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RLG 3240F/465F Early Christian Literature: Corinth
Thursday 10-12 am in University College 057
Peter Richardson/University College H12 (978-7157); prchrdsn@chass.utoronto.ca
An examination of selected Christian and related literature associated with Corinth and the province of Achaia, including Athens: this will include Paul's Corinthian correspondence, 1 Clement, 2 Clement, Apology of Aristides, among other pieces. Against the background of the city and its region, early Christian developments will be analyzed and interpreted within a social-historical context. Open to qualified graduate students and advanced undergraduate students with permission of instructor (graduate students will usually be expected to read primary texts in the original languages and to read secondary literature other than English).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
There is no one text book; students are encouraged to buy their own copies of some of the primary texts and a couple of the secondary books whose subject matter coincides with their interests.
Primary Texts
Bible
Early Christian Writings (London: Penguin, 1987) has 1 Clement but not 2 Clement
Apostolic Fathers, Loeb Library Edition, has both 1 and 2 Clement
Secondary Bibliography
Donald Engels, Roman Corinth (Chicago and London: University of Chicago, 1990)
Jerome Murphy-O'Connor, St. Paul's Corinth (Wilmington: Michael Glazier, 1983)
Rodney Stark, The Rise of Christianity (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1996)
Richard S. Ascough, What are they saying about the Formation of Pauline Churches (New York/Mahwah: Paulist 1998)
Walter Bauer, Orthodoxy and Heresy in Earliest Christianity (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1971)
Wayne Meeks, The First Urban Christians (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1983)
David W. J. Gill and Conrad Gempf, eds., The Book of Acts in its First Century Setting, volume 3, Graeco-Roman Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1994)
One or another commentary on select literature, e.g., Fee on 1 Corinthians, H.-D. Betz on 2 Corinthians 8 & 9, Donfried on 2 Clement, Osiek (transl) on 1 Clement
There is now a full treatment of 3 Corinthians, Vahan Hovhanessian, Third Corinthians: Reclaiming Paul for Christian Orthodoxy (New York: Peter Lang, 2000)
Tertiary resources
In addition, note that there are books covering somewhat the same range as we expect to cover for other cities, but nothing yet for Corinth:
Karl Paul Donfried and Peter Richardson, eds., Judaism and Christianity in First-Century Rome (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998)
Charalambos Bakirtzis & Helmut Koester, eds., Philippi at the time of Paul and after his death (Harrisburg: TPI 1998)
Helmut Koester, ed., Pergamon, Citadel of the Gods (Harrisburg: TPI, 1998)
Helmut Koester, ed., Ephesos, Metropolis of Asia (Harrisburg: TPI, 1995)
SYLLABUS
|
14 Sept 2000 |
Course outline; introductory discussion |
Richardson |
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21 Sept |
Corinth and its surroundings: slides |
Richardson |
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28 Sept |
Achaia: Epidauros, Eleusis, Delphi, Athens |
Richardson |
|
5 October |
Issues in Corinth: Paul |
All |
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12 October |
Issues in Corinth: Acts |
L or F |
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19 October |
Issues in Corinth: 3 Corinthians |
F or L |
|
26 October |
Issues in Corinth: Judaism in Corinth |
Richardson |
|
2 Nov |
Issues in Corinth: 1 Clement |
L or F |
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9 Nov |
Issues in Corinth: 2 Clement |
F or L |
|
16 Nov |
Issues in Corinth: Class cancelled |
------------ |
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23 Nov |
Issues in Corinth: Presentations on major projects |
L or F |
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30 Nov |
Issues in Corinth: Presentations on major projects |
F or L |
|
7 December |
Wrap-up |
Richardson |
Some possible features on which to focus:
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Views of Corinth/Athens, for example |
Pausanias, Guide to Greece, Books 2 (Corinthia) and 7 (Achaia) |
|
. |
Strabo, Geography, Book 8, especially 8.6.20-23 |
|
. |
Philo, in Flaccum 151-56, Legatio 281-82 |
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. |
Pliny the Elder, Natural History 4.9-11; 34.1, 6-8, 48 |
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. |
Josephus (references to the "Corinthian gates"), in War 5.201-5; cf. Life 68 |
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. |
Luke in Acts 17, 18 |
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. |
Eusebius of Caesarea, History of the Church, various |
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Early Christian Literature in/from/to Corinth & Athens |
. |
|
. |
Paul's Corinthian correspondence to Corinth |
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. |
[Romans, Thessalonians, Philippians, from Corinth?] |
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. |
1 Clement, to Corinth from Rome |
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. |
2 Clement, in Corinth? |
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. |
Apology of Aristides (in or near Corinth?) |
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. |
Apology of Quadratus (Bishop of Athens?) |
|
. |
Dionysius, Bishop of Corinth, fragments of letter |
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Other Christian Literature with Corinth/Athens connection |
Anti-Marcionite Prologues?. |
|
. |
.[Clement, two (spurious) epistles on virginity] |
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People/Groups possibly relevant |
Apollos |
|
. |
Titus, Timothy |
|
. |
Cephas-Peter |
|
. |
Chloe, Crispus, Gaius, Stephanas, Prisca and Aquila, Phoebe, Tertius & Quartus, Fortunatus |
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. |
Clement |
Dates of Emperors
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31-14 CE |
Imperator Caesar Divi Filius Augustus (previously Octavian) (23 Sept 63 BCE - 19 Aug 14 CE) |
