A Re-examination of Ignatius’ Use of the Term ‘Leopards’
Ignatius’ description of the ten soldiers who are escorting him to Rome in chains as ‘leopards’ (λεόπαρδοι, Rom . 5.1) has proven rather curious to some scholars, who have sought to account for his use of the term as a reference to a specific historical phenomenon. While intriguing in their own righ...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press
[2015]
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| In: |
The journal of theological studies
Year: 2015, Volume: 66, Issue: 2, Pages: 585-595 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Ignatius, Antiochenus -110, Ad Romanos
/ Leopard
/ Concept of
/ Soldier
/ Insult
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| IxTheo Classification: | CD Christianity and Culture KAB Church history 30-500; early Christianity |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | Ignatius’ description of the ten soldiers who are escorting him to Rome in chains as ‘leopards’ (λεόπαρδοι, Rