Early Christian Literature
A.Y. 2024/2025
Learning objectives
Early Christian Literature (a.k.a.: "Patristic") has a fourfold objective:
1) it intends to introduce students to the fundamental literary collection and history of ideas that emerged in Christian origins;
2) the course also intends to illustrate the main trajectories along which the continuing cultural relevance of these texts has been consolidated (from the New Testament collection to authors such as Origen of Alexandria, Eusebius of Cesarea, Augustine of Hippo, Girolamo di Stridone etc.) in the history of thought and the various literary cultures;
3) it aims to introduce the main methodological tools, characteristic of this Discipline and distinctive of its most recent critical developments;
4) Finally, this Discipline aims to show students the opportunities to undertake a research itinerary in this specific field of study.
This articulated methodological and knowledge heritage is aimed, ultimately, at allowing the student to interact critically with the documentary heritage studied by the Discipline and with the complex constellation of studies and researches that, around it, the different critical traditions have animated.
1) it intends to introduce students to the fundamental literary collection and history of ideas that emerged in Christian origins;
2) the course also intends to illustrate the main trajectories along which the continuing cultural relevance of these texts has been consolidated (from the New Testament collection to authors such as Origen of Alexandria, Eusebius of Cesarea, Augustine of Hippo, Girolamo di Stridone etc.) in the history of thought and the various literary cultures;
3) it aims to introduce the main methodological tools, characteristic of this Discipline and distinctive of its most recent critical developments;
4) Finally, this Discipline aims to show students the opportunities to undertake a research itinerary in this specific field of study.
This articulated methodological and knowledge heritage is aimed, ultimately, at allowing the student to interact critically with the documentary heritage studied by the Discipline and with the complex constellation of studies and researches that, around it, the different critical traditions have animated.
Expected learning outcomes
Knowledge
At the end of the course, the student should have acquired a basic critical knowledge of the primary literary dynamics, of the respective referring historical contexts (Sitz im Leben), of the most significant moments of this literary history and of thought. Alongside this, the course intends to provide critical skills concerning the Discipline's principal methodological resources to orientate the student within the critical analysis of this variegated and plural heritage.
Skills
This knowledge requires an initial competence with the main critical tools developed by and for research in the field of New Testament and "patristic" criticism.
At the end of the course, the student should have acquired a basic critical knowledge of the primary literary dynamics, of the respective referring historical contexts (Sitz im Leben), of the most significant moments of this literary history and of thought. Alongside this, the course intends to provide critical skills concerning the Discipline's principal methodological resources to orientate the student within the critical analysis of this variegated and plural heritage.
Skills
This knowledge requires an initial competence with the main critical tools developed by and for research in the field of New Testament and "patristic" criticism.
Lesson period: First semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course can be attended as a single course.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
Title: "And Behold, I Saw the Air Struck with Amazement" (Protoevangelium of James 18:2)
Between Christological Implementation, Hagiographic Fable, and Reappropriation of the Story of Jesus: The Infancy Gospels
In an increasingly consistent manner after the traumatic turning point of the 60s of the first century (with the disappearance of the first apostolic generation, the first dramatic crisis of the imperial mechanism and the astonishing and, at the same time, terrible page of the anti-Roman Jewish insurrection), the Christian communities entrusted writing with the task of preserving what was most relevant to their religious identity. Within the constitution of this depositum, the life of Jesus gained an increasingly growing space.
Initially, the focus was on preserving the memory of Jesus' Easter—central to the Gospel of the Kingdom preached by Christians. However, this focus soon expanded. Instead of concentrating solely on Easter, there was a growing desire to create a "biographical Gospel" that would narrate the entirety of Jesus' life. This shift led to the development of a diverse and expansive body of literature aimed at integrating narratives from both the Synoptic and Johannine traditions.
The "Protoevangelium" of James, which belongs to the first season of this "integrative" evangelical literature, is also one of the most successful texts of the Christian origins.
The development of the course will be divided into three Parts:
I Argumentative Part: the peculiarities of the first Christian writing: from the proto-Christian traditions to the birth of a new "literature" (2nd century AD).
