Art, Craft, and Theology in Fourth-Century Christian Authors

Art, Craft, and Theology in Fourth-Century Christian Authors analyses Christian Greek literature in the fourth century in order to emphasise the style, ingenuity, and craftsmanship demonstrated by the authors of such texts. It considers the way these 'wordsmiths' used classical literature techniques to strengthen their theological writings.

List of contents

• 1: Introduction


• 2: Ekphrasis: Seeing Things


• 3: Ekphrasis and Decision


• 4: The Rhetoric of Landscape in Gregory of Nyssa's Homilies on the Song of Songs


• 5: Ascetic Landscapes and Aesthetic Landscapes


• 6: Role-playing: Prosopopoeia and Embodied Performance


• 7: 'This is the Word of the Lord'


• 8: Women's Voices?


• 9: Talking Bodies


• 10: The Workshop


• 11: Conclusions: Art, Craft and Theology

About the author

Professor Morwenna Ludlow studied Classics and then Theology at the University of Oxford. She is Professor of Christian History and Theology at the University of Exeter and has written widely on Gregory of Nyssa, including two monographs published by Oxford University Press.

Summary

Art, Craft, and Theology in Fourth-Century Christian Authors analyses Christian Greek literature in the fourth century in order to emphasise the style, ingenuity, and craftsmanship demonstrated by the authors of such texts. It considers the way these 'wordsmiths' used classical literature techniques to strengthen their theological writings.

Additional text

Saying that the book is a welcome addition to the field of late antique studies may sound cliché, but it is not often that a book leaves the reader with the impression that a topic that has been repeatedly explored (the study of ekphrasis and prosopopoeia) can be approached from a different perspective and provide a new way of understanding the world of Late Antiquity.

Product details

• Authors: Morwenna Ludlow, Morwenna (Professor of Christian History a Ludlow, Ludlow Morwenna
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 01.10.2020
• EAN: 9780198848837
• ISBN: 978-0-19-884883-7
• No. of pages: 282
• Series: Oxford Early Christian Studies
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > Classical linguistics / literary studies; LITERARY CRITICISM / Ancient & Classical, Christianity, History of Religion, Literary studies: classical, early & medieval, Modern Greek, Literary studies: ancient, classical and medieval, BCE to c 500 CE, The Early Church, 4th century, c 300 to c 399