The Papacy in Late Antiquity. The papacy, one of the oldest and most powerful institutions in the world, has recently been revitalized and gives every sign of retaining its authority in the immediate future. The research aims to explain how, across some three hundred years, it came to enjoy its position. In a world in which religious authority and allegiance is becoming more important, locally and internationally, a sound understanding of the foundations of a key institution will be of great ben ....The Papacy in Late Antiquity. The papacy, one of the oldest and most powerful institutions in the world, has recently been revitalized and gives every sign of retaining its authority in the immediate future. The research aims to explain how, across some three hundred years, it came to enjoy its position. In a world in which religious authority and allegiance is becoming more important, locally and internationally, a sound understanding of the foundations of a key institution will be of great benefit. Read moreRead less
Attitudes towards Sexuality in Judaism and Christianity in the Hellenistic Greco-Roman Era: The First Comprehensive Analysis, in two volumes. This study investigates how attitudes towards sexuality in early Judaism and Christianity developed and were shaped in interaction with Hellenistic culture which largely dominated their world. It thus provides information about a formative period which continues to influence attitudes towards sexuality in many communities today and will provide them with a ....Attitudes towards Sexuality in Judaism and Christianity in the Hellenistic Greco-Roman Era: The First Comprehensive Analysis, in two volumes. This study investigates how attitudes towards sexuality in early Judaism and Christianity developed and were shaped in interaction with Hellenistic culture which largely dominated their world. It thus provides information about a formative period which continues to influence attitudes towards sexuality in many communities today and will provide them with a useful resource in the form of a two volume work and an abridged account for exploring where such attitudes came from and how they developed.Read moreRead less
Dreams, Prophecy and Violence from Early Christianity to the Rise of Islam. In Classical Greco-Roman society dreams or visions were sometimes understood as vehicles of divine revelation. Early Christians and Muslims developed the religious interpretation of dreams, using it to bolster the religious authority of their leaders, who laid claim to the Jewish tradition of prophets who brought messages from God. This project aims to uncover the development of dream interpretation from Classical Antiqu ....Dreams, Prophecy and Violence from Early Christianity to the Rise of Islam. In Classical Greco-Roman society dreams or visions were sometimes understood as vehicles of divine revelation. Early Christians and Muslims developed the religious interpretation of dreams, using it to bolster the religious authority of their leaders, who laid claim to the Jewish tradition of prophets who brought messages from God. This project aims to uncover the development of dream interpretation from Classical Antiquity through early Christianity to early Islam and give an understanding of how dreams and visions were used as tools of religious control and as justification of violence against other religions.Read moreRead less
Memories of utopia: Destroying the past to create the future (300-650 CE). This project aims to examine the evidence for competing utopian ideologies in early Christianity, which was a prelude to the later clash with Islam from the seventh century onward. Evidence from pagan-Jewish-Christian conflicts in Late Antiquity (300-650 CE) shows that violent destruction of the past is not exclusive to fringe religious groups. These past conflicts are relevant for understanding the conflict in the Middle ....Memories of utopia: Destroying the past to create the future (300-650 CE). This project aims to examine the evidence for competing utopian ideologies in early Christianity, which was a prelude to the later clash with Islam from the seventh century onward. Evidence from pagan-Jewish-Christian conflicts in Late Antiquity (300-650 CE) shows that violent destruction of the past is not exclusive to fringe religious groups. These past conflicts are relevant for understanding the conflict in the Middle East, precisely because analysis of the sources shows that, in intra- and inter-religious conflicts in Late Antiquity in this same geographic region, violent destruction of the past was a propensity in mainstream religion.Read moreRead less
Encountering diversity: communities of learning, intellectual confrontations and transformations of religious thinking in Latin Europe, 1050-1350. This project will analyse how intellectual confrontations between different communities in medieval Europe (from 1050-1350), including Jews and Muslims, were generated by competition between teachers from different groups, both within and outside formal educational structures and established religious communities, thus helping to transform religious t ....Encountering diversity: communities of learning, intellectual confrontations and transformations of religious thinking in Latin Europe, 1050-1350. This project will analyse how intellectual confrontations between different communities in medieval Europe (from 1050-1350), including Jews and Muslims, were generated by competition between teachers from different groups, both within and outside formal educational structures and established religious communities, thus helping to transform religious thinking.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100854
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$380,204.00
