Topic for
1998-1999:
Religious Identities in Asia Minor in the First through the Fourth Centuries
CE
The Philadelphia Seminar on Christian Origins in its 36th year,
will explore the topic of "Religious Identities in Asia Minor in the 1st
through the 4th Centuries CE " in 1998-99. Speakers from universities
across the country will address issues concerning varieties of
Christianity, Judaism and "paganisms" in this geographic region and time
frame. These talks will deal with a variety of evidence and approaches
ranging from textual to archaeological. This topic presents interesting
opportunities and challenges to scholars interested in issues of
religious identity. Considering these identity issues in a specific
geographical and chronological context supplies focus and coherence to the
topic at hand.
Asia Minor was a crossroads of varying political and cultural
perspectives for vying Greek, Hellenistic and Roman ideals in this time
frame. Religious movements intersected and articulated complex
understandings of their internal and external relationships and
identities. Scholarship has long focused strongly on the political and
economic history of this region, but has only recently turned to a concern
for the people and their religious approaches.
Some questions that might be illuminated through this year's topic
include: How does Asia Minor work as a test case for studying these
various religious identities? How does the time frame effect the topics
investigated? Is our geographic and chronological limit meaningful for
all the traditions studied? How do the diverse religious traditions
interrelate with and influence one another? How fixed and/or separate are
these identities. How are such identities defined? Where might such
inquiries lead scholarship in these disciplines?
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