This book traces the gradual crystallisation of this teaching, including its unacceptable consequences (such as double predestination, inherited guilt which deserves eternal punishment, and its transmission through libidinous procreation). How did the reader of Cicero and “the books of the Platonists” reach the ideas that appear in his polemic against Julian (and which remind one of Freud rather than the Stoics or Plotinus)? That is the point of departure of this book. It surely cannot be expected that there is a definite answer to the question; rather, the aim is to follow and understand the development.

The status of the Christian Old Testament as originally Hebrew scripture had certain theoretical implications for many early Christians. While they based their exegesis on Greek translations and considered the LXX inspired in its own right, the Fathers did acknowledge the Hebrew origins of their Old Testament and in some ways defined their Bible accordingly. Hebrew scripture exerted its influence on patristic biblical theory especially in regard to issues of the canon, language, and text of the Bible. For many Fathers, only documents thought to be originally composed in Hebrew could be considered canonical, the Hebrew language was considered the primordial language subsequently confined to Israel, and the LXX, as the most faithful translation, corresponded precisely to the Hebrew text.

The mystery of lost, apocryphal Jewish-Christian gospels has intrigued scholars for centuries. Scholars have also debated whether the Ebionites with their low Christology or the more “orthodox” Nazarenes are the genuine successors of the early Jerusalem church. This book provides a fresh assessment of the patristic sources and the scholarly theories on the number and contents of Jewish-Christian gospels. A new approach, the study of indicators of Jewish-Christian profiles, shows the artificial nature of the church fathers’ heretical discourse, bringing forth previously neglected connections between various Jewish-Christian movements. This book also challenges the widely accepted theory of three Jewish-Christian gospels bringing the Gospel of the Hebrews closer to its synoptic cousins—not, however, as a witness of the earliest Jesus traditions but as a post-synoptic composition.

This volume is a further continuation of the annotated bibliographies on the writings and thought of the Jewish exegete and philosopher Philo of Alexandria prepared by Roberto Radice and David Runia for the years 1937–1986 published in 1988 and by David Runia for the years 1987–1996 published in 2000. Prepared with the collaboration of the International Philo Bibliography Project, it contains a complete listing of all scholarly writings on Philo for the period 1997 to 2006. Part One lists texts, translations, commentaries etc. (58 items). Part Two contains critical studies (1024 items). In part Three additional works for the years 1987–1996 are presented (42 items). In all cases a brief description of the contents of the contribution is given. Seven indices, including a detailed Index of subjects, complete the work.

This collection of essays approaches the role of demons and the devil in ancient and medieval Christianity from a variety of scholarly perspectives: historical, philosophical, and theological as well as philological, liturgical, and theoretical. In the opening article Gerd Theissen presents a wide-ranging overview of the role of the devil, spanning the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and patristic literature. The contributions that follow address texts on the devil, demons, and evil, and are drawn from ancient philosophy, the New Testament, early Christian apologetics, hagiography, and history. Covering primarily the patristic period, the volume also contains articles on medieval sources. The introduction discusses the different angles of approach found in the articles in an effort to shed fresh light on this familiar but also uniquely troubling theme.

These proceedings present the results of the 11th International Colloquium on Gregory of Nyssa held in Tübingen in 2008. The Trinitarian thought of Gregory deserves special attention because of its importance for the ending of the Trinitarian controversy in the late fourth century, paving the way for the widely accepted Trinitarian theology in the fifth century. This volume (which does not include Contra Eunomium) offers a contribution to the research on Gregory's Trinitarian theology as it is present notably in his so-called minor treatises. It provides a German translation of Ad Eustathium, Ad Graecos, Ad Ablabium, Ad Simplicium, Adversus Macedonianos, and De deitate filii. Detailed analysis of each treatise is accompanied by supporting studies on related theological and philosophical themes, followed by contributions which take into consideration the link between Gregory's Trinitarian thought and the christological question (In illud tunc et ipse filius, the anti-Apollinarist works).

Over the last decades, Eusebius has been the focus of a great deal of attention. New light has been shed both on his writings and on his personality, which has led to a welcome re-assessment of his significance. As a result, he is no longer perceived as a mere compiler but as a powerful author who largely contributed to the construction of the orthodox Church's triumphalism. This volume seeks to contribute to the ongoing re-evaluation of Eusebius as an active participant to the construction of late antique history, theology, and literature. The result is an interdisciplinary collection of articles by an international team of scholars who offer innovative papers on one of the most important late antique author.

Les traditions anciennes, antérieures au VIIIe siècle, sur le sort final de Marie forment un ensemble à la fois très étendu et fort complexe. Les traditions littéraires sur la dormition et l’assomption représentent une pièce majeure du dossier. Mais elles ne peuvent être situées et classées que si l'on considère également les traditions topologiques s’y rapportant. Le présent volume, qui complète celui publié en 1995 (Dormition et Assomption de Marie. Histoire des traditions anciennes), présente de manière définitive une recherche commencée en 1986. Dans ce recueil, un certain nombre de contributions, treize, parues à part du premier volume, entre 1992 et 2007, ont été regroupées. Ces différents travaux, corrigés et complétés, fournissent des apports fondamentaux, d'ordre littéraire comme d'ordre doctrinal : en particulier ceux relatifs à l’histoire de la recherche dans ce domaine, aux Vies de la Vierge et aux Apocalypses de la Vierge.

The ancient traditions before the VIIIth century concerning the final fate of Mary constitute a large and very complex group. The literary traditions on the dormition and the assumption represent the major part of this dossier. We can only situate and classify them if we also study their topological traditions. The present volume completes the volume published in 1995 (Dormition et Assomption de Marie. Histoire des traditions anciennes). It is the final result of a research started in 1986. In the current compilation we regroup thirteen contributions published between 1992 and 2007. These different articles, rectified and completed, present a fundamental contribution, literary and doctrinal: particularly those on the history of the research, the Lives of the Virgin and the Apocalypses of the Virgin.

This general survey of early Christian baptismal iconography and architecture integrates visual depictions and physical settings of baptism with textual evidence for its practice and purpose. An opening overview of pictorial art (paintings, relief sculpture, mosaics, and ivories) prompts questions about components of the actual ritual which are treated in the literary sources. The study’s second half considers selected baptismal structures, examining the symbolism, purpose, and possible meaning of their spatial design and decorative programs. In most instances the synthesis of documentary and material evidence is enriching and complementary. However, even when physical and textual data diverge, their discontinuity demonstrates the variability of ritual performance and the perennial distinction between ideal and actual practice..

Basil of Caesarea’s debate with Eunomius of Cyzicus in the early 360s marks a turning point in the fourth-century Trinitarian controversies. It shifted focus to methodological and epistemological disputes underlying theological differences. This monograph explores one of these fundamental points of contention: the proper theory of names. It offers a revisionist interpretation of Eunomius’s theory as a corrective to previous approaches, contesting the widespread assumption that it is indebted to Platonist sources and showing that it was developed by drawing upon proximate Christian sources. While Eunomius held that names uniquely predicated of God communicated the divine essence, in response Basil developed a “notionalist” theory wherein all names signify primarily notions and secondarily properties, not essence.

Recent research has made a strong case for the view that Early Christian communities, sociologically considered, functioned as voluntary religious associations. This is similar to the practice of many other cultic associations in the Greco-Roman world of the first century CE. Building upon this new approach, along with a critical interpretation of all available sources, this book discusses the social and religio-historical background of the weekly gatherings of Christians and presents a fresh reconstruction of how the weekly gathering originated and developed in both form and content. The topics studied here include the origins of the observance of Sunday as the weekly Christian feast-day, the shape and meaning of the weekly gatherings of the Christian communities, and the rise of customs such as preaching, praying, singing, and the reading of texts in these meetings.

Clement of Alexandria (c.150–215 CE) is one of the most significant theologians of the second-century, and his work is still the subject of intense academic debate. This book provides a new perspective on Clement’s thought, through a critical examination of the work of one of his critics, Photios (c.820–893 CE). Photios, the Patriarch of Constantinople, based his critique on Clement’s (now lost) treatise ‘Hypotyposeis’, claiming the work contained eight ‘heresies’. The book examines each ‘error’ listed in the 109th codex of Photios’ ‘Bibliotheca’ in depth, using evidence from Clement’s existing work to consider the likely accuracy of Photios’ critique. Focusing on these eight ‘heresies’ offers a unique opportunity to illuminate what in terms of post-Nicene orthodoxy are Clement’s most problematic opinions, setting them in the context of their original philosophical and theological frame.

The ‘Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae’ series was launched in 1987 with the publication of Tertullianus, De Idololatria, a critical text with translation and commentary by J.H. Waszink and J.C.M. van Winden (partly based on a manuscript left behind by P.G. van der Nat). It seems appropriate, therefore, that the 100th volume to appear in the ‘Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae’ series should be an updated reprint of J.H. Waszink’s monumental and authoritative edition of Tertullian’s De Anima. This volume contains the complete contents of the first edition, to which we have added a brief overview of J.H. Waszink’s scholarly career, an English translation of the greater part of the introduction to his German translation of De Anima of 1980 and a list of corrections authorized by him.

