Christianity in Late Antiquity, 300-450 C.E.: A Reader

520 Pages·2003·5.05 MB·English

by  Bart D. Ehrman

Christianity in
Late Antiquity
— 300-450 C.E —
Christianity in
Late Antiquity
- 300-450 C.E.
A R E A D ER
Bart D. Ehrman
Andrew S. Jacobs
New York Oxford
Oxford University Press
2004
Oxford University Press
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Illustration Credits
All images in Chapter 13:1. Timothy McCarthy / Art Resource, NY. 2. Scala / Art
Resource, NY. 3. Werner Fornian / Art Resource, NY. 4. Scala / Art Resource, NY. 5.
Scala / Art Resource, NY. 6. Scala / Art Resource, NY. 7. Scala / Art Resource, NY. 8.
Scala / Art Resource, NY. 9. Scala / Art Resource, NY. 10. Scala / Art Resource, NY. 11.
Erich Lessing / Art Resource, NY. 12. Erich Lessing / Art Resource, NY. 13. Giraudon /
Art Resource, NY. 14. Scala / Art Resource, NY.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Christianity in late antiquity, 30CM30 C.E. : a reader / [compiled by] Bart D. Ehrman,
Andrew S. Jacobs,
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-19-515460-6 (alk. paper)—ISBN 0-19-515461-4 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Christian literature, Early. I. Ehrman, Bart D. II. Jacobs, Andrew S., 1973-
BR63.C47 2004
270.2—dc21
2003042905
Printing number: 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 21
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
for Liz
Contents
Preface χ
Time Line xii
Map xiv
1 General Introduction 1
2 The End of Persecution 8
1. The Acts of Saint Felix 10
2. Lactantius: The Deaths of the Persecutors 11
3 Christianity and the Imperial House 24
3. The Origin of Constantine 26
4. Eusebius: The Life of Constantine 30
5. Zosimus: The New History 44
6. Julian: Letters on Religion 48
7. Ephraim: Hymns Against Julian 53
8. Ambrose: On the Death of Theodosius 57
4 Christianity and Roman Law 68
9. Theodosian Code: On Religion 70
10. The Novellas 74
5 Becoming a Christian 78
Conversion
11. Augustine: Confessions 80
12. Sulpicius Severus: The Life of Saint Martin 92
vii
Contents
Preface χ
Time Line xii
Map xiv
1 General Introduction 1
2 The End of Persecution 8
1. The Acts of Saint Felix 10
2. Lactantius: The Deaths of the Persecutors 1
αψ
ό Christianity and the Imperial House 24
3. The Origin of Constantine 26
4. Eusebius: The Life of Constantine 30
5. Zosimus: The New History 44
6. Julian: Letters on Religion 48
7. Ephraim: Hymns Against Julian 53
8. Ambrose: On the Death of Theodosius 57
4 Christianity and Roman Law 68
9. Theodosian Code: On Religion 70
10. The Novellas 74
!? Becoming a Christian 78
Conversion
11. Augustine: Confessions 80
12. Sulpicius Severus: The Life of Saint Martin
viii J C O N T E N TS
13. Severus of Minorca: Letter on the Conversion of the Jews 96
Catechesis and Initiation
14. Augustine: On Catechizing the Unlearned 107
15. John Chrysostom: Second Baptismal Instruction 123
6 Christian Leadership 129
16. Canons of Hippolytus 131
17. Testament of the Lord 134
18. Gregory of Nazianzus: On Himself and the Bishops 139
19. Aphrahat: Demonstration 10: On Pastors 150
I Heresy and Orthodoxy 155
Trinitarian Controversy
20. Arius: Thalia 158
21. Alexander of Alexandria: Letter to Alexander of Constantinople
22. Arius: Letter to Alexander of Alexandria 166
23. Gregory of Nazianzus: Third Theological Oration 167
Christological Controversy
24. Nestorius: Letter to Cyril of Alexandria 179
25. Cyril of Alexandria: Third Letter to Nestorius 182
The Nature of Humanity
26. Athanasius: On the Incarnation of the Word 190
27. Jerome: Letter to Ctesiphon (Against Pelagius) 200
The Nature of the Church
28. Optatus: Against the Donatists 212
29. Augustine: Sermon on the Dispute with the Donatists 218
Judaizing Heresies
30. John Chrysostom: First Speech Against the Judaizers 227
31. Epiphanius: Medicine Chest Against Heresies: The Nazoraeans
8 Canons and Creeds 242
32. Canons of Elvira 244
33. Creed and Canons of Nicaea 251
34. Creed and Canons of Constantinople 256
35. Canons of Ephesus 259
36. Definition and Canons of Chalcedon 261
9 Asceticism and Monasticism 268
37. Jerome: Letter to Eustochium 270
38. Pachomian Rules 291
39. Sayings of the Desert Fathers 300
CONTENTS J ix
40. Antony: Letters 308
41. Aphrahat: Demonstration 6: On Covenanters 316
10 Pilgrims, Relics, and Holy Places 331
42. Egeria: Travel Journal 333
43. Gregory of Nyssa: Letter on Pilgrimage 347
44. Victricius of Rouen: In Praise of the Saints 350
45. Lucianus: On the Discovery of Saint Stephen 360
11 Saints' Lives 366
46. Athanasius: Life of Antony 368
47. Theodoret: The Religious History 377
48. History of the Monks of Egypt 389
49. TheLifeofPelagia 404
12 The Christian Bible 417
Canon and Apocrypha
50. Eusebius: Church History 420
51. Athanasius: Easter Letter 39 422
52. Priscillian: On Faith and Apocrypha 427
53. Augustine: On Christian Doctrine 433
Biblical Interpretation
54. Tyconius: Book of Rules 440
55. Diodore of Tarsus: Commentary on Psalms 455
56. Gregory of Nyssa: Homily on the Song of Songs 461
13 Christian Art and Architecture 466
57. Paulinus of Nola: Song on Felix,s Church 468
58. Christian Art in Late Antiquity 474
14 Christianity Outside the Roman Empire 481
59. Sozomen: Church History 483
60. Acts of the Persian Martyrs 492
61. The Passion of Saint Shushanik 499
Preface
This book originated as an attempt to supplement the early Christian texts collected in The
New Testament and Other Early Christian Writings: A Reader and After the New Testa-
ment: A Reader in Early Christianity. The goal has been to extend into the fourth and fifth
centuries of the Christian era these earlier volumes focus on the rich primary literature that
can help students of early Christianity understand this complex and diverse religious his-
tory. Our reasons for choosing these specific texts, from among the welter of early Chris-
tian writings, are explained further in Chapter 1. Briefly, we have chosen texts that are rep-
resentative of the ideas and cultures of early Christianity, without narrowly confining the
possibilities for interpretation and analysis. Most of the texts exist in current, readable
translations and are reproduced here with the permission of authors and publishers. Other
texts have been translated for this edition by Andrew Jacobs. Language usage—spelling,
punctuation, and so forth—has been made consistent throughout. Short introductions have
been provided for the chapters and the texts.
The intended audience is the student of early Christianity, in the broadest possible
sense: the reader in the undergraduate classroom, graduate seminar, public or private uni-
versity, or seminary or the inquisitive reader who wants to know more about this significant
period of religious history. Much of what we think of as "natural" about politics, religion,
and culture and the intersections between them emerged from this period of Mediterranean
and Near Eastern history. To understand more fully why we think the way we do about
church and state, body and soul, the mundane and the celestial, it is necessary, we believe,
to look to this formative period.
The idea for this volume arose at an academic conference, a place where the concerns
of scholars, teachers, and students should intersect and become productive. The editors
would like to thank Andrew McGowan and Stephen Shoemaker, who were present at the
genesis of this project and have continued to provide advice along the way. In addition, we
would like to thank our research assistants: Carl Cosaert at the University of North Car-
olina, Chapel Hill, who tirelessly sought out the copyrights and permissions that make such
a volume possible, and Megin Freaney at the University of California, Riverside, who dili-
gently tracked down the texts from libraries far and near and provided clean copies to work
χ
PREFACE J χί
with. In addition, we would like to thank scholars from across the world of early Christian
studies who provided comments and suggestions on issues large and small: Caroline T.
Schroeder, Rebecca Krawiec, Susan Ashbrook Harvey, H. A. Drake, and Birgitta Wohl.
Special thanks also to our editor at Oxford University Press, Robert Miller, for his guidance
and foresight. This volume is dedicated to Elizabeth A. Clark, teacher, mentor, and good
friend.