karin Schlapbach: Ekphrasis and the critique of spectacula: The case of Paulinus of Nola and his contemporaries(Contribution for Workshop "New perspectives on late antique spectacula: Between reality and imagination")

This paper examines a little noticed facet of the Christian discourse concerning spectacula, namely the impact of conventional literary technique on the shape of the arguments and the underlying attitudes they express. The point of departure is Letter 13 by Paulinus of Nola (from 396 / 397), addressed to the wealthy Roman senator Pammachius, who had recently adopted a Christian lifestyle. This letter has been studied from various angles, but it has been largely overlooked in recent studies of Christian attitudes to public shows. The paper will analyse the ways in which the momentum of a conventional literary strategy, namely ekphrasis, interacts with a specifically Christian agenda of self-definition and legitimization in Paulinus, an author who was like all learned Christians of his age steeped in classical rhetoric. Ekphrasis is the rhetorical presentation of an event as a “spectacle” for the inner eye. In Letter 13, Paulinus’ ekphrasis of Pammachius’ banquet for the poor in the basilica of St. Peter prepares and facilitates the subsequent comparison with traditional munera as a form of euergetism. Special attention will be given to the motif of god as a spectator, which will be traced in a number of further letters by Paulinus and which must again be seen as part of ekphrastic technique.

Bearing these insights in mind, the paper will widen the perspective and examine the use of ekphrasis in connection with the discourse on public spectacles in select passages from Augustine and John Chrysostom. If the workshop is dedicated to the larger question of “intrinsical” vs. “circumstantial” factors in the late antique debate concerning public shows, this paper argues that the Christian negative stance was sometimes induced by other factors than the need to oppose traditional spectacula for their own sake, a view that rather points in the direction of the latter hypothesis.

karin Schlapbach: New perspectives on late antique spectacula: Between reality and imagination

This workshop addresses the tensions arising between traditional public spectacles and the new values of a Christian society. Based on archaeological, epigraphical, and literary sources, it will include discussions of social, political and ideological aspects of the changing attitude towards the theatre and games. In particular it addresses the question of “intrinsic” vs. “circumstantial” factors both in the negative attitude toward and in the eventual disappearance of traditional spectacula. Was the Christian critique concerned with the essence of spectacularity (as recently argued by L. Lugaresi 2008), or was it to some extent a mere byproduct of the search for a specifically Christian identity (a view defended by Ruth Webb 2008 and Alan Cameron 2011)? Was the decline of the shows the result of the Christian critique, or did it largely have political or economic reasons? What are the factors that account for the persistence of the shows in the face of ongoing critique? The papers work from the assumption that it is necessary to look at spectacula as a cultural phenomenon in the widest sense, but also that new insights can come only from detailed case studies.

The single contributions focus on the following topics:

– the problem of truth vs. falsehood in theatrical performances (Leonardo Lugaresi, Italy: “Ratio veritatis. The new Christian perspective on theatre and theatricality in Tertullian's De spectaculis”)

– the secularisation of the shows, their flexibility and adaptability in terms of contents, and the theatre as “heterotopy”, i.e. a space for relaxation (Alexander Puk, Germany: “A success story – Why did the late ancient theatre continue?”)

– the impact of conventional literary strategies, in particular ekphrasis, on the shape of the arguments used in the debate concerning public shows (Karin Schlapbach, Canada: “Ekphrasis and the critique of spectacula: The case of Paulinus of Nola and his contemporaries)

Alexander Puk: "A story of success - Why did the late ancient theatre continue?"

This paper intends to analyse some of the aspects which led to a continuous existence and popularity of theatrical spectacles in Late Antiquity - a period which according to the patristic discourse was rather characterised by an ongoing critique of the theatre. However, the literary, archaeological and epigraphical record clearly shows that theatrical shows continued to flourish and several factors can be taken into account for this survival, three of which shall be presented in this paper:
1) The "secularisation" of late ancient spectacles enabled the participation of Christian believers and made possible a support by the emperors. Although several church fathers villainised shows of mime and pantomime as a display of pagan ideology and immoral myths, there is no real accusation of an actual cult practice nor any evidence for it. From a religious and legal point of view, theatrical spectacles were therefore not in real conflict with the prohibition of paganism.
2) Stage business usually is a very flexible genre and ready to adapt itself to new circumstances, surroundings or topics of the day. This advantage also seems to have obtained in the case of the late antique theatre: On the one hand, archaeological evidence suggests the appearance of new sorts of water spectacles in some theatres of the East, which probably secured attraction despite growing adversity. On the other hand, themes displayed on stage adjusted themselves to a Christian environment and thus offered mockeries on clergymen and Christian rituals.
3) This characteristic leads to a third aspect which could be named "theatre as heterotopy". The mime genre, in particular, offered a place of parody and laughter which - not unlike modern times - forms an attractive sphere of emotional relaxation and of taking serious business in a humourous way. In this sense it was also a social entertainment which was set apart from the increasing Christian way of life and provided a way to celebrate one's community in a non-religiously charged surrounding. On the other hand, pantomimic entertainment still provided a background for telling classical stories and myths which might have offended the feelings of certain church fathers, but which continued to be cultivated within all educated groups of society.