The Brill Dictionary of Gregory of Nyssa is the fruit of wide-ranging collaboration between experts in Philology, Philosophy, History and Theology. These scholars shared the desire to develop a comprehensive reference work that would help attract more people to the tudy of the 'Father of Fathers' and assist them in their work. Gregory of Nyssa's thought is at once quintessentially classic and modern, as it speaks directly to the contemporary reader. As interest in Gregory has increased along with the number of works devoted to him, the need for a comprehensive introduction and bibliographical reference work has arisen. In order to meet this need, more than forty scholars from various disciplines and perspectives have contributed to this work. In two hundred articles, the Brill Dictionary of Gregory of Nyssa provides a symphonic vision of the studies on Gregory of Nyssa and his thought.

In the popular imagination Martha has become synonymous with the harried housewife, fretting over excessive preparations. The Martha known to early Christians is far removed from this stereotype. Martha was better known for her role in the story of the raising of Lazarus and as apostle and witness of the resurrection. This book gathers and assesses the early traditions about Martha in text, liturgy and iconography. It shows that the significance of Martha has been seriously underestimated and recovers an important and widespread tradition of Martha as apostle and authority figure for early Christians. The analysis of Martha traditions with attention to issues of gender and authority render this book an important contribution to studies on women in early Christianity.

While the diversity of early Christian thought and practice is now generally assumed, and the experiences and beliefs of Christians beyond the works of great theologians increasingly valued, the question of God is perennial and fundamental. These essays, individually modest in scope, seek to address that largest of questions using particular issues and problems, or single thinkers and distinct texts. They include studies of doctrine and theology as traditionally conceived, but also of understandings of God among the early Christians that emerge from study of liturgy, art, and asceticism, and in relation to the social order and to nature itself.

This book discusses the occurrence of angelic imagery in early Christian discourse about the Holy Spirit. Taking as its entry-point Clement of Alexandria’s less explored writings, Excerpta ex Theodoto, Eclogae propheticae, and Adumbrationes, it shows that Clement’s angelomorphic pneumatology occurs in tandem with spirit christology, within a theological framework still characterized by a binitarian orientation. This complex theological articulation, supported by the exegesis of specific biblical passages (Zech 4: 10; Isa 11 : 2-3; Matt 18:10), reworks Jewish and Christian traditions about the seven first-created angels, and constitutes a relatively widespread phenomenon in early Christianity. Evidence to support this claim is presented in the course of separate studies of Revelation, the Shepherd of Hermas, Justin Martyr, and Aphrahat.

The formula ‘one incarnate nature of the Word of God’ has often been depicted as a summary of Cyril of Alexandria’s (ca 378-444) christology. But no systematic study into his christological works has been published. Besides, there is no consensus regarding the meaning of the key terms and expressions in these works. This book addresses this deficiency by an integral investigation of the archbishop’s christological writings during the first two years of the Nestorian controversy, and comes to the conclusion that his christology is basically dyophysite. This re-appraisal of his christology bears on the understanding of the Council of Chalcedon and on contemporary ecumenical relations, especially those between the Eastern Orthodox and the Oriental Orthodox.

The Stromateis of Clement of Alexandria (c.150-215 CE) has received much scholarly debate over whether it can be accorded the role of the third and highest phase of his pedagogy. This was a treatise that promised an account of the true philosophy of Christ set down for Christians seeking higher knowledge of doctrine. This book takes a new approach to deciphering the nature and purpose of these enigmatic books concentrating on the close relationship between method and doctrine, and the number and sequence of the texts as they have come down to us. The outcome is a concise summary of current scholarship on Clement’s method and a fresh picture of how he applies it to the transmission of esoteric doctrines.

Leo the Great was a major figure of the late Roman world whose life and work were profoundly intertwined with the political crisis of his day. As the western empire gradually succumbed to the advancing barbarian kingdoms, Leo understood that the papacy needed to expand its authority in order for the church to survive the demise of the political system. This book argues that his achievement was to transform the church not only in the practical level of administrative organization, but in the more fluid realm of thought and idea. The secular Rome that was crumbling was replaced with a Christian, universal Rome that he fashioned by infusing his theology with humanitarian ideals.

This work examines the role played by the biblical motif of the despoliation of Egypt in the understanding Gentiles had of Jews, and how Jews defended themselves, their heroes and their God in the face of anti-Jewish slander. It also examines the manner in which Christians learned from their rabbinic counterparts how to defend Moses and his God against the gnostic challenge. Beginning with Philo and based on haggadic additions, the embarrassment of the episode was 'healed' through allegory and became a critically important biblical justification for the Christian appropriation of the 'Egyptian treasures' of their Greco-Roman cultural heritage. This work describes how Christians borrowed exegetical traditions from rabbis not only to defend their sacred texts against gnostic attacks but to justify their interest in and appropriation of non-Christian philosophy in their theological understandings.

Scholarship on Irenaeus has long acknowledged the centrality of creation to his theology, yet without fitting this theme securely into the Christological vision of Christ the ‘Recapitulator’. Studies have considered elements of Irenaeus’ cosmology and anthropology in extraction; but without seeing creation as an intrinsic part of his Christocentric vision, these have only partially been able to capture the intricacy and significance of his embrace of the creation saga. Drawing on the most recent Irenaean scholarship, the present volume explores in detail the Christocentric cosmology of one of the second century’s greatest writers, setting him in the context of the theological currents of his day. The result is a volume that offers new insights into the trinitarian articulation of early Christianity, the full significance of humanity as bearing God’s ‘image’, and a fuller reading of the details behind the title, ‘Irenaeus the creationist’.

When Hilary of Poitiers was exiled from his native Poitiers in Gaul to Cappadocia, his entire theological sensibility changed. The Latin bishop, schooled in the tradition of Tertullian and Novatian, became a full-throated participant in the Trinitarian controversies of his time.
This book offers a new reading of Hilary’s Trinitarian theology that takes into account the historical context of Hilary’s thought. It first examines this context and the course of Hilary’s engagement with his Homoian opponents. It then turns to the key themes of Hilary’s theology as he worked them out in that context. The result is a work that not only helps clarify Hilary’s theology, but that offers new insight into the Trinitarian controversies as a whole.

During the four centuries of its existence (ca. 165–550), Montanism, an early-Christian prophetic movement, stirred up considerable controversy. Known to its adherents as the ‘New Prophecy,’ its opponents viewed it as a ‘fake prophecy’ with ‘polluted sacraments.’ Accused of introducing novelty and heresy into Christianity. Montanism, in the post-Constantinian era, was also persecuted by Christian emperors.

This book identifies all known opponents of Montanism, analyzes and classifies the various charges leveled against Montanism, and describes the methods used to counteract and ultimately destroy the movement. Also described are the ways in which the Montanists reacted to the opposition against them, revealing that the picture painted of the New Prophecy by its opponents was grossly distorted.

Fake Prophecy and Polluted Sacraments provides an insightful case-study of the treatment of a minority Christian movement by Church and State both before and after ‘catholic’ Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire.

St Jerome (ca. 347-419), translator and prolific commentator on the Old Testament, left a lasting and controversial mark on the history of biblical scholarship through his radical return to the hebraica veritas, the 'Hebrew truth.' Yet, the extent of Jerome’s Hebrew knowledge has been debated, and the actual role of Hebrew in Jerome’s biblical exegesis has been little explored. This book shows how Jerome’s Hebrew philology developed out of his training in classical literary studies, describes the nature of Jerome’s command of Hebrew in light of his historical context and his use of Jewish sources, and explains how Jerome used Hebrew scholarship in his biblical interpretation. Jerome emerges as a competent Hebraist, limited by his context, yet producing work of enduring significance.

Given the concept of salvation through knowledge in Valentinian Gnosis, which is basically anti-materialist, one would not expect concrete physical rituals to play a large role in its practice. The Nag Hammadi Gospel of Philip is widely recognized as a Valentinian text, yet it contains portions of a treatise on the value of baptism, anointing, and the eucharist. The text, which arguably comes from the end of the second century, presents the first developed theory and justification of these sacraments in Early Christianity. The present study reconstructs this theory from the fragmentary text and considers its consequences for the organization of the community. Thus, the book is also an attempt to address the problem of institutionalization in early Christian communities.

This volume investigates various exegetical possibilities in Christian Latin poetry during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. In the Latin West poetry was mainly associated with the powerful pagan tradition of writers like Vergil and Ovid, and by many poetry was considered to tell lies and provide mere entertainment potentially corrupting the soul. Therefore, Christians initially had reservations about this genre and believed it to be incompatible with Christian worship, literacy and intellectual activity. In practice, however, forms of specifically Christian poetry developed from the end of the third century onwards; theoretical reconciliations were developed around 400 A.D. This collection examines specimens of Christian poetry from Juvencus (the first biblical epicist shortly after 300) up to the thirteenth century. Its particular usefulness lies in the combination of literary theory and hermeneutics, close readings of the texts and new readings on a sound philological basis.

Why is it that when we speak of three human subjects, we speak of a unique nature, but we say that they are “three men”, while when we speak of the Trinity, we speak again of a unique nature, but we say that they are “one God”? Gregory of Nyssa gives the answer in his Ad Ablabium, work that lately is the focus of a discussion about the interpretation of Gregory’s thought and the social analogy of the Trinity. Trinity and Man is the first monograph devoted entirely to this tract and contributes to the debate, offering a commentary to the text, which follows the development of the Nyssian arguments and frames them in the context of Gregory’s theological grammar.

