Hans-Lietzmann-Vorlesungen

Since 2009, the GPIA Jerusalem has been exploring Jerusalem’s Old City with Dieter Vieweger at the helm, in particular the Mount Zion area in the south of the city, inhabited from Iron Age II to the Middle Ages; the area beneath the Church of the Redeemer in the Christian Quarter, where the "Through the Ages" archaeological park has been established; and the northern part, in search of the legendary "second wall" from the time of Herod the Great.

The Herculaneum Papyri comprise the only surviving library of antiquity. In recent years, innovative technologies and new philological methods have effectively revolutionized research. Characters that were previously invisible are now emerging, and it will soon be possible to unroll complete rolls virtually. This book provides the first German introduction to the Herculaneum papyri and the potential of new imaging methods.

“Gnosticism” has become a problematic category in the study of early Christianity. It obscures diversity, invites essentialist generalisations, and is a legacy of ancient heresiology. However, simply to conclude with “diversity” is unsatisfying, and new efforts to discern coherence and to synthesise need to be made.

The present work seeks to make a fresh start by concentrating on Irenaeus’ report on a specific group called the “Gnostics” and on his claim that Valentinus and his followers were inspired by their ideas. Following this lead, an attempt is made to trace the continuity of ideas from this group to Valentinianism.

The study concludes that there is more continuity than has previously been recognised. Irenaeus’ “Gnostics” emerge as the predecessors not only of Valentinianism, but also of Sethianism. They represent an early, philosophically inspired form of Christ religion that arose independently of the New Testament canon. Christology is essential and provides the basis for the myth of Sophia. The book is relevant for all students of Christian origins and the early history of the Church.

Die jüngste Forschung zeigt, welch große Bedeutung dem Apostolischen Glaubensbekenntnis für die Verbreitung des Christentums in Europa und für dessen theologische, liturgische und spirituelle Prägung zukommt. Gleichwohl hat es auch zu heftigen Kontroversen Anlass gegeben. Der Autor präsentiert neueste kirchengeschichtliche Erkenntnisse zu Ursprung, Entwicklung und Verbreitung des Apostolicums und fragt nach einem zeitgemäßen Umgang mit ihm.

Die römische Kaiserzeit stellt insgesamt eine Epoche dar, deren religiöse Transformationen die nachantike mediterrane, europäische und westasiatische Religionsgeschichte geprägt haben. Trotz oder gerade wegen der Fülle der Details, die wir aus dieser Epoche kennen, bleibt der Versuch, ein Modell für die Beschreibung oder gar Erklärung dieser Veränderungen zu entwerfen, eine große Herausforderung.
Jörg Rüpke nähert sich einem solchen Modell von zwei Seiten: Zum einen legt er für die Beschreibung den Interpretationsrahmen einer „gelebten antiken Religion“ zu Grunde. Der individuellen Aneignung religiöser Traditionen und der daraus resultierenden Dynamik wird hohe Aufmerksamkeit eingeräumt, Gruppenbildungen werden erst als Folgeerscheinungen analysiert. Zum anderen wird der große politische Raum des Imperium selbst als struktureller Rahmen individuellen Handelns interpretiert, in dem neue Normen religiösen Handelns entwickelt werden.

Our image of Antioch on the Orontes, a metropolis of the Roman world, is largely shaped by the reports of ancient authors. By comparison, the archeological image of the city of late antiquity has remained essentially invisible. It has become apparent over time that the city underwent radical reconstruction beginning from the 4^th century as the result of pillage and natural disasters as well as demographic and economic change.

In his Western reception, Athanasius (328–373) was declared to be a witness to the insertion of the Filioque in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed. At the Council of Ferrara/Florence (1438/1439), the Byzantines were confronted with a text that appeared to prove this fact. While the text was accepted by contemporaries as authentic, today we know it was incorrectly ascribed to the Alexandrian patriarch.

Christianity and the book – this is hardly a superficial relationship. Their histories date back to about the same period: the rise of Christianity and the widespread adoption of the codex both occurred in Late Antiquity. There are also substantive connections, for Christianity was quick to put the new medium to use – and for its part, the codex had its own share of repercussions on religion. Indeed, Christian book culture in antiquity set the stage for the Koran's passage into written form.

