Thinking of ‘crises’ in antique Christianity, one generally thinks of impactful and violent events like the East-West Schism at the beginning of the first millennium, the Donatist schism in the...Show moreThinking of ‘crises’ in antique Christianity, one generally thinks of impactful and violent events like the East-West Schism at the beginning of the first millennium, the Donatist schism in the fourth century, or the Diocletian persecutions from 303 to 313. However, ‘crisis’ did not start there, as historical crises can be traced back to the very beginning of Christianity. At the turn of the first century, a certain bishop in Asia Minor wrote letters revealing of this turbulent start of a new religion. When literally being escorted to his martyr’s death (how turbulent do you want it), Ignatius of Antioch wrote several letters to communities of Christ believers. He shows a surprisingly independent, stylistically quite idiosyncratic and rhetorically brilliant voice on central issues, concerning the ‘humanity’ of Christ and his believers, which renders him indispensable for any analysis of the early Christian crises of his time. Writing right after the first generation of believers, he is in dialogue with apostolic heritage. He explicitly refers to Paul, offering insight into the mechanics of historical development, which involves debate and, as you will, ‘crisis’. This thesis takes Ignatius’ testimony to give meaning to the historical crises of the time.Show less
Greek poets reflected upon the epiphany – the presence - of the Muses in their poems in Ancient Greece. This study aims to determine why poets reflected upon the epiphany of the Muses in their...Show moreGreek poets reflected upon the epiphany – the presence - of the Muses in their poems in Ancient Greece. This study aims to determine why poets reflected upon the epiphany of the Muses in their poems. Since Greek poetry was performed in front of a public, it focusses on the social demands to question the epiphany of the Muses in Ancient Greece. Specifically, it investigates how various political and military crises may have created social demands to reflect upon the Muses’ epiphanies. To test the hypothesis that crises created needs for poets to question the reliability and presence of the Muses, the circumstances of poets’ lives and careers are investigated. Biographical and autobiographical literary evidence, in combination with archaeological and iconological evidence, supports the idea that crises led to a demand to reflect upon the Muses’ epiphanies. This suggests that disruptive experiences such as war and diseases impacted the trustworthiness of divine inspiration and divine knowledge.Show less