A common accusation made against Origen is that he dissolves history into intellectual abstraction and that his eschatology (if this is recognized at all) is notoriously obscure. In this new work, the author draws on an impressive range of bibliography to consider Origen’s Philosophy of History and Eschatology in the widest context of facts, documents and streams of thought, including Classical and Late Antiquity Greek Philosophy, Gnosticism, Hebraism and Patristic Thought, both before Origen and well after his death. Against claims that he causes history to evaporate into barren idealism, his thought is shown to be firmly grounded on his particular vision of historical occurences. Confronting assertions that Origen has no eschatological ideas, his eschatology is shown rather to have made a distinctive mark throughout his works, both explicitly and tacitly.
In Origen’s view, history was the foundation of scriptural interpretation, a teleological process determined by factors and functions such as providence – prophecy – promise – expectation – realization – anticipation – faith – anticipation – hope – awaiting for – fulfilment – end. Since 1986, the author has argued for the unpopular thesis that Origen is, in many respects, an anti-Platonist. Nevertheless, the author casts light upon the Aristotelian rationale of Origen’s doctrine of apokatastasis, arguing that its validity is bolstered by ontological rather than historical premises. The extent of Origen’s influence upon what is currently regarded as ‘orthodoxy’ turns out to be far wider and more profound than has hitherto been acknowledged.

The volume contains the contributions presented during the 10th International Colloquium on Gregory of Nyssa, Contra Eunomium II, held in Olomouc, the Czech Republic, on September 15-18, 2004. It is organized into four major sections: (I) Two papers (Th. Kobusch, B. Studer) that contextualize the main problematic of the Second Book Against Eunomius – the theory of language and the problem of naming God – from a broader philosophical and theological perspective; (II) a new English translation of the text (S. G. Hall); (III) a series of main papers providing commentary on its passages (Th. Böhm, M. Ludlow, Ch. Apostolopoulos, A. Meredith, J. Zachhuber, L. Karfíková, J. S. O’Leary, V. H. Drecoll); and (IV) numerous short essays discussing related philosophical (E. Moutsopoulos, G. Arabatzis, J. Demetracopoulos, L. Chvátal, Th. Alexopoulos, G. Lekkas, T. Tollefsen), as well as theological (T. Dolidze, S. Douglass, A. Ojell, A.-G. Keidel, T. Aptsiauri, J. Rexer) issues.

This book gathers 37 letters of St Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335-394), translated into English, some for the first time, and equipped with up-to-date scholarly notes.
It begins with a biography focusing on Gregory’s family background and young adulthood. A study of Gregory the letter writer follows, with a dateline of the letters. Three sub-collections of letters follow: 1. ‘Prelude’ comprising testimonia from Basil and Gregory Nazianzen, 2. ‘The Pasquali Collection’, the 30 letters established by G. Pasquali, 3. ‘Supplementary’, one letter always known as Gregory’s, five letters reassigned to Gregory by scholars, and a new one proposed by the author for reassignment. A specially commissioned icon, an original map, and two architectural sketches are included.
This book will both stimulate veteran scholars in the Cappadocian Fathers and early Christianity, and serve English speaking lovers of the Fathers who do not have ready access to the sources in other languages.

The Maccabean Martyrs, Jewish heroes from the era of the persecution of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, were incorporated into the IVth century Christian martyrology. Two Church Fathers, Gregory Nazianzen and John Chrysostom wrote panegyrics in their honour, which are studied and translated in this book.
The first part shows how, since the beginning, the Church referred to these martyrs as biblical examples known through 2 and 4 Maccabees. The second part describes, through the eulogies of Gregory and John, the circumstances surrounding the creation of the Christian Feast. The third part analyzes the preaching built around the story of the Maccabean martyrs, where, following the 4 M model, Eleazar, the seven brothers and their mother are established as examples of virtue and asceticism for the edification of all Christians.
The book investigates an original aspect of the cult of martyrs : the christianisation of jewish martyrs killed defending the Law, and sheds light on the sometimes contradictory preaching choices of Gregory and John to respond to the jewish roots of this cult.
***
Les martyrs Maccabées, héros juifs de la persécution d’Antiochus IV Epiphane, furent intégrés dans le martyrologe chrétien au IVè siècle. À la même époque, en Orient, deux Pères de l’Eglise, Grégoire de Nazianze et Jean Chrysostome, ont prononcé des discours panégyriques en leur honneur, étudiés et traduits dans ce livre.
La première partie montre comment, depuis l’origine, l’Eglise citait comme exemples bibliques ces martyrs connus par le Deuxième et le Quatrième livre des Maccabées. La deuxième partie décrit, au travers des panégyriques de Grégoire et de Jean, les circonstances qui ont marqué l’instauration de la fête chrétienne dédiée à ces martyrs. La troisième partie analyse la prédication adressée aux fidèles à partir de l’épisode maccabéen, Eléazar, les sept frères et leur Mère devenant, sur le modèle de 4 M, des exemples de vertus et d’ascèse proposés à l’imitation de tous.
Le livre explore ainsi un aspect original du culte des martyrs, la christianisation de martyrs juifs morts pour la défense de la Loi, et met en lumière les choix de prédication, parfois opposés, de Grégoire et de Jean face à l’enracinement juif de ce culte.

There can be no doubt that there is a link between early Christian statements on human dignity and the corresponding modern concept, as it appears ever more frequently in current bioethical debates. This study attempts to throw light on the surprisingly complex process of the emergence of such a Christian concept of human dignity in antiquity and portrays it as a process governed by contradictions and antagonisms: between biblical and platonic anthropology; between a platonic and a stoic perception of humanity; between gnostic and antignostic cosmology; between biblically based criticism of human culture on the one hand and heilsgeschichtlichem cultural optimism on the other hand; between Greek and Roman thinking. This history of the idea of the “dignity of man” is being recounted taking into consideration the complex matrix of Christian theory and practice (including issues such as worship, contraception and abortion), piety and theological reflection, ethics, liturgy and theological as well as cutural anthropology.

***

Bei dieser Studie handelt es sich um den Versuch einer zusammenfassenden Darstellung der christlich-antiken Auseinandersetzung mit der Würde des menschlichen Lebens Diese wird nicht nur gegenwärtig etwa in der Bioethik wieder kontrovers diskutiert, sondern ist auch in der Antike ein Feld philosophischer und theologischer Überlegungen gewesen. Volp fragt, inwieweit sich in den Schriften der antiken christlichen Denker die Vorstellung einer mit einer besonderen Würde ausgestatteten gemein-menschlichen Natur findet, die Menschen von Tieren und von belebter und unbelebter Materie unterscheidet, und wie diese Natur gefaßt und begründet wird. Ausgehend von der These, daß diese Überlegungen nicht nur Auswirkungen auf die ethische und religiöse Praxis der Alten Kirche hatten, sondern umgekehrt auch entscheidend von ihr geprägt wurden, konzentriert sich die Arbeit nicht nur auf die theoretischen Äußerungen der Kirchenväter, sondern bezieht ethische Konkretionen (Schwangerschaftsabbruch, Umgang mit Menschen mit Behinderungen, Krieg) und den christlichen Kult mit in die Untersuchung ein. Zum Vorschein kommt ein überraschend komplexes Bild einer alles andere als selbstverständlichen geistesgeschichtlichen Entwicklung, deren Folgen bis in die heutige Zeit nachwirken.

Pontius Meropius Paulinus (ca 353-431), one of the greatest poets of Late Latin Poetry and author of an important correspondence, was born in a wealthy family of the Gallo-Roman aristocracy in Bordeaux. After his spectacular conversion to asceticism and his sacerdotal ordination, he set up definitively as a monk in Italy, in Campanian Nola besides the tomb of St. Felix.
There, Paulinus devoted his considerable fortune to the restructuring of the monumental complex which has appeared around this holy place, since the early years of the fourth century and mainly a church.
This book is a literary and spiritual study of the description of this complex (carm. 27 and 28 and epist. 32), an other way of edification (the edification of the soul in temple for her creator.) A careful comparison with archaeological testimonies must help estimate the status of Paulinus’monumental descriptions.
***
Pontius Meropius Paulinus (vers 353-431), un des plus grands poètes de l’Antiquité tardive, auteur d’une importante correspondance, est issu d’une riche famille de l’aristocratie bordelaise. Après sa conversion spectaculaire à l’ascétisme et son ordination sacerdotale, il vint s’installer définitivement en tant que moine à Nole en Campanie auprès de la tombe de saint Félix.
Là Paulin consacra sa fortune considérable à la restructuration du complexe monumental apparu autour de ce saint lieu, depuis les premières années du quatrième siècle, principalement une église.
Ce livre est une étude littéraire et spirituelle de la description de ce complexe (carm. 27 et 28; epist. 32), une autre sorte d’édification (celle de l’âme en temple pour son créateur). Une comparaison prudente avec les témoignages archéologiques permettra d’évaluer le statut des descriptions monumentales de Paulin.

