Critique and Apologetics

330 Pages·2009·4.02 MB·English

by  Anders-Christian Jacobsen

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Anders-Christian Jacobsen is Professor of Systematic Theology in the Faculty of r
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Jörg Ulrich is Professor of Early Church History in the Faculty of Theology at the a
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University of Halle-Wittenberg (Germany).
David Brakke is Professor of Ancient Christianity in the Department of Religious

Studies at the Indiana University of Bloomington (USA). g
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www.peterlang.de a PETER Lang
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Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften
Critique and Apologetics
EARLY CHRISTIANITY
IN THE CONTEXT
OF ANTIQUITY
Edited by David Brakke,
Anders-Christian Jacobsen,
Jörg Ulrich
Advisory board:
Hanns Christof Brennecke
Ferdinand R. Prostmeier
Einar Thomassen
Nils Arne Pedersen
Volume 4
PETER LANG
Frankfurt am Main • Berlin • Bern • Bruxelles • NewYork • Oxford •Wien
Anders-Christian Jacobsen
Jörg Ulrich
David Brakke
(eds.)
Critique
and Apologetics
Jews, Christians and Pagans
in Antiquity
PETER LANG
Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften
Bibliographic Information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche
Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data is available in the internet at
<http://www.d-nb.de>.
Gedruckt auf alterungsbestandigem,
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ISSN 1862-197X
ISBN 978­3­653­01060­2
© Peter Lang GmbH
Intemationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften
Frankfurt am Main 2009
All rights reserved.
All parts of this publication are protected by copyright. Any
utilisation outside the strict limits of the copyright law, without
the permission of the publisher, is forbidden and liable to
prosecution. This applies in particular to reproductions,
translations, microfilming, and storage and processing in
electronic retrieval systems.
Printed in Germany 1 2 3 4 5 7
www.peterlang.de
Bibliographie Information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche
Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data is available in the internet at
<http://www.d-nb.de>.
Gedruckt auf alterungsbeständigem,
säurefreiem Papier.
ISSN 1862-197X
ISBN 978-3-653-01060-2
© Peter Lang GmbH
Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften
Frankfurt am Main 2009
All rights reserved.
All parts of this publication are protected by copyright. Any
utilisation outside the strict limits of the copyright law, without
the permission of the publisher, is forbidden and liable to
prosecution. This applies in particular to reproductions,
translations. microfilming. and storage and nrocessing in
Content
(cid:9)
Preface 7
Jorg Ulrich / Anders-Christian Jacobsen
The Diversity of Apologetics: From Genre to a Mode of Thinking 15
Anders Klostergaard Petersen
(cid:9)
Jews, Christians and 'Pagans' in Conflict 43
Judith M. Lieu
Criticism of Judaism in Greek and Roman Sources: Charges and
(cid:9)
Apologetics (Second Century BC to Second Century AD) 59
Oda Wischmeyer
(cid:9)
Main Topics in Early Christian Apologetics 85
Anders-Christian Jacobsen
Jews and Christians in Conflict? Polemical and Satirical
(cid:9)
Elements in Revelation 2-3 111
Eve-Marie Becker
(cid:9)
Apologetic Motives in Gnostic Texts 137
Barbara Aland
(cid:9)
Traces of Apologetics in Rabbinic Literature 155
Friedrich Avernarie
(cid:9)
Truth Begs No Favours - Martyr-Literature and Apologetics 177
Jakob Engherg
(cid:9)
Apologetics and Orthodoxy 209
Jorg Ulrich
Content
(cid:9)
Preface 7
Jörg Ulrich / Anders-Christian Jacobsen
The Diversity of Apologetics: From Genre to a Mode of Thinking 15
Anders Klostergaard Petersen
(cid:9)
Jews, Christians and 'Pagans' in Conflict 43
Judith M. Lieu
Criticism of Judaism in Greek and Roman Sources: Charges and
(cid:9)
Apologetics (Second Century BC to Second Century AD) 59
Oda Wischmeyer
(cid:9)
Main Topics in Early Christian Apologetics 85
Anders-Christian Jacobsen
Jews and Christians in Conflict? Polemical and Satirical
(cid:9)
Elements in Revelation 2-3 111
Eve-Marie Becker
(cid:9)
Apologetic Motives in Gnostic Texts 137
Barbara Aland
(cid:9)
Traces of Apologetics in Rabbinic Literature 155
Friedrich Avemarie
(cid:9)
Truth Begs No Favours - Martyr-Literature and Apologetics 177
Jakob Engberg
(cid:9)
Apologetics and Orthodoxy 209
Jörg Ulrich