II Argumentative Part: between Christological implementation, hagiographic fable and reappropriation of the story of Jesus: the infancy gospels.
III Argumentative Part: the "Protoevangelium" of James.
The first Part of the course will explore the characteristics of early Christian texts, tracing the development of literary features from proto-Christian traditions to the emergence of a new literature in the 2nd century AD. We will examine the epistemological principles that defined early Christian literature and apply these principles to the analysis of relevant texts.
In the second Part, considering the broad tradition of the so-called "Infancy Gospels", we will reflect on the ways in which Christian communities, continuing to exploit the potential of the evangelical genre, sought to achieve a threefold objective:
1. crystallize, even through narrative, the developments of Christological reflection;
2. consolidate the transition from Easter preaching - centred on the announcement of a crucial event in the development of the history of salvation and, only because of its universal dimension, existentially incisive - to the proposal of a moral model, Jesus, the extraordinary nature of whose life becomes the central topic of a growing hagiographic tale;
3. re-appropriate the entire life of Jesus, even those parts that the first traditions had not described.
Finally, the last argumentative Part of the course will be dedicated to reading and commenting on the "Protoevangelium" of James. Through the analysis of this document, the class will try to apply the critical and exegetical tools already discussed in the first Part of the course, paying particular attention to this text's literary and iconographic fortune.
Between Christological Implementation, Hagiographic Fable, and Reappropriation of the Story of Jesus: The Infancy Gospels
In an increasingly consistent manner after the traumatic turning point of the 60s of the first century (with the disappearance of the first apostolic generation, the first dramatic crisis of the imperial mechanism and the astonishing and, at the same time, terrible page of the anti-Roman Jewish insurrection), the Christian communities entrusted writing with the task of preserving what was most relevant to their religious identity. Within the constitution of this depositum, the life of Jesus gained an increasingly growing space.
Initially, the focus was on preserving the memory of Jesus' Easter—central to the Gospel of the Kingdom preached by Christians. However, this focus soon expanded. Instead of concentrating solely on Easter, there was a growing desire to create a "biographical Gospel" that would narrate the entirety of Jesus' life. This shift led to the development of a diverse and expansive body of literature aimed at integrating narratives from both the Synoptic and Johannine traditions.
The "Protoevangelium" of James, which belongs to the first season of this "integrative" evangelical literature, is also one of the most successful texts of the Christian origins.
The development of the course will be divided into three Parts:
I Argumentative Part: the peculiarities of the first Christian writing: from the proto-Christian traditions to the birth of a new "literature" (2nd century AD).
II Argumentative Part: between Christological implementation, hagiographic fable and reappropriation of the story of Jesus: the infancy gospels.
III Argumentative Part: the "Protoevangelium" of James.
The first Part of the course will explore the characteristics of early Christian texts, tracing the development of literary features from proto-Christian traditions to the emergence of a new literature in the 2nd century AD. We will examine the epistemological principles that defined early Christian literature and apply these principles to the analysis of relevant texts.
In the second Part, considering the broad tradition of the so-called "Infancy Gospels", we will reflect on the ways in which Christian communities, continuing to exploit the potential of the evangelical genre, sought to achieve a threefold objective:
1. crystallize, even through narrative, the developments of Christological reflection;
2. consolidate the transition from Easter preaching - centred on the announcement of a crucial event in the development of the history of salvation and, only because of its universal dimension, existentially incisive - to the proposal of a moral model, Jesus, the extraordinary nature of whose life becomes the central topic of a growing hagiographic tale;
3. re-appropriate the entire life of Jesus, even those parts that the first traditions had not described.
Finally, the last argumentative Part of the course will be dedicated to reading and commenting on the "Protoevangelium" of James. Through the analysis of this document, the class will try to apply the critical and exegetical tools already discussed in the first Part of the course, paying particular attention to this text's literary and iconographic fortune.
Prerequisites for admission
No prerequisites for admission.
Teaching methods
The course will be offered in a lecture format (although the possibility of exercises and group work is not excluded). Class attendance is highly recommended.
Teaching Resources
GENERAL BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES:
To support class attendance and exam preparation, all students are requested to have:
* a Bible edition of their choice between:
- La Bibbia di Gerusalemme, Bologna (EDB) 2009;
- E Dio disse La Bibbia. Nuovissima versione dai testi originali, Cinisello Balsamo (San Paolo) 2007.
Students with a Classics Curriculum are also requested to have:
* Nestle - Aland, Novum Testamentum Graece, Stuttgart (Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft) 2012 (28th edition).
The texts listed above will be used during the final examination.
BIBLIOGRAPHIC INDICATIONS and examination programme for ATTENDING STUDENTS.
I Part
* W. Weren, Finestre su Gesù, Torino (Claudiana) 2001;
* A text of their choice from the following:
- M. Simonetti - E. Prinzivalli, Storia della letteratura cristiana antica, Bologna (EDB) 2010.
- C. Moreschini - E. Norelli, Manuale di letteratura cristiana antica greca e latina, Brescia (Morcelliana) 2006 (2ed.).
* Lecture notes and course materials.
II Part
* A. Puig-i-Tàrrech - C. Gianotto (curr.), I Vangeli apocrifi, 1, San Paolo (Cinisello Balsamo) 2010, 15-48; 153-180; 201-231.
For the students with a Classics Curriculum: the Greek text of the Protoevangelium of James will be distributed in class.
* Lecture notes and course materials.
III Part
* Lecture notes and course materials.
For the achievement of the 6 c.f.u., both the attendance and the study of the materials indicated for the first two Parts are mandatory;
For the achievement of the 9 c.f.u., attendance and study of the materials indicated for all three Parts are mandatory.
Bibliographic references and examination programme for NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS.
I Part
* W. Weren, Finestre su Gesù, Torino (Claudiana) 2001;
* A text of their choice from the following:
- M. Simonetti - E. Prinzivalli, Storia della letteratura cristiana antica, Bologna (EDB) 22010.
- C. Moreschini - E. Norelli, Manuale di letteratura cristiana antica greca e latina, Brescia (Morcelliana) 2006 (2ed.).
II Part
* A. Puig-i-Tàrrech - C. Gianotto (curr.), I Vangeli apocrifi, 1, San Paolo (Cinisello Balsamo) 2010, 15-48; 153-180; 201-231.
For the students with a Classics Curriculum: the Greek text of the Protoevangelium of James must be taken from É. de Strycker (éd.), La forme plus ancienne du protévangile de Jacques, Société des Bollandistes (Bruxelles) 1961, pp. 63-191 [available at the teacher's office].
* A. Guida - E. Norelli (curr.), Un altro Gesù? I vangeli apocrifi, il Gesù storico e il cristianesimo delle origini, Il Pozzo di Giacobbe (Trapani) 2009, pp. 9-22; 177-204.
III Part
* M. Craveri (cur.), Vangeli apocrifi, Einaudi (Torino) 2009, 63-111.
For the achievement of the 6 c.f.u., the study of the materials indicated for the first two Units is mandatory;
The study of the materials indicated for all three Units is mandatory to achieve the 9 c.f.u.
Non-Italian mother-tongue students must contact the teacher to set an alternative bibliography.
To support class attendance and exam preparation, all students are requested to have:
* a Bible edition of their choice between:
- La Bibbia di Gerusalemme, Bologna (EDB) 2009;
- E Dio disse La Bibbia. Nuovissima versione dai testi originali, Cinisello Balsamo (San Paolo) 2007.
Students with a Classics Curriculum are also requested to have:
* Nestle - Aland, Novum Testamentum Graece, Stuttgart (Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft) 2012 (28th edition).
The texts listed above will be used during the final examination.
BIBLIOGRAPHIC INDICATIONS and examination programme for ATTENDING STUDENTS.
I Part
* W. Weren, Finestre su Gesù, Torino (Claudiana) 2001;
* A text of their choice from the following:
- M. Simonetti - E. Prinzivalli, Storia della letteratura cristiana antica, Bologna (EDB) 2010.
- C. Moreschini - E. Norelli, Manuale di letteratura cristiana antica greca e latina, Brescia (Morcelliana) 2006 (2ed.).