Origen's Cosmology and Ontology of Time constitute a major catalyst and a massive transformation in the development of Christian doctrine. The author challenges the widespread impression about this theology being bowled head over heels by its encounter with Platonism, Gnosticism, or Neoplatonism, and casts new light on Origen's grasp of the relation between Hellenism, Hebrew thought and Christianity. Against all ancient and modern accounts, the ingrained claim that Origen sustained the theory of a beginningless world is disconfirmed. He is argued to be the anticipator and forerunner of critical notions, with his innovations never having been superseded. While some of the accounts afforded by subsequent Christian writers were more extended, they were not fuller. Of them, Augustine just fell short of even accurately echoing this Theory of Time, since he introduced affinity with Platonism at points where Origen had instituted a radical dissimilarity. With his background fruitfully brought into the study of these questions, Origen's propositions are genuine innovations, not mere advances, however massive.

This book studies one of the most striking chapters in the history of late antique monastic culture, provided by the monastic legacy of Gaza. A monastic intellectual community flourished in the region of Gaza from the fourth to the seventh century, producing a wealth of literary works. In this diverse and exciting literary corpus—especially in the unique correspondence between spiritual leaders and their clientele—matters that are usually only hinted at in monastic sources, are vividly portrayed. Distinct from the dry and matter-of-fact monastic instructions and the stereotypes of hagiography, this corpus exposes the psychological tensions, moods, frustrations, and elations in the daily existence of the monks, revealing them as creatures of flesh and blood. This book seeks to frame the historical development of this community and endeavours to analyze the spiritual and intellectual context of what may be termed the monastic school of Gaza. The legacy of this complex and thriving centre cuts across theological differences and boundaries. Shedding light on these neglected educated circles enhances and somewhat balances the overall historical picture of late antique ascetic culture and Palestinian Christianity.

While there has been substantial scholarly work done on the development of Christian doctrine in the fourth and fifth centuries, very little corresponding attention has been paid to the writing of church history during this critical period. This work examines how authors began to construct the historical narrative of the “Arian” controversy and focuses on the interplay between theology and worshipping communities. Major figures such as Eusebius and Athanasius are examined, and important but overlooked figures such as an anonymous non-Nicene chronicler and Philostorgius are also included.
In the introduction the book surveys recent developments in the study of “Arianism” and discusses the usefulness of the very category of an “Arian controversy.” Subsequent chapters set forth the thesis that church histories are important sources for understanding the development of doctrine. A chapter is devoted to Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History, especially the oft-overlooked Book X. Further chapters explore the role of Rufinus as the first extant author to write a continuation of Eusebius. The work also consciously includes marginalized non-Nicene sources, and there are chapters which examine an anonymous non-Nicene chronicler and the Ecclesiastical History of the Eunomian Philostorgius of Borissus.
The book is particularly useful for persons interested in examining the development of doctrine in the fourth century from fresh perspectives. The work approaches church histories as narrative myths of community origins produced by worshipping communities standing in continuity to local schools of thought.

The book illuminates “the other side” of early Christianity by examining thinkers and movements that were embraced by many second-century religious seekers as legitimate forms of Christianity, but which are now largely forgotten, or are known only from the characteristics attributed to them in the writings of their main adversaries.
The collection deals with the following teachers and movements: Basilides, Sethianism, Valentinus’ school, Marcion, Tatian, Bardaisan, Montanists, Cerinthus, Ebionites, Nazarenes, Jewish-Christianity of the Pseudo-Clementines, and Elchasites.
Where appropriate, the authors have included an overview of the life and significant publications of the “heretics,” along with a description of their theologies and movements. Therefore, this volume can serve as a handbook of the second-century “heretics” and their “heresies.” Since all the chapters have been written by specialists who wrestle daily with their research themes, the contributions also offer new perspectives and insights stimulating further discussion on this fascinating—but often neglected—side of early Christianity.

This study addresses the philosophical context of the Mystagogy of Maximus the Confessor. It examines how the Byzantine monk integrates Neoplatonist topics when exposing one of the most important feature of his religious conception of the physical world or cosmology.
The volume contains three chapters. The first one compares the purpose of the Mystagogy and the program of the philosophical training in late Antiquity. The second consists of two parts : (1) study of the use of the Aristotelian categories of 'when' and 'where' in the 'Ambiguum 10' of Maximus in order to analyse the status of ecclesiastical architecture and the nature of the liturgical 'synaxis' of the church (chapter 3); (2) study of the development of the categories of space and time in the works of the Neoplatonist Greek commentators of Plato and Aristotle such as Jamblichus, Proclus, Simplicius and Damascius. The third chapter offers the first extended examination of the metaphysical status of the 'ecclesia' and its dynamic activity compared to the metaphysical status of space and time required for the explanation of the Neoplatonist physical world system. Henceforth, the 'ecclesia' of the Mystagogy can be considered as the type of the providential action of God.
This book provides many important new perspectives for reading the works of Maximus the Confessor, especially the Mystagogy, not only for theologians, but also for scholars interested in late Antique and Byzantine philosophy.

Cette étude, consacrée au contexte philosophique de la Mystagogie de Maxime le Confesseur, examine comment le moine byzantin intègre certains concepts tirés du Néoplatonisme quand il expose les plus importantes lignes de sa conception religieuse du monde physique. Ce volume contient trois chapitres. Le premier compare l'objectif de la Mystagogie et le programme philosophique des écoles de l'Antiquité tardive.
Le second comporte deux parties : (1) une étude de l'emploi des catégories 'quand' et 'où' dans l'Ambiguum 10' de Maxime avec pour objectif l'analyse du statut de l'architecture ecclésiale et l'analyse de la nature de la synaxe liturgique (chapitre 3); (2) une étude du développement des catégories de lieu et de temps dans les Oeuvres des Commentateurs néoplatoniciens de Platon et d'Aristote, tels Jamblique, Proclus, Simplicius et Damascius. Le troisième chapitre offre la première étude approfondie du statut métaphysique et dynamique de l'ecclesia compare au statut métaphysique du lieu et du temps requis par l'explication néoplatonicienne du monde physique.
L'ecclesia de la Mystagogie sera ainsi considerée comme le type de l'action providentielle de Dieu dans le monde créé. Ce livre fournit une nouvelle perspective de lecture des Oeuvres de Maxime le Confesseur et devrait intéresser tant les théologiens que les scientifiques consacrant leurs travaux à l'Antiquité tardive et à la philosophie byzantine.

In 1904, Ed.-Ch. Babut issued a new edition of the important Decretale Ad Gallos episcopos with the help of a second manuscript of the canonical “collection of St. Maur”. He attributed it to Pope Damasus (366-384), and not to Sirice (384-398). Nevertheless, he did ignore the existence of the ancestor of the two previous manuscripts and of an other collection, materialized today by two fragmented manuscripts. This new edition of the Decretale is updated with the help of all the existing traditions and brings significant improvements.
The attribution to Damasus, discussed throughout the 20th century is here confirmed through another method than Babut's. The survey of the content, the texts of the holy scripture used, and argumentation make possible the identification of the influence of Jerome who was the secretary of Damasus in 382-384. He was the only man using specific bible texts or specific expressions present in this Decretale.
In spite of his wish to base all his decisions upon the Scripture and upon the Fathers' tradition (Nicée-Sardique), we discover in this decretale, focused essentially on the life of the blessed virgins and on the hiring process and life of the church, the strong assessment of the power of the “Sedes apostolica” and also of the necessity of a discipline policy, designed by the Church of Rome.

This volume deals with the episcopate of Cyril of Jerusalem (350 to 387). Its overall theme is the relationship between the city and its bishop and, in particular, Cyril’s efforts to promote Jerusalem as the Christian city par excellence, by employing Jerusalem’s religious symbols - the holy sites and the Cross. Apart from chapters on Jerusalem in the fourth century C.E. and on the life and works of Cyril, this study discusses important aspects and events of Cyril's episcopacy, such as his pastoral work as an urban bishop of the Jerusalem Christian community, Jerusalem’s liturgy, the rebuilding of the Temple, giving a re-interpretation of the Syriac letter ascribed to Cyril about this event, and Jerusalem’s and Palestine’s religious landscape.

This book is about the communicative purpose and the audience of the Confessions. It illuminates the degree to which the communicative purpose of the work is to convert its readers, i.e. a protreptic purpose, and the degree to which the target audience may be identified as Augustine's potential Manichaean readers. A brief survey of possible literary antecedents points to the existence of other works that consist of the same combination of an autobiographical section (a conversion story) with a polemical and exegetical section (an argument that aims to convince the reader of the merits of a specific point of view) that characterizes the Confessions. The book provides a new perspective on the meaning and structure of Augustine's often misunderstood masterpiece.

This volume thoroughly analyses the Neoplatonic sources and background of Gregory of Nyssa's eight Homilies on the Beatitudes according to the most preeminent themes: human virtue, knowledge of God and Self, negative theology, God's sublimity, ἀπάθεια and ὁμοιώσις, the mutual relationship of the virtues, the Logos as physician, the essence of beauty, the contemplation of the universe, unification.
The study complements the first commentary of the homilies published in Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae vol. 52 and provides a deep and rich mine of specialised knowledge in a field that is particularly important for the understanding of Gregory's thought.

This volume deals with how Christians of the first centuries looked back on the period of the nascent Church. Thanks to the incomparable stature of its founder, Jesus Christ, who had descended from heaven and commissioned his Apostles, this period was authorative for all Christians in matters of doctrine, institutions, rites and morality, a new phenomenon in the Graeco-Roman world. Its implications are explored in sixteen essays dealing with various subjects such as liturgy, the canon of Scriptures, the role of miracles, art, monasticism, and ministry. All contributions, taking into account both the views of individual Church fathers and Gnostic and Manichaean texts, make a large amount of primary material available.

This volume covers the geographical spread of Christianity in its first three centuries. It is arranged by continents - Asia, Europe and Africa - to show the gradual development of Christian communities down to the Council of Nicaea in 325. The area surveyed stretches from Wales to the borders of India, and from the Northern coasts of the Black Sea to the plains of Morocco. The result is a picture not only of the outward development of early Christianity but of the variety that existed within it as well.

This volume examines the biblical hermeneutics of Maximus the Confessor (579/580-662). Although some aspects of the Confessor's hermeneutical approach had already been tackled, a comprehensive analysis was still missing. Accordingly, this book fills a gap in Patristic studies.
The study consists of three chapters. The first one deals with the logoi theory of Maximus being the ontological nucleus around which his whole theological thinking is organized. The second chapter examines Maximus' understanding of mystical ascension. Equipped with the "ontological" and "mystical" foundation, the third chapter analyzes thoroughly the hermeneutics of Maximus as such, attempting to show its coherence and rootedness in the general christological perspective of the Confessor.
This book will be of benefit not only for byzantinists and patrologists, but also for biblical scholars interested in the history of hermeneutics and exegesis as well as for historians of philosophy and medieval ideas.

This volume reconstructs the contents of the library in Roman Palestine of Eusebius of Caesarea (ca. 265-339) by examining Eusebius’ major works, the Ecclesiastical History, Chronicon,Preparation for the Gospel, and Life of Constantine. After surveying the history of the library from its origins as an ecclesiastical archive and its true foundation by Origen of Alexandria to its disappearance in the seventh century, it discusses how Eusebius used his sources and then examines what specific works were available in the library in chapters devoted to philosophical works, poetry and rhetoric, histories, Jewish and Christian works, and contemporary documents. The book ends with a useful list of the contents of the library.

Proclus of Constantinople was an outstanding pulpit orator who established the rhetoric and rationale for the Byzantine devotion to the Mother of God. In this book, the critical editions of Proclus' most celebrated Marian sermons (Homilies 1-5) provide the point of departure for a far-reaching study of the rise of the Virgin's cult in Late Antiquity. The homilies are supported by a historical introduction to the life and work of Proclus, situating him within the larger religious culture of fifth-century Constantinople. Richly documented chapters explore the symbolism of the incarnation and virgin birth, including the notion of virginal "conception through hearing," and the image of Mary's womb as a textile loom wich weaves a veil of flesh the bodiless divinity.

The Paedagogus of Clement of Alexandria is almost completely preserved almost completely in a single manuscript, the famous Codex Arethae, copied in the second decade of the tenth century for Arethas, the Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia. The text was copied from an exemplar in poor shape, to the extent that the codex (P) is full of textual corruptions. Most of the first book of the Paedagogus is lost in P. For this part the author had to rely on two old apographs of P.
The only extant critical edition of the text was provided by Otto Stählin in 1905. Although in later editions (1936, 1972) corrections and additions were appended, the author was of the opinion that this predecessor was not attentive enough to the meaning of Clement's text and to the textual problems involved. As a result scholars still lack a reliable critical text of the treatise. Marcovich has tried to improve Stählin's remarkable edition by emending the transmitted text wherever it did not make sense, while relying on Clement's sources and on his lexicon and expression employed elsewhere in his opus.

The development of Early Christian rituals in connection with death and burial has so far not sufficiently been explored. Volp’s study focuses on the surviving literary sources—both pagan and Christian—, together with inscriptions and other archaeological remains while taking into account recent results from science and humanities. A summary of death and ritual in the ancient Mediterranean religions is followed by detailed analyses of the Christian sources from the 2nd to the 5th century. Thus, basic developments are being discovered which led to and accompanied the forming of Christian rituals, such as ritual purity or the social structure of family and society. Being the first such interdisciplinary approach, it also represents the first monographic work on the topic since 1941.

This volume addresses the question of the Apostle Paul's literary and theological influences on Polycarp of Smyrna. To this end, the most detailed analysis in print of Polycarp's dependence on earlier literature--both biblical and extra-biblical--is undertaken in the first part of the book. This general analysis forms the basis for the study of three questions:
1) Is Polyarp an imitator of Paul?
2) Whom does Polycarp think is the author of the Pastoral Epistles?
3) To what degree is Polycarp influenced by the theology of Paul?
This volume will be of particular interest to anyone studying the Apostolic Fathers, the reception of Paul in the second century, the concept of imitation, and the authorship of the Pastoral Epistles.

This volume treats the concepts of revelation, truth, canon, and interpretation as four pillars of early Christian theology. Using Justin Martyr as a case-study, his "Dialogue with Trypho" is examined with a view toward discerning how a second century Christian father understands and develops these concepts. Justin's intellectual background is discussed within the nuanced context of Middle Platonism. Particular attention is paid to his use of biblical sources which is grounded in the foundational chapter on revelation in Justin. Justin is placed within the wider context of theological developments in pre-Nicene Christianity, and includes a warning against judging Justin by anachronistic post-Nicene developments.

This book seeks to determine the origins of preaching in Christianity, and to trace its history before Origen.
On the basis of a examination of the external evidence for Christian preaching before Origen and of cognate activities in the ancient world which might have influenced Christian practice, and on the basis of a narrative hypothesis on the nature of the development of Christianity, a history is traced by which prophecy gives way to Scripture as the primitive Christian oikos becomes the oikos theou. The homily is seen to emerge from the practice of submitting prophecy to judgement and application, which comes to employ Scripture and in time is employed on Scripture itself.
This is the first attempt to answer the questions of how, when and why preaching entered Christian worship.

The patristic principle demands that theological quarrels be settled by resorting to the church fathers. This volume presents the first comprehensive reflexion on the historical evolution of the present crisis of this ancient theological principle.
Focusing on the theory of the consensus quinquesaecularis, the author surveys the development of patristic authority from the 16th to the 20th centuries and relates it to other problems of the Church in modern times such as the crisis of tradition, the conflict between ecclesiastical authority and academic theology, and ecumenism.
The concluding chapter tackles the question whether a renewal of the patristic principle is possible and feasible today.

The giant treatise Contra Celsum is Origen's main and longest work. It is of significance for both Greek Patristics and Ancient Philosophy. However, the extant text of the treatise is lacunose and corrupt. Two outstanding editions - by Paul Koetschau (1899) and Marcel Borret (1967-1969) - are not critical enough. The editor tried to restore Origen's original text and presents the reader with a reasonably reliable text.

Julian of Aeclanum )ca. 380-441/55 AD) is one of the most exciting figures of 4th/5th century Latin Christianity. Some of the most influential people in the western Church were among his relatives and friends. As a bishop he became famous for his charity and learning. In 418 AD he was deposed for refusing to endorse the condemnation of Pelagius and Caelestius. In a series of writings, mostly against Augustine, he justified his step and clarified his stance. He also rallied political support, not only in Italy, but also in the east.
This book tells the story of his life and discusses questions concerning his literary pursuits, philosophy, biblical exegesis and church political activities.
It thus throws light not only on Julian as an individual, but on the history and culture of his age.

The Theosophy, written by an anonymous Monophysite theologian in the early years of the sixth century CE, is a work in four books with a final world chronicle. Heir to a long apologetic tradition, it aims at demonstrating that there is a basic harmony between Christian faith and pagan theology. For this reason its author quotes at length numerous pagan prophecies of the Christian doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation.
This volume proposes the first comprehensive critical edition of all the extant fragments of this work, in an attempt to reconstruct the general framework and to understand the inner logic of its composition. Thanks to this edition, which is bound to become the starting point for any future investigation, the Theosophy has now been put in circulation and made available for further research.

This volume deals with the intellectual and social context of two Christian teachers living in the second half of the second century. It presents a coherent reconstruction and interpretation of their teaching, often considered to be marginal within the development of early Christian doctrine.
The first part of the book seeks to understand the Marcionite Apelles as a cultured person, who shaped his understanding of Christian doctrine in the context of the philosophical background and in permanent discussion with other Christian schools. In this respect Apelles coincides with the Christian Platonist Hermogenes. His opinions are described in the second part of the book. The author points out that teachers like Apelles and Hermogenes had to answer the questions of the educated in order to defend and to define their understanding of Christian faith.

This volume deals with the christology of fifth-century pastor and theologian Cyril of Alexandria, particularly as it relates to Apollinarianism and Nestorianism. More specifically, it explores the use of a plethora of images to illustrate his understanding of the mystery of Christ.
The book traces the background of his analogies in the philosophers and the Scriptures. Included are sections on Cyril’s understanding and use of the Scriptures, and the intended force of images in his theology. The final part is a re-reading of his christology through the lens of his christological imagery. Historians of Christian theology and dogma will find a unique look into the word pictures Cyril uses and the picture of Christ the reveal.

