Personal Versus Established Religion: Revision and Stagnation in Eastern Christian Thought and Praxis [5th-8th Centuries]

[RG #119] Personal and Institutional Religion: Christian Thought and Practice from the Fifth to the Eighth Century

September 1, 2009 - August 31, 2010

Organizers:

Brouria Bitton-Ashkelony (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
Lorenzo Perrone (University of Bologna)

Late Antiquity has traditionally been regarded by scholarly research as a period of transition from the Greco-Roman civilization to Byzantium and Islam on the one hand, and to medieval western culture on the other. Indeed, from the 5th to the 8th century we can observe a deep transformation from the point of view of the political and religious systems, and more generally of the overall cultural framework. In spite of the rejection of the negative category of the "decline and fall", which has been promoted by eminent scholars such as Henri-Irénée Marrou and Peter Brown, these changes often continue to lead to a critical appreciation of religious life in Late Antiquity. When compared to the previous epoch, the picture presented by this period seems to also imply a negative phase of "revision" and "stagnation", as demonstrated more specifically, among other aspects, by the evolution of "personal" and "institutional" religion. This perception was the starting point of our research group.

2009-2010 Research Groups 2009-2010 Humanities

Members

Brouria Bitton-Ashkelony

FELLOW

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Brouria Bitton-Ashkelony is Associate Professor in the Department of Comparative Religion at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Oded Irshai

FELLOW

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Oded is a professor in the Department of Jewish History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His research interests are Jewish history and culture in late Antiquity, and Judeo-Christian dialogue during the same period.

Aryeh Kofsky

FELLOW

University of Haifa

Aryeh is a professor in the Department of Land of Israel Studies at Haifa University. His research interests are religion, Christianity, and Nusayri-Alawi religion.

Derek Krueger

FELLOW

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Derek is a professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. His research interests are: Christianity in Late Antiquity and Byzantium; hagiography; liturgy and identity; monasticism; and lay piety.

Hillel Newman

FELLOW

University of Haifa

Hillel is a professor in the Department of Jewish History at the University of Haifa. His research interests are: Jews and Christians in Late Antiquity; apocalyptic literature; and classical and early medieval rabbinic literature.

István Perczel

FELLOW

Central European University

István is a professor in the Department of Medieval Studies at Central European University, Budapest.

Lorenzo Perrone

FELLOW

University of Bologna

Lorenzo is a professor in the Department of Philology at the University of Bologna. His research interests are: Origen and the Alexandrian tradition in western thought; history of the Holy Land; history of ancient monasticism; and the "Ecclesiastical History" of Eusebius of Caesarea.

Roger Scott

FELLOW

University of Melbourne

Roger is a Principal Fellow in the School of Historical Studies at the University of Melbourne. His research interests are Byzantine Chronicles and the early history of the Byzantine empire.