* Lecture notes and course materials.
II Part
* A. Puig-i-Tàrrech - C. Gianotto (curr.), I Vangeli apocrifi, 1, San Paolo (Cinisello Balsamo) 2010, 15-48; 153-180; 201-231.
For the students with a Classics Curriculum: the Greek text of the Protoevangelium of James will be distributed in class.
* Lecture notes and course materials.
III Part
* Lecture notes and course materials.
For the achievement of the 6 c.f.u., both the attendance and the study of the materials indicated for the first two Parts are mandatory;
For the achievement of the 9 c.f.u., attendance and study of the materials indicated for all three Parts are mandatory.
Bibliographic references and examination programme for NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS.
I Part
* W. Weren, Finestre su Gesù, Torino (Claudiana) 2001;
* A text of their choice from the following:
- M. Simonetti - E. Prinzivalli, Storia della letteratura cristiana antica, Bologna (EDB) 22010.
- C. Moreschini - E. Norelli, Manuale di letteratura cristiana antica greca e latina, Brescia (Morcelliana) 2006 (2ed.).
II Part
* A. Puig-i-Tàrrech - C. Gianotto (curr.), I Vangeli apocrifi, 1, San Paolo (Cinisello Balsamo) 2010, 15-48; 153-180; 201-231.
For the students with a Classics Curriculum: the Greek text of the Protoevangelium of James must be taken from É. de Strycker (éd.), La forme plus ancienne du protévangile de Jacques, Société des Bollandistes (Bruxelles) 1961, pp. 63-191 [available at the teacher's office].
* A. Guida - E. Norelli (curr.), Un altro Gesù? I vangeli apocrifi, il Gesù storico e il cristianesimo delle origini, Il Pozzo di Giacobbe (Trapani) 2009, pp. 9-22; 177-204.
III Part
* M. Craveri (cur.), Vangeli apocrifi, Einaudi (Torino) 2009, 63-111.
For the achievement of the 6 c.f.u., the study of the materials indicated for the first two Units is mandatory;
The study of the materials indicated for all three Units is mandatory to achieve the 9 c.f.u.
Non-Italian mother-tongue students must contact the teacher to set an alternative bibliography.
Assessment methods and Criteria
Through exemplary case studies, the course aims to effectively present the specificities, from a critical and historical point of view, of the early Christian literary traditions, emphasizing above all their paradigmatic value and their influence on the subsequent literary history and history of thought.
With particular reference to the use of the methodological and critical instruments elaborated by this Discipline, the course objective is to enable students to analyse a literary document of Early Christianity critically.
The evaluation, expressed in thirtieths and communicated at the end of each exam, takes into account the following criteria:
1) critical reasoning skills (critical evaluation of the document; critical evaluation of the scientific literature; formulation of critical opinions; analytical ability; deductive capacity);
2) methodological rigour (knowledge of the methodological foundations of the discipline; ability to use this methodology);
3) knowledge of the fundamental notions (notional cognition; organization of notions in an ordered framework of knowledge);
4) expressive effectiveness (timely and non-allusive exposition; discursively organization of knowledge; acquisition of a specialized vocabulary).
With particular reference to the use of the methodological and critical instruments elaborated by this Discipline, the course objective is to enable students to analyse a literary document of Early Christianity critically.
The evaluation, expressed in thirtieths and communicated at the end of each exam, takes into account the following criteria:
1) critical reasoning skills (critical evaluation of the document; critical evaluation of the scientific literature; formulation of critical opinions; analytical ability; deductive capacity);
2) methodological rigour (knowledge of the methodological foundations of the discipline; ability to use this methodology);
3) knowledge of the fundamental notions (notional cognition; organization of notions in an ordered framework of knowledge);
4) expressive effectiveness (timely and non-allusive exposition; discursively organization of knowledge; acquisition of a specialized vocabulary).
Unita' didattica A
L-FIL-LET/06 - ANCIENT CHRISTIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica B
L-FIL-LET/06 - ANCIENT CHRISTIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica C
L-FIL-LET/06 - ANCIENT CHRISTIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor(s)