This volume explores Gregory Of Nyssa's concept of human nature. It argues that the frequent use Gregory makes of phusis-terminology is not only a terminological predilection, but rather the key to the philosophical and theological foundations of his thought.
Starting from an overview of the theological landscape in the early 360's the study first demonstrates the meaning and relevance of universal human nature as an analogy for the Trinity in Cappadocian theology. The second part explores Gregory's use of this same notion in his teaching on the divine economy. It is argued that Gregory takes this philosophical theory into the service of his own theology.
Ultimately the book provides an example for the mutual interaction of philosophy and Christian theology in the fourth century.

These proceedings present the first English translation of Gregory's Homilies on the Beatitudes by Stuart Hall, accompanied by a thorough commentary by Anthony Meredith, Andreas Spira, Françoise Vinel, Lucas Mateo-Seco, Thomas Böhm, Karl-Heinz Uthemann, Claudio Moreschini, and Robert Wilken. Eight more contributions by Monique Alexandre, Peter Bruns, Judith Kovacs, Salvatore Lilla, Friedhelm Mann, Alden Mosshammer, Elias Moutsoulas, and Lucian Turcescu focus on further general and particular topics of the homilies as their eschatology, the meaning of the word makarios in all of Gregory's works, the notion of justice, and Gregory's Theology of Adoption, as well as their relationship to Syriac theology, Clement of Alexandria, Neoplatonism, and Gregory's Homilies on the Song of Songs. The third and fourth part add ten studies reflecting the present overall state of Gregorian research.

Around 392 Theodore of Mopsuestia delivered his homilies to candidates for baptism. Using Theodore's homilies, this work studies the reception and influence of the Nicene Creed in the imperial church since Theodosius.
Passed at Nicæa in 325 the Creed became an official dogma of the empire in 380/81. What was its role in the life of the church and in the theological controversies of the subsequent years? At which point did the people start to pay attention to its exact original wording? To which extent were Theodore's theological teachings influenced by the trinitarian dogma of Nicæa?
The text of Theodore's Baptismal Creed is reconstructed in both its Syriac and Greek versions. It proves to be one of the most important sources of the Nicæno-Constantinopolitan Creed of 381.

This monograph comprises a new critical edition of Ps.-Athenagoras De Resurrectione Mortuorum, a complete edition of Arethas’ Scholia on the treatise, and (in the Appendix) a critical edition of the extant fragments of De Resurrectione attributed to Justin Martyr.

Athenagoras was a Christian apologist, who flourished in the second half of the second century CE (ca. 180). Traditionally two extant Greek works have been attributed to him: a Plea on Behalf of the Christians, probably addressed to the Roman emperors Marcus Aurelius and Commodus, and the On the Resurrection of the Dead. The attribution of the latter treatise to Athenagoras has been a matter of dispute. In his Introduction, the editor sides with those scholars denying Athenagoras’ authorship, but ascribes its date to the end of the second century.

This important edition by one of the most esteemed scholars in the field complements Prof. Marcovich’s edition of Athenagoras Legatio pro Christianis (Berlin, 1989).

This volume presents a complete collection of all the editions, translations and studies of Augustine's "Sermones ad populum", both authentic and pseudepigraphic, introduced by an essay on their transmission since the Maurists and their present state. Extensive indexes analyze the topics of the sermons and all entries, and present especially access to all the publications on every single sermon.

One of the most conspicuous innovations of early Christianity within Greco-Roman culture is its reliance upon a collection of authoritative texts. The ultimate author of Scripture was thought to be God Himself, whose will could and should be sought and found in these holy writings. For this reason it is not surprising that very soon these texts not only became the object of careful attention and scholarly study, but also put their stamp on the various forms and manifestations of early Christian life, such as martyrdom, asceticism, liturgy, art, and literature.
This multifarious influence of Scripture is the subject of The Impact of Scripture in Early Christianity. It contains fourteen contributions, predominantly in English, by Belgian and Dutch scholars which have been gathered in a thematically ordered collection.

Recent studies have re-assessed Emperor worship as a genuinely religious response to the metaphysics of social order. Brent argues that Augustus' revolution represented a genuinely religious reformation of Republican religion that had failed in its metaphysical objectives. Against this backcloth, Luke, John the Seer, Clement, Ignatius and the Apologists refashioned Christian theology as an alternative answer to that metaphysical failure. Callistus and Pseudo-Hippolytus gave different responses to Severan images of imperial power. The early, Monarchian theology of the Trinity was thus to become a reflection of imperial culture and its justification that was later to be articulated both in Neo-Platonism, and in Cyprian's view of episcopal Order.
Contra-cultural theory is employed as a sociological model to examine the interaction between developing Pagan and Christian social order.

These essays propose a new dating of, and historical setting for the letters of "Ignatius of Antioch". In so doing this volume forms an important contribution to the study of Monarchianism and early church history as well.
An examination of the fragments of Noëtus of Smyrna, the founder of Monarchianism, leads to the discovery of the oldest Regula fidei, and of its origin as part of anti-gnostic polemics. On the ground of late second-century parallels, especially Melito and Irenaeus, this Regula can be dated between 160 and 180 CE. It is within this context that the so-called Letters of Ignatius fit seamlessly.
As a result of these findings this volume argues for a significant revision of our understanding of early church history. Monarchianism ("Sabellianism", "Patripassianism"), later considered heretical, is shown to have been the almost universally accepted belief within the Church up to the period of the Roman bishops Zephyrinus and Callistus.

This volume discusses the authenticity of the seven letters, handed down under the name of Ignatius of Antioch, and explores the wider theological context at the time of their composition. The author first examines the chronological foundations of current scholarly consensus, which on the whole favours an early second-century date for the composition of these letters, during the reign of the emperor Trajan (98-117). On the basis of his findings the author next addresses the question raised by the title of the volume: do some of the polemic passages in these letters specifically attack Valentinian gnosis? After a detailed discussion of chapters 16-20 of the Letter to the Ephesians it is shown that the Ignatian Star Hymn (Eph. 19) should be seen as a parody of Valentinian myth. The volume concludes with a study of the Regula fidei (Eph. 18,2).

This study deals with Clement of Alexandria's interpretation of evil and free will in the context of the rising Christianity, the influence of Near Eastern and Greek thought on him, his differences from St. Augustine, and how his interpretation affected the rise of the Eastern Christian thought.
The book also treats briefly the subject of man's personal aim in life perceived by Clement as the supersession of his nature. Failure to realize this personal aim in life leads to alienation from God, and death.
The moral dilemma of Clement's interpretation of evil as failure of life's aim is not a conventional explanation of good and evil but something much more: the option between real life and death. Consequently, Clement's idea of evil refers to existential problems and ontological realities.

The purpose of this work is to determine the place of Melito's Peri Pascha in the paschal liturgy of the Quartodecimans at Sardis.
Its conclusion is that Peri Pascha constitutes the two parts of the Quartodeciman liturgy. The first part of the work is a liturgical homily on Exodus 12 which was delivered on the eve of Pascha, and the second half is the text of a commemorative ritual which constituted the celebration of Pascha itself.
This conclusion is based on a formal examination of the text in the contexts of Graeco-Roman rhetoric and of Jewish and Christian paschal liturgy and theology.
This is the first full-length study of Peri Pascha to be published, and the first extensive study of the Quartodecimans since 1953.

This study deals with the representation of Christ's Healing Miracles in early Christian sepulchral art from Provence and Northern Italy.
It sees the imagery through the contemporary exegetical writings and tries thus to uncover new strata of symbolic significance in early Christian art. The aim of the work is to reveal the complex theological concepts reflected in the relief decoration of a small number of late fourth-century sarcophagi and to cast thus light upon the spiritual climate of the sphere the persons who commissioned them were part of.
It also links the narrative structure of representations of medical treatment and miracle scenes in ancient art with the Christian images and establishes new formal and iconographic connexions.

This volume deals with the sermons of St. Maximus I, Bishop of Turin about AD 305-420. It presents an exemplary study which, besides clarifying problems of dating and authorship, points out the importance of context for an appropriate interpretation of sermon literature. The sermons are thus placed in the contexts of contemporary history, of society and of liturgy. The liturgical contextualisation forms the core of the book. The author reconstructs the liturgical year of late-Antique Turin and takes it as the basis of a detailed diachronic analysis of the bishop's preaching from advent to pentecost.
Additionally, the Feasts of the Saints are seen in their kerygmatic function. In a concluding chapter the author tackles such problems as the exegetical nature of preaching and the importance of the Bible.

Marcellus of Ancyra (ca. 285/290 - ca. 374) was one of the prominent bishops who fought against the Eusebians at the council of Nicaea. After this council, he was the first to attack them, and especially Asterius of Cappadocia. Only fragments of his work were preserved. These fragments, together with a letter which he wrote in 341 to Julius of Rome, the only undisputed works of Marcellus, are collected in this volume.
The book opens with an introduction, contains the edition with German translation, notes and indices.
In contrast to the former editions of Marcellus' works, this edition follows substantially the new order of the fragments established by K. Seibt (1994). As a result, Marcellus' fragments give an idea of how his work was originally structured.

