Études anciennes et sciences des religions - Publications // Classics and Religious Studies - Publications

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10393/23437

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Greek Amulets and Formularies from Egypt Containing Christian Elements: A Checklist of Papyri, Parchments, Ostraka, and Tablets
(2011) de Bruyn, Theodore; Dijkstra, Jitse H. F.
In this article we present an up-to-date list of Greek (and Latin) amulets and formularies from Egypt that contain Christian elements. We first discuss the criteria whereby an item is identified as an amulet or formulary and as containing Christian elements; these criteria are used to classify items as having been certainly, probably, or possibly produced or used as an amulet. We then describe some of the main patterns observed in the corpus: the geographical and chronological distribution of the items, the language in which they were written (Greek versus Latin), the materials on which they were written, the purposes for which they were applied, and the dynamics of continuity and change as Christian forms and elements were introduced into the genre. We conclude with an appendix listing all the items included in the corpus and tabulating a basic set of characteristics for each item.
A Late Witness to Valentinian Devotion in Egypt?
(2013) de Bruyn, Theodore
Among the spells with Christian elements published in Papyri Graecae Magicae is a charitesion or “good luck charm,” Papyrus Wessely Pragensis Graecus no. 1. The spell concludes with an acclamation to Jesus Christ that is remarkable for its long series of epithets. These have thus far eluded satisfactory explanation. Several of the epithets recall language used in Valentinian writings to express the relationship between Father and Son in Valentinian protology and soteriology. This paper presents evidence to support reading the acclamation as an expression of Valentinian devotion, and discusses the significance of such an acclamation in a spell that may have been written in the fifth century, taking into account the scribal features of the papyrus.
Ambrosiaster’s Revisions of His Commentary on Romans and Roman Synodal Statements about the Holy Spirit
(2010) de Bruyn, Theodore
Ambrosiaster’s Commentary on Romans exists is three apparently sequential versions (alpha, beta, and gamma). In alpha and beta Ambrosiaster modifi ed the comments on Romans 1:3 and 8:26-27 to emphasize that the Holy Spirit is divine (against the Pneumatomachians) and that Christ is fully human (against Apollinaris). These changes are examined in light of contemporary Roman synodal letters from the 370s and early 380s. The comments on Romans in alpha appear to belong to a period before 375 and possibly before 371, the changes introduced in beta correspond to theological developments in Rome in the second half of the 370s, and the changes introduced in gamma appear to belong to the early 380s. However, there are still difficulties in the dating of the versions that remain to be resolved.
Ambrosiaster’s Interpretations of Roman 1:26-27
(2011) de Bruyn, Theodore
Scholarly discussions of patristic interpretations of Romans 1:26-27 have overlooked the fact that Ambrosiaster revised his reading of the passage. In the first version of his commentary on Romans, Ambrosiaster understands verse 26 to refer to “unnatural” sexual relations between women and men, whereas in the second and third versions he understands the verse to refer to “unnatural” sexual relations between women. The paper examines the differences between the three versions, explains Ambrosiaster’s remarks, and situates his interpretation within the moral outlook and exegetical tradition of Latin Christian writers.
Historians, Bishops, Amulets, Scribes, and Rites: Interpreting Christian Practice
(2017) de Bruyn, Theodore
The year 2015 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Association Inter-nationale d’Études Patristiques (AIEP) / International Association of Patristic Studies (IAPS). It is an opportune moment to reflect on the intersection of scholarly disciplines and approaches in the field of patristics today. To do so, I shall draw on my current research programme, an investigation of the ways in which the customary practice of making and wearing amulets became ‘Christian’. At first glance, it may appear that the practice has little to do with patristics, except in so far as it elicited comment or disap-proval from ancient church authorities. However, the material record reveals a more complex dynamic, since scribes who prepared amulets were familiar with Christian prayer, liturgy, and scriptures. The evidence presses one to reflect on what it meant to be ‘Christian’ in Late Antiquity and on how purveyors of amulets received and modulated institutional modes of expressing what it meant to be ‘Christian’. The evidence also obliges one to draw on the many disciplines or sub-fields that currently constitute the field of patristics, illustrating how indispensable they are to the interpretative process.
An Anatomy of Tradition: The Case of the Charitêsion.
(2015) de Bruyn, Theodore
This paper traces continuity and change in the structure and formulation of Demotic, Greek, and Coptic charitêsia (“good luck charms”) in Roman Egypt. Drawing on Roy Rappaport’s theory of ritual, it argues that authoritative traditions for obtaining favor and fortune, derived from wider institutional cultic practices, persisted over time because incremental changes did not disrupt established patterns. The resulting products combined both elasticity and specificity so as to be at once recognizable in a general cultural context and relevant to specific audiences.
Appeals to the Intercessions of Mary in Greek Liturgical and Paraliturgical Texts from Egypt
(2015) de Bruyn, Theodore
Occasional Prayers Written by Monks and Visitors at the Monastery of Apa Apollo
(2021) de Bruyn, Theodore
While numerous Christian liturgical prayers have survived from the late antique period in Egypt, occasional prayers are less frequently attested. One source of occasional prayers, albeit minimalist in form, are prayers that monks and visitors scratched (graffiti) or painted (dipinti) in monastic spaces imbued with the presence of a saint or other intermediaries. This paper reviews prayers left in such a space at the Monastery of Apa Apollo in Bawit. It describes the typical structure and phraseology of the prayers, and it discusses information gleaned from the prayers about patterns of pilgrimage to the site, the roles and occupations of people named in the room, and the gendered perception of familial and social relations.
What Did Ancient Christians Say When They Cast Out Demons? Inferences from Spells and Amulets
(2015) de Bruyn, Theodore
In the second and third centuries CE, Christian apologists contrast the simplicity and efficacy of their forms of exorcism with the elaborate and incomprehensible incantations employed by polytheists and ‘false’ Christians. Since these writers emphasize discontinuity rather than continuity with ambient customs, it is useful to compare their claims with documentary evidence of Christian exorcistic practices. Some inferences about what Christians said when they exorcised evil spirits can be drawn from Greek spells and amulets with Christian elements from Egypt. The evidence both confirms and contradicts the apologists’ claims. There are many indications that Christians adjured evil spirits by the name or power of Jesus, and that the invocation of his name or power could be accompanied by a creedal acclamation, as the apologists say. But at the same time Christian exorcists as likely as not reiterated customary practices of incantation, including the uttering of esoteric names, threatening injunctions, and multiple adjurations.
A Greek-Coptic Miaphysite Litany from Thebes (P.Mon.Epiph. 49)
(2022) de Bruyn, Theodore
A bilingual Greek-Coptic manuscript (P.Mon.Epiph. 49+592) found at the monastic settlement of Epiphanius in Western Thebes contains a litany recounting the principal events in the saving work of Christ. The litany has been overlooked in scholarship on the manuscript and on comparable litanies from antiquity. It differs from other litanies in attributing all the statements to God rather than to Christ. The article argues that the litany was an expression of miaphysite affiliation and belief. The article contextualizes the litany in the robust miaphysite culture of Thebes in the early seventh century and in the Greek-Coptic bilingualism of the time, and it discusses possible uses of the litany in collective worship, monastic prayer, and other rituals.
The Fate and Fortunes of the Legacy of Saints Cyril and Methodios in the Balkans during the Period of the Ottoman Empire (Fourteenth-Eighteenth Century)
(1998) Vryonis, Speros
Lecture presented in a series for the Canadian Institute for Balkan Studies.
A Tale of Bygone Years: The Kontakion for the Dedication of a Church in Medieval Rus'. A Source Study and a Reconstruction
(1997) Myers, Gregory
Lecture series for the Canadian Institute for Balkan Studies.
Why Write a New History of Byzantium?
