Saturday 11 April 2015

Maijastina Kahlos: Dealing with ‘Barbarians' in Late Antiquity: enmity, conversion, integration

This workshop will discuss Christian encounters with the peoples considered by the Greeks, Romans and Byzantines as ‘barbarians'. We will look at the topic by taking into account the interplay of a variety of perspectives, ranging from enmity, to adhesion, conversion and integration.
Kahlos discusses the ambiguities that ecclesiastical leaders had to deal with when discussing Christian Goths. Most Gothic groups were converted into Christianity in its Homoian (‘Arian') version. The focus is on fourth-century bishops such as Basil of Caesarea and Augustine but other less well-known writers will be examined.
By the late fifth century and early sixth centuries, as Rome was reviving under a Germanic polity, the bishops of Rome were faced with negotiating the reality of Arian Ostrogothic rulers and worshipers. Salzman's paper focuses on the late fifth century bishops of Rome, with a though a close reading of papal letters as well as sermons. Pope Gelasius, as she shows, is of special import in showing the complexities of the late fifth century. Her paper traces the interplay of Roman and Arian/Ostrogothic contestations for religious and civic authority in Rome.
Tommasi discusses the Christian spread in China during the 7th-8th century and the accommodation with local cultural background. Our sources show a deep interpenetration of theological concepts, witnessing to the urgency and the effort required to superimpose Christian terms on pre-existing Chinese concepts. Such a refined work of inculturation is matched, on the political side, by a sensitive awareness that lent the Christian Church freedom to convert.

No comments:

Post a Comment