This is the first large scale study on the link between the concepts of intellect and grace in the writings of St. Augustine of Hippo. Its five chapters deal with Augustine's writings on grace as they focus on questions concerning epistemology and hermeneutics.
Already non-Christian ancient philosophers identified intellectual perfection with salvation as caused by divine grace. Under their influence (I) Augustine developed also his biblical thought (II). The culmination of his concept of intellectus gratiae, however, came in the later works on sacraments (III), hermeneutics (IV) and against Pelagius and Julian of Eclanum (V).
This study highlights that development and recommends the concept of intellectus gratiae as a possible key to Augustine's theological thought as a whole.

During the past forty years J.C.M. van Winden OFM, Emeritus Professor of Early Christian Literature at Leiden University and editor of Vigiliae Christianae, has built up an impressive body of published research on early Christian thought and related areas of Greek and Jewish philosophy.
In this volume in honour of his 75th birthday his more important contributions, originally published in a wide range of journals and other publications, have been collected together. These are grouped together in five categories: The archè in early christian thought, Essays on the Church Fathers, Philonica, Plotiniana, Essays on the relation between Greek and Patristic Thought.
The volume includes a hitherto unpublished survey article on early Christian exegesis of 'the beginning' in Gen. 1:1 (in German), English translations of five contributions originally published in Dutch, and a complete bibliography of Pater van Winden's scholarly work.

This monograph represents a critical juncture in Thomas studies since it dispels the belief that the Gospel of Thomas originates from gnostic traditions. Rather, Jewish mystical and Hermetic origins are proposed and examined.
Following this analysis, the anthropogony and soteriology of Thomas are discussed. The Thomasites taught that they were the elect children of the Father, originating from the Light. The human, however, became unworthy of these luminous beginnings and was separated from the divine when Adam sinned. Now he must purify himself by leading an encratite lifestyle. He is to ascend into heaven, seeking a visio dei which will transform him into his original immortal state and grant him citizenship in the Kingdom.

Until now the period following the Council of Nicea has remained a dark age of early Christian history. This is partly due to the fact that Eusebius' last and important works, Contra Marcellum and De Ecclesiastica Theologia, have not sufficiently been studied. Comparatively little interest has also been given to the Pseudo-Athanasian text Contra Arianos IV.
Careful study and comparison of these works against the background of the post-Nicene debate between Asterius, Marcellus, Eusebius and Photinus, has revealed that (as A. Stegmann already proposed in 1917) Contra Arianos IV was written in about 340 and formed a Nicene critique of Marcellus, his pupil and opponents. Therefore, Stegmann's suggestion of the authorship of Apolinarius of Laodicea needs further investigation. This study on Contra Arianos IV sheds new light on the years between Nicea and the synods of Rome and Antioch (340/341).

The relationship between theology and philosophy in Gregory of Nyssa's thought is a subject of great controversy. This study on one of Gregory's key writings does not however focus on the study of the source material, but discusses instead the philosophical implications of Gregory's ideas. Thus it is possible to place Gregory's principles in a broader context while maintaining the differences with philosophy.
In the first part of the work, the Prooemium of the De Vita Moysis is examined. Following the classical rhetorical tradition, Gregory here starts off with the central themes of the entire work. The second part is devoted to the concept of theoria. This is explored through discussions of the eternity of God, "language theory", human striving towards God, and biblical interpretation.
In the last chapter these structures of the notion of theoria are further examined in the light of the theophany in the De Vita Moysis.

Allen Brent examines the significance of the Hippolytan events in the life of the Roman Church in the early third century. Developing the thesis of at least two authors in the Hippolytan corpus, he proposes a new, redactional explanation of the relation between these different authors and the theological and social tensions to which their work bears witness. Brent reconstructs a picture of the community that contextualizes both the Hippolytan literature and in particular the Statue, for which he proposes a new interpretation as a community artefact though universally misjudged as a monument to an individual.
Tertullian's relationship with Callistus is finally re-assessed. This work is thus an important contribution to new understandings of a period critical both for the development of Church Order and embryonic Trinitarian Orthodoxy.

Clement of Alexandria (ca A.D. 150-215) is one of the leading Church Fathers and the first Christian philosopher. His early Protrepticus is of great significance for Patristics, Classical scholarship, Greek philosophy and religion. The treatise is preserved virtually in a single manuscript --the famous Codex Arethae, Parisinus graecus 451, copied in 913-914,-- which proves to be lacunose, corrupt, interpolated and dislocated. The only critical edition of the Protrepticus was prepared back in 1905 by Otto Stählin (G.C.S., Volume 12).
The present edition is based on a thorough in-depth study of the Parisinus, on the inclusion of the entire opus of Clement, on an extended and updated Quellenforschung, and finally, on a more sensitive approach to meaning and textual criticism. The edition includes the Scholia.

The extensive writings of the Jewish philosopher and exegete Philo of Alexandria (15 BCE to 50 CE) were preserved through the efforts of early Christians, who decided that these works could assist them in developing their own distinctive kind of thought. The present collection of papers, written from 1989 to 1994, is published as a companion volume to the author's monograph Philo in Early Christian Literature: A Survey (1993). The papers deal with various aspects of the process of reception that Philo received at the hands of the Church Fathers. Authors who are given particular attention are Athenagoras, Clement, Origen, Basil, Gregory of Nyssa, Isidore of Pelusium and Augustine. The papers also include a hitherto unpublished English translation of the author's inaugural lecture held at Utrecht in April 1992.

Eingeordnete Freiheit compares Origen's notion of freedom of choice with the concepts of contemporary philosophers. The first chapter deals with the philosophical problem of freedom of choice throughout the history of Greek philosophy. In the second chapter Origen's writing on this topic is assembled, translated, analyzed and commented upon. The comparison between Origen and his contemporaries leads in chapter three to the conclusion that Origen's concept of freedom differs especially from the philosophical perspective, since human freedom does not stand in opposition to the inevitable pattern of the pronoia or heimarmene but to Gods care for every individual. Chapter four shows that the notion of oikonomia in Christian theology is based on the concept of providence in Origen.

What precisely does Hilary's so-called Opus Historicum aim at? His Preface provides the clue. An introduction to the present edition sketches the mutilated work's discovery, tabulates its contents, and discusses problems of dating and authenticity.
The English translation, which faces the Latin text, adopts some alternative readings. The Preface is elucidated in itself, and by reference to the earlier In Matthaeum. Central issues are hope and love, confessors and martyrs, imperial favours and threats, the bishop and his inner freedom. The circumspect treatment of both the reader and the subject reveals 'conscientization' of the bishops as the aim of the Opus Historicum.
One of the book's excurses deals with the edict of Arles and Milan, and concludes that the nameless creed quoted by Hilary might preserve the lost edict's doctrinal preliminaries.

This volume contains the first complete publication of the collection of Coptic literary manuscripts now in the A.S. Pushkin Fine Arts Museum, Moscow. The collection formed in 1870-1908 by Vladimir Golenischev is of great value since it covers almost the entire field of early Christian literature in Egypt and substantially aids to fill up serious lacunae in many well-known literary works, to say nothing of the texts hitherto unknown. Important is also the fact that Coptica Golenischeviana largely derives from the library of St. Shenoute's monastery at Sohag, this virtual National Library of Christian Egypt, the source of the riches of the museums and libraries of Paris, Vienna, Berlin etc.

Marriage in the Western Church examines how marriage acquired a specifically Christian identity in the Western Church from the patristic through Carolingian periods. It shows how theologians came to regard marriage as an ecclesiastical institution and how they developed a Christian theology of marriage.
The first part of the book deals with marriage and divorce in Roman and Germanic law. Other parts deal with marriage and divorce in ecclesiastical law, with the Latin Fathers' distinction between the divine and human laws of marriage, and with the customary stages by which persons became married. Several chapters are devoted to Augustine's views on marriage and sexuality.
The author shows how the doctrine of indissolubility became the West's chief means of christianizing marriage, and how theologians found here their preferred arguments for affirming the holiness and the 'sacramentality' of marriage. The author argues that the Western regime of indissolubility was the product of a fourth century reform movement.

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St. Cyril of Alexandria: The Christological Controversy describes the turmoil of 5th century Christianity seeking to articulate its beliefs on the person of Christ. The policies of the Theodosian dynasty and the conflicting interests of the patriarchal sees are set as the context of the controversy between Nestorius of Constantinople and Cyril of Alexandria, a bitter dispute that racked the entire oecumene. The historical analysis expounds the arguments of both sides, particularly the Christology of Cyril which was adopted as a standard. Many major texts are presented in new translations, some of which have never before appeared in English. These writings are essential reading in the history of doctrine. The work will be an indispensable resource for all students of the period: theologians and Byzantinists.

This volume deals with Gregory of Nyssa's († 394 C.E.) soteriology as set forth in his handbook for catechetes.
In part I-III the aim, method and structure of the Oratio catechetica are examined and the results are compared with Gregory's examples (Origen, Athanasius). Part IV presents the relationship between his theology (theologia) and soteriology (oikonomia) as well as the interrelated topics of that soteriology, thus describing the concept of oikonomia in the Oratio catechetica. Part V contrasts this concept with earlier works of Gregory and shows the developments of his thought. Part VI compares the teachings of Gregory with those of Methodius and Athanasius.
The book is important for all those interested in early Christian thought and literature.