Summary
The Female Voice in Ancient Philosophical Dialogues. This project aims to conceptualise and communicate how a major innovation was accepted in the ancient world, when women for the first time began to serve as intellectual role-models for both men and women. This project will create a ground-breaking narrative of female intellectuals over 800 years of history. The expected outcome is a new history of the role women played in the intellectual life in the ancient world, and a new understanding of ....The Female Voice in Ancient Philosophical Dialogues. This project aims to conceptualise and communicate how a major innovation was accepted in the ancient world, when women for the first time began to serve as intellectual role-models for both men and women. This project will create a ground-breaking narrative of female intellectuals over 800 years of history. The expected outcome is a new history of the role women played in the intellectual life in the ancient world, and a new understanding of how their voices were used as authorities on certain issues in philosophy and the good life. In addition, reflection on how this innovation was accepted historically will help modern attempts to advance the social cohesion of men and women, especially in the intellectual life. Read moreRead less
Historical-critical commentary on the Odes of Solomon in two versions, a most extensive German edition and an abridged English edition. Since the sensational 1909 discovery of the first, Syriac, manuscript of the Odes of Solomon, an early Christian collection of 42 pseudepigraphical poems, there has never been published a commentary as detailed as other pioneering biblical and non-canonical commentaries. Writing such a commentary is based on applicant's extensive preliminary investigations: new ....Historical-critical commentary on the Odes of Solomon in two versions, a most extensive German edition and an abridged English edition. Since the sensational 1909 discovery of the first, Syriac, manuscript of the Odes of Solomon, an early Christian collection of 42 pseudepigraphical poems, there has never been published a commentary as detailed as other pioneering biblical and non-canonical commentaries. Writing such a commentary is based on applicant's extensive preliminary investigations: new edition, first complete concordance, annotated bibliography, monograph on ancient hymnology, German translation with introduction and notes, numerous articles. Further painstaking philological-critical research is indispensable for both German and abridged English commentary bringing the most ambitious research project on these enigmatic texts to completion within the next decade.Read moreRead less
Imagining Poverty: conceptualising and representing poverty and the poor in mendicant inspired literature, preaching and visual art 1220-1520. This project explores understandings and representation of poverty, both voluntary and involuntary, in literature and art in Europe 1220-1520 that were inspired by mendicant (particularly Franciscan and Dominican) ideals. It will lead to a jointly authored study on the different ways poverty was understood and represented in this period.
Negotiating religious conflict: Letters between Rome and Byzantium in the seventh century, an era of crisis. Over 1000 letters survive in Greek and Latin from 590 to the end of the seventh century, when the Byzantine empire was at war first with Persia, and then with the Arab forces united under the new faith of Islam. Bishops and Emperors of Rome and Byzantium used letters to negotiate their claims to universal and local power in the course of conflicts over religion. The project will increase ....Negotiating religious conflict: Letters between Rome and Byzantium in the seventh century, an era of crisis. Over 1000 letters survive in Greek and Latin from 590 to the end of the seventh century, when the Byzantine empire was at war first with Persia, and then with the Arab forces united under the new faith of Islam. Bishops and Emperors of Rome and Byzantium used letters to negotiate their claims to universal and local power in the course of conflicts over religion. The project will increase our understanding of the ways in which religious conflict was handled through letter-exchange in early Medieval Europe and Byzantium, and what happened when these diplomatic avenues failed. It will shed light on the question of whether the seventh century was really the beginning of the Dark Ages, or a period of cultural regeneration.Read moreRead less
The impact of cultural contact between China and the Ancient Mediterranean World. The project which is part of a large international project aims to investigate the evidence for cultural contact between Rome and China and draws on material which has not been properly studied. Some of this material is of great artistic value (esp. Manichaean manuscripts) and has already attracted the attention of national media (newspapers, radio and TV). The project will help strengthen research ties between th ....The impact of cultural contact between China and the Ancient Mediterranean World. The project which is part of a large international project aims to investigate the evidence for cultural contact between Rome and China and draws on material which has not been properly studied. Some of this material is of great artistic value (esp. Manichaean manuscripts) and has already attracted the attention of national media (newspapers, radio and TV). The project will help strengthen research ties between the Social Science Academy of China and the Australian Academy of the Humanities. It will also heighten academic interest among ethnic groups: Chinese, Assyrian, Turkish and Iranian in cross-cultural contacts through exhibitions. Read moreRead less