(1997) Treadgold, Warren
Lecture presented in a series for the Canadian Institute for Balkan Studies.
A Fourteenth-Century Manual of Hesychast Prayer: The Century Of St Kallistos And St Ignatios Xanthopoulos
(1995) Ware, Kallistos
Lecture presented in a series for the Canadian Institute for Balkan Studies.
Observations on the Study of Byzantine Hagiography in the Last Half-Century or Two Looks Back and One Look Forward
(1995) Ševčenko, Ihor
Lecture presented in a series for the Canadian Institute for Balkan Studies.
The Architectural Iconography of the Late Byzantine Monastery
(1997) Popović, Svetlana
Lecture presented in a series for the Canadian Institute for Balkan Studies.
Image and Imagination: The Byzantine Epigram as Evidence for Viewer Response
(1996) Maguire, Henry
Lecture presented in a series for the Canadian Institute for Balkan Studies.
The Byzantine Background to the First Crusade
(1996) Magdalino, Paul
Lecture presented in a series for the Canadian Institute for Balkan Studies.
Les Jafnides et la défense de l'Empire au VIe siècle
(2015) Greatrex, Geoffrey
Cet article analyse le rôle de la dynastie jafnide dans la défense de la frontière orientale de l'Empire. Il met en évidence la cohérence de la politique de réorganisation de la défense de l'Orient par Justinien, aussi bien au nord, en Arménie, qu'au sud. L'auteur met en exergue le fait que les Jafnides ont acquis un statut de puissantes élites locales, mais sont ainsi devenus impopulaires auprès de leurs rivaux qui ont orchestré leur chute. Ils ont aussi pris le risque de trop gagner en puissance et d'échapper ainsi au contrôle de l'administration romaine. C'est pour ces raisons qu'ils ont été démis de leurs fonctions au début des années 580, tout comme l'ont été de nombreuses autres dynasties locales avant eux.
Théodore le Lecteur et son épitomateur anonyme du VIIe s.
(2015) Greatrex, Geoffrey
Notre étude s’intéresse en premier lieu à l’historien Théodore le Lecteur, auteur d’une Histoire ecclésiastique vers 519 qui traite de la période entre 439 et 518, dont ne subsistent que des fragments et des extraits recueillis au début du VIIe s. Au cours des vingt dernières années, Théodore a fait l’objet de plusieurs études importantes, notamment l’article de 1994 de Pierre Nautin, ainsi que le livre de Philippe Blaudeau, Alexandrie et Constantinople (451–491), et les articles de Bernard Pouderon sur les manuscrits qui transmettent les extraits de l’épitomé (ou compilation) fait(e) au VIIe s. De plus, G. C. Hansen a ajouté quelques remarques à la deuxième édition du texte de Théodore, parue en 1995. On retiendra aussi les contributions de Michael Whitby et de Warren Treadgold d’ordre plus général.¹ Le but de notre étude est de relever certains aspects du récit de Théodore, ainsi que de celui du compilateur,² afin de mieux les situer dans leur contexte et de mieux comprendre leurs approches de l’histoire profane. Il en ressortira qu’on constate une augmentation du nombre de notices consacrées à l’histoire profane au fil des quatre livres de Théodore, bien que la distinction entre l’histoire profane et l’histoire ecclésiastique ne soit pas toujours claire: doit-on considérer les manœuvres de l’empereur Anastase contre le patriarche Euphème, par exemple, ou même la guerre en Isaurie, comme de l’histoire profane ou de l’histoire ecclésiastique, étant donné que l’empereur reprochait au patriarche d’avoir collaboré avec les insurgés isauriens? Par la suite on évoquera brièvement quelques thèmes qui ressortent de l’histoire de Théodore, notamment au sujet du rôle de l’empereur. Nous poursuivrons dans un second temps en élargissant nos horizons et en comparant le sort de l’œuvre de Théodore à celui de Zacharie de Mytilène et en examinant le rôle du compilateur dans la transformation des Histoires du Lecteur.

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