The Spirit of God examines the use of 1 and 2 Corinthians by two fourth-century Greek Christian authors, Athanasius and Basil of Caesarea, especially as it relates to the doctrine of the Holy Spirit.
The controversy over the nature and status of the Spirit during the latter half of the fourth century is detailed in order to place in context the examination of the way in which the theological concerns of Athanasius and Basil shaped their pneumatological interpretation of the Corinthian correspondence.
This examination will be of value to patristic scholars interested in the way that Scripture was employed in the fourth century to hammer out doctrine.

A gospel harmony composed c. 172 C.E., the Diatessaron is one of the earliest witnesses to the gospels. Regarded as the first version of the gospels in Latin, Syriac, and Armenian, the Diatessaron was used by Encratites, Judaic-Christians, and “Great Church” Christians alike.
This study is the first comprehensive treatment of the Diatessaron in more than a century. After sketching the second-century setting and Tatian's biography, it describes virtually every Diatessaronic witness and provides a scholar-by-scholar summary of research from 546 to the present. Criteria for reconstructing Diatessaronic readings are developed, and numerous examples offer the reader first-hand experience with the witnesses. It contains the first Bibliography of research on the Diatessaron (600+ titles) and the first “Catalogue of Manuscripts of Diatessaronic Witnesses and Related Works” ever published.

This volume examines the early Church's methods of theological argumentation concerning the metaphorical texts of the Bible. Ps 45 presents some of the oldest biblical evidence for the divinity of Christ and was often cited in christological and trinitarian controversies.
In the 4th century the conflict between the traditional interpretation of the Church and linguistic methods erupted. In the course of the debate with Arian exegesis the significance of metaphor and the possibility of speaking of God were conceived anew.
This study is based on dogmatic, exegetical and spiritual texts ranging from Justin to Cyril of Alexandria and Theodoret of Cyrus. It shows how the various forms of argumentation interact: how scholarly theology was mediated through preaching, and pastoral and catechetical interests affected christological reflection.

This collection of essays deals with the rise and development of early Christian poetry, discussing its techniques and its theoretical foundation. The individual papers concern specimina of Hebrew, Syriac, Greek and Latin poetry and study the various and partly conflicting traditions from which it originated. The biblical examples, e.g. of the Psalms, held great authority, but on the other hand it was impossible to break away from the models of classical Greco-Roman poetry, although these were deemed dangerous because of the pagan content and excessive cult of literary art. The book shows how the problems involved were solved in different ways, which justified the use of pagan literary accomplishments for singing the praises of the Lord.

This volume is the first critical edition of the theological fragments of Asterius of Cappadocia, the so-called Arian Sophist, who lived in the early fourth century.
The first part of the volume provides an introduction to the theological thought of Asterius, an important member of the "Eusebians". It also compares the theological thought of Asterius with Origen's and Arius' theology. The second part consists of the 77 theological fragments of Asterius of Cappadocia with a German translation.
In the third part a commentary is given for each fragment explaining the content, the language and also the authenticity of the texts.

This volume is a collection of thirteen essays offered in dedication to Professor C.G. Stead on his 80th birthday. Their theme is the philosophy underlying the presentation of Christian teaching in Late Antiquity.
The essays deal with individual theologians (Augustine, Ambrose, Dionysius the Areopagite, Gregory of Nyssa), with ideological background (Christian and Roman universalism), and with the discussion of particular texts.
A bibliography and brief appreciation of Professor Stead's contribution to Patristic studies are included.

In the three books of his Contra Rufinum, a work dating back to his mature period (401-402), Jerome (ca 347-420) fought against his erstwhile friend turned rival, Rufinus: the two Latin monks, one settled in Bethlehem, the other in Jerusalem, had come to confront each other on such issues as the timeliness and ways (translation, commentary...) of transmitting an Oriental heritage to the West, Greek (in particular the works of Origen [ca. 185-ca. 253], whose Peri Archôn they both translated in competition) as well as Jewish (the biblical hebraica veritas which Jerome championed). They were also at variance on the appreciation of profane culture (the Latin classics). Jerome's Contra Rufinum is a masterpiece by a brilliant polemist and an important document as to a knowledge of the actors and the vicissitudes of a controversy which mobilised many Christians, Eastern and Western alike, on the eve of the sacking of Rome by the Barbarians.
This commentary seeks to analyse the treatise in all its facets (historical and theological, philological and rhetorical), and to elucidate its connections with the different traditions (classical, biblical, patristic) to which it belongs. The Contra Rufinum thus turns out to be a remarkable vantage point from which to illuminate the entire corpus of an author whose work, spread over nearly half a century, was immensely influential during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

This volume deals with the correspondence between Augustine and Jerome, discussing the way the letters were handed down to posterity, as well as their contents. In the first part it is shown that Jerome and Augustine both published a collection of the correspondence. In addition a list of manuscripts is given.
The second part deals with the conflict between Augustine and Jerome. Not only their discussion whether the Hebrew Bible or the Septuagint should be considered canonically authoritative for the Church, but also their argument on the right exegesis of the quarrel between Peter and Paul in Antioch, whether Christians should observe the Jewish Ceremonial Laws (Gal. 2,11-14).
The book is of particular interest for scholars in Patristic and Jewish Studies, giving a fresh approach to this important correspondence.

This book treats a decisive phase in the theological history of the fourth century AD. When in 360 the 'Arians' Aetius and Eunomius maintained the difference in essences between the Father and the Son and the created nature of the Holy Spirit, the theologians of Nicaean orthodoxy were challenged to develop a theory of the Homousia of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost which paved the way to the Trinitarian doctrinal decisions of the Council of Constantinople in 381.
The two books Adversus Eunomium IV-V probably form the first literary reaction to the 'Neo-Arians' and set the tone for the further development of the debate. In the MSS in which they are transmitted they follow on from the three books by Basil of Caesarea against Eunomius, but have been seen since at least the 18th century as pseudepigraphical and were probably composed by Apolinarius of Laodicea. The introduction to the present work discusses questions of authorship, identifies opponents (not only Aetius and Eunomius but also Marcellus of Ankyra), demonstrates the hitherto often questioned integrity of the tract and establishes the date of composition of Book IV as 360 and of Book V as 362/3. It also makes particularly clear the influence of contemporary philosophy. The translation follows the improved Migne text of 1886, while the commentary elucidates the often difficult content and prepares the way for further research on the interweaving of the threads of theological debate in the second half of the fourth century.

Although many studies have been devoted to Augustine's City of God and its most important theme, viz. the antithesis between the civitas Dei and the terrena civitas,until now no consensus has been reached concerning the sources of this doctrine. Was Augustine decisively influenced by Manichaeism, by (Neo)Platonism, the Stoa or Philo, by the Donatist Tyconius? Or should we look in another direction and refer to preceding Christian, Jewish, and especially to archaic Jewish-Christian traditions?
This lucidly written books opens with a survey of the research carried out so far on the aim, structure and central theme of the City of God. Chapter 2 analyzes the essentials of Augustine's life, of his City of God, and of his doctrine of the two cities. Making use of one of the recently discovered letters of Augustine in Chapter 3 the author describes the City of God as an apology and as a catechetical work. Chapter 4 provides an investigation into the possible sources of Augustine's doctrine of the two cities in Manichaeism, in (Neo)Platonism, the Stoa and Philo, and in the works of Tyconius.
The idea of two antithetical cities proves to be present most clearly in writings in which, closely related to Jewish thinking, archaic Christian concepts occupy an important place. In a final chapter some pertinent remarks are made on Jewish and Jewish-Christian influences on pre-Augustinian Christianity in Africa.

Gregory Nazianzen's Theological Orations, genuine classics, reveal not only the learning and faith of their author, but also his quarrels with Neo-Arians, Pneumatomachians, pagans, and other opponents at Constantinople in the late fourth century C.E.
This volume is divided into three parts. The first offers a survey of Gregory's life and works, his orientation as a philosophical rhetorician, an overview of his theology, the relevant views of his major opponents, and the manuscript tradition of these orations. The second is a commentary that concentrates on the context and flow of his arguments about paideia and theology. The third is a new English translation, the first complete one, that evokes the logical and rhetorical power of Nazianzen and through its Biblical citations shows the importance of scripture in the debates.

This work represents the first independent study of the Jewish-Christian Gospel fragments and of the use of the Jewish-Christian Gospel tradition in early Christian and medieval literature.
The author identifies and introduces the Jewish-Christian Gospels and their sources, presents a critical study of genuine and spurious references to Jewish-Christian Gospels, and then goes on to offer a critical text (with apparatus and bibliography), a translation and a full commentary for each individual fragment.

The first author in which the traditions of Judaic thought and Greek philosophy flow together in a significant way is Philo of Alexandria.
This study presents a detailed and comprehensive examination of Philo's knowledge and utilization of the most popular philosophical work of his day, the Timaeus of Plato. A kind of "commentary" is given on all passages in Philo's oeuvre in which the Timaeus is used or referred to, followed by a "synthetic" account of the influence that it had on Philo's thought.