Hans Lietzmann was not only a great scholar of the early church, but was also interested in early Christian literature and its value to the historian. However, although there is a large body of scholarship on patristic studies and theology, little attention has been paid even now to literary, as opposed to rhetorical, analysis. Some scholars are now trying to address the problem, which is both methodological and intellectual. This publication discusses the issues involved, and suggests new ways of applying literary readings to early Christian texts. Are we entering a new age of interpretation of the massive literary production by early Christians, and how does this relate to the traditional disciplines of patristics and church history?

This study touches on the vexed issue concerning the relationship of magic and religion, a problem that, despite all claims to the contrary, stubbornly resists losing interest and import. A close reading of ancient Geek and Latin curses written on lead tablets reveals a never fully explored demarcation in terms of legitimacy and illegitimacy between two types. Binding curses (defixiones), on the one hand, were meant to ‛bind’ ‒ that is render powerless ‒ opponents or rivals. Buried in graves, pits or wells, they lacked references to the notion of justification and displayed words and actions of a manipulative nature that modern readers would associate with what we call magic. Marked by secrecy, they were liable to suspicion and social disapproval. Another category of curses on lead, albeit also categorized as defixiones in modern scholarly literature, appears to be of a radically different nature. Often publicised in temples they implored the local god to punish a (mostly) unknown person for having wronged (by theft, slander, or maltreatment) the author. Besides a markedly deferential tone and an attitude of submissiveness, various other characteristics reveal these texts as prayers for justice, thus in our perception being expressions of pious religiosity. The fact that the ancient users were aware of the distinction and acted accordingly evokes a reconsideration of the use of modern notions magic and religion for ancient Greek and Roman curse practice.

It is generally assumed that with the Christianisation of Palestine in the 4th century, the Jewish population of the country was progressively driven back and disenfranchised. If, however, one does not only consult the laws, but contrasts them with excavations from that period, a different picture emerges. The Jewish population was not only able to maintain its position, but could even strengthen its visible presence, frequently directly adjacent to the Christians and in active contact with them, as demonstrated by the many parallels in the architecture and pictorial decoration of churches and synagogues.

This study examines the controversy between Celsus and Origen, between Irenaeus and the Gnostics (with reference to important Naghammadi texts) and between Plotinus and the Gnostics. Substantial points of contact between Platonic philosophy and Christian theology are shown as well as the insurmountable barriers between them. Of particular surprise and tragedy is above all the misunderstanding between Irenaeus and the Gnostics, whose initiatives were thus lost for the Church.

The study is a source-based contribution to the genesis of the early Church and is distinguished by its knowledge of the Ancient World.

In the Middle Ages, imaginative re-use was made of architectural components from classical antiquity such as columns, capitals, cornices, and even statues, sarcophagi, reliefs and inscriptions; the motives ranged from simple utilisation of materials through interpretatio christiana to political legitimation. The author demonstrates how this re-use has been assessed by archaeologists, historians and art historians and what insights they have gained.

The text known as the "Mithras Liturgy" is one of the most important texts for the study of non-Christian religiosity in late Antiquity.

Hans Dieter Betz, one of the leading authorities on the history of religion in late Classical Antiquity, is working on a critical edition and commentary of the text to be published shortly. In the "Hans Lietzmann Lecture" delivered in Berlin and Jena, he uses the example of the "Mithras Liturgy" to elucidate a pagan view of being and religiosity in the late antique period and to compare it with Christian models. Among other things, this shows surprising parallels with contemporary discourses.

How did Christians in Classical Antiquity view history? How did they apply and modify traditional biblical options - for example the view of the apocalypse or salvation - in their interpretation of contemporary times? What role did the "Imperial Crisis" in the 3rd century and the changes in the 4th century play for the Christian's interpretation of history? Did Eusebius of Caesarea, the first Christian historian, merely write a "collection of materials" or was he guided by contemporary standards of academic historiography? This study provides answers to these questions and to other controversial issues in the discussion of Christian historiography in Classical Antiquity.