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. |
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14-37 CE |
Tiberius Caesar Augustus (16 Nov 42 BCE - 16 Mar 37 CE) |
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37-41 |
Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (Caligula) (31 Aug 12 CE - 24 Jan 41 CE) |
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41-54 |
Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (1 Aug 10 BCE - 13 Oct 54 CE) |
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54-68 |
Nero Claudius Caesar Augsutus Germanicus (15 Dec 37 CE - 9 June 68 CE) |
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68-69 |
Year of the Three Emperors: Galba, Otho, Vitellius
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69-79 |
Imperator Caesar Vespasianus Augustus (17 Nov 9 CE - 23 June 79 CE) |
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79-81 |
Imperator Titus Caesar Vespasianus Augustus (30 Dec 39 - 13 Sept 81 CE) |
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81-96 |
Imperator Caesar Domitianus Augustus (24 Oct 51 - 18 Sept 96 CE) |
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96-98 |
Imperator Nerva Caesar Augustus (8 Nov 30 - 27 Jan 98 CE) |
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98-117 |
Imperator Caesar Divi Nervae Filius Nerva Traianus (18 Sept 53 -7 Aug 117 CE) |
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117-138 |
Imperator Caesar Traianus Hadrianus Augustus (24 January 76 - 10 July 138 CE) |
Evaluation
This is a seminar, in which participation and research ability are fundamental elements:
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Seminar participation, three formal presentations @ 10% |
30 |
|
Seminar participation, regular contributions |
05 |
|
Preliminary bibliographical assignment |
15 |
|
Major research essay |
50 |
Research Essay
Seminar Presentations
Students will be responsible for three presentations on topics assigned, approximately 30 minutes long, and for whatever hand-outs might be necessary. The third presentation may focus on the student’s research project, and be a kind of "research-in-progress" type of report. I am available for consultation.
Research Project
The research project comprises both a preliminary essay and a major essay, and one of the two seminar presentations may also focus on the same project. The project is to be concerned with some aspect of the history and development of early Christianity in Corinth, preferably in the context of Judaism and/or Roman religion. Each project will be negotiated with the student early in the term.
The preliminary essay has two parts: (1) a coherent statement of the problem that is at the heart of the research project (about 2 pages); (2) an annotated bibliography of the resources available, including both primary data and secondary analyses.
The major essay should be a mature piece of work, correct in style and form, that makes a persuasive argument about the topic selected. It may, though it need not, follow the pattern description, analysis, and interpretation.
Internet
Electronic Communication
It is assumed that students will have access to electronic communication. E-mail is preferred for questions; a small discussion group will be set up Additional material may from time to time be posted on my website. I would welcome an initial query by email from those interested in registering in the course.
Internet resources
There is an enormous amount of information and misinformation available on the internet. While it is readily available, is sometimes well illustrated, often has links to other relevant sites, it has serious disadvantages: you cannot tell how reliable or eccentric it is, because many post all their wildest notions. Among the most useful sites available are those with translations of ancient texts (though sometimes old and unreadable translations, and often not carefully proof-read), photos and plans of sites (occasionally even archaeological site reports), and maps. IF you use an internet site, the cardinal rule is that you MUST cite it accurately and fully, giving the name of the "author," the site and page address, and the date it was posted, just as you would in citing a book, so that the reference can be checked.
Texts available include such authors as 1 Clement, 2 Clement, Dionysius, Quadratus, Aristides, Eusebius, the Pseudo-Clementine literature, and so on. For access to translations and a searchable index, go to http://www.ccel.org/
PLAGIARISM
Plargiarism is passing off someone else's work as your work (see standard guides for avoiding plagiarism): not attributing direct quotations or ideas to the proper source, paraphrasing or only sightly changing your sources without attribution, copying material from the itnernet and forgetting where you have taken it from. The University takes plagiarism very seriously and lays on very serious penalties. So give yourself lots of time to work on essays, take careful notes, do not copy materials directly from the internet. It is better to give a reputable author credit than to pretend that the ideas you are using are yours.
MATERIAL CULTURE
Royal Ontario Museum. An optional tour of relevant galleries in the Royal Ontario Museum will be organized some afternoon, in order to get some general sense of the kinds of materials that are available for study in the field.
Archaeology. Students find work on an archaeological excavation somewhere in the Mediterranean area a good opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the area and to gain a hands-on academic credit. I have for some time been involved in excavations in Israel, but there are lots of opportunities in other parts of the Greek and Roman worlds. Details of some will be given from time to time. For the dig at Khirbet Cana, see the information at
http://www.nexfind.com/ or http://www.ups.edu/religion/cana/canahome.htm or elsewhere on my website.
Special Lectures
Many additional lectures are sponsored by various parts of the university and by outside organizations, relevant to students in advanced courses such as this. For a listing of some of them, see from time to time occasional lectures.