Reading Group: Later Ancient Latin Apologists (until 2012)

The Christian apologists have made great achievements for the occidental theology and history of ideas: in order to defend the new religion against attacks from within and from the outside, the Church fathers built a bridge between Christian and Hellenistic thought and they developed new systems of thought against a biblical and philosophical background, thus shaping fundamental concepts of theology. Even if one might usually know the names and approaches of these thinkers, taking a closer look at the apologetic writings is well worth the effort because of their fundamental significance and the often creative ways of dealing with Christian and pagan traditions.

In this reading group, we want to take a look at the works of Lactantius, Tertullian, Arnobius, Minucius Felix, Augustine and others, partly in the original languages and partly in their German or English translations on a biweekly basis by ‘simply’ reading them. In doing so, the project’s questions are to remain in the focus: how do the apologists talk about “the others”, about the “heathens”? Which outside images and concepts of the enemy are revealed in this mode of speaking? And who, after all, are “the others”: pagan philosophers, polytheists, political leaders?