For the Sake of a 'Rational Worship': The Issue of Prayer and
(cid:9)
Cult in Early Christian Apologetics 231
Lorenzo Perrone
Josephus' Contra Apionem as Jewish Apologetics (cid:9) 265
John M.G. Barclay
Ritus ad solos digitos pertinens (Lact., inst. 5.19,29): A Caricature
of Roman Civic Religion in Lactantius' Institutiones divinae (cid:9) 283
Maijastina Kahlos
Nullus quippe credit aliquid, nisi prius cogitaverit esse
(cid:9)
credendum: Augustine as Apologist 303
Karla Pollmann
For the Sake of a 'Rational Worship': The Issue of Prayer and
(cid:9)
Cult in Early Christian Apologetics 231
Lorenz() Perrone
Josephus' Contra Apionem as Jewish Apologetics(cid:9) 265
John M.G. Barclay
Ritus ad solos digitos pertinens (Lact., inst. 5.19,29): A Caricature
of Roman Civic Religion in Lactantius' Institutiones divinae(cid:9) 283
Maijastina Kahlos
Nullus quippe credit aliquid, nisi prius cogitaverit esse
(cid:9)
credendum: Augustine as Apologist 303
Karla Pollmann
Preface
In this book we have collected 13 contributions from a conference
held at the beginning of 2007. The title of the conference was Jews,
Christians and Pagans in Antiquity - Critique and Apologetics.
The conference concluded a research project with the same title at
the Faculty of Theology, University of Aarhus. The project was in-
augurated in January 2004. The idea of the research project was to
investigate the confrontations and the cultural, philosophical and
religious exchange between different religious groups in antiquity.
As its starting point, the project took non-Christian and non-
Jewish Greek and Roman (traditionally known as pagan) critique
of Judaism and Christianity, along with the Jewish and Christian
apologies against this tendency. We have further worked on ancient
Jewish, Christian and Greco-Roman sources which in one way or
another reflect the dialogues and conflicts between religious groups
in the period from about 100 BC until about 500 AD. We have thus
worked on many different kinds of texts - not just those which tra-
ditionally are referred to as apologetic texts. As a consequence we
have tried to establish a more comprehensive theory about what
apologetics was considered to be both in the context of antiquity
and from the perspective of modern scholarship: is it possible to
define a literary genre called apologetics? Is it possible to talk about
apologetics as a certain kind of discourse which is not limited to a
special kind of texts? Which argumentative strategies are implied in
apologetic discourses? Many questions like these were asked and to
a certain degree answered during the project period and finally at the
conference in 2007. The project was divided into three phases.
8(cid:9) Preface
Phase 1: The Pre-Constantine Epoch
Some of the research questions and themes in this phase were:
• Is it possible to define apologetics as a literary genre: if so,
how? Which social, cultural and religious environments pro-
duce apologetic literature? Which social, cultural and reli-
gious events unleashed the publication of apologetic litera-
ture?
• Is apologetics found in non-literary forms? In so far as most of
the members of the research seminar base their work on tex-
tual traditions, it appeared to be relevant to explore whether
apologetics in antiquity and Tate-antiquity are expressed in
other media, e.g. different forms of visual art, architecture,
epitaphs etc.
• We investigated the reception of Greek and Roman philoso-
phy by Jewish and Christian theologians and other forms of
exchanges between Judaism, Christianity and Greco-Roman
culture and religion.
• We looked at examples of apologetics from the Ancient Greek
and Roman traditions with special emphasis on Socrates'
Apology written by Plato. This apology became the pattern
for much apologetics and therefore played an important part
in connection with our definition of the concept of apologet-
ics.
• We investigated the Greek and Roman critique of Christian-
ity until Constantine the Great.
• We investigated Jewish apologetics. Josephus' Contra Apionem
and works by Philo and Aristobul were included.
• We investigated early Christian apologetics until Constan-
tine the Great. Certain New Testament writings (Acta and 1
Peter) as well as writings by the so-called Christian Apolo-
gists (e.g. Justin, Athenagoras and Tertullian) played an im-
portant role here. Even though Origen is not traditionally
included in this group, he is still, because of his great work
Contra Celsum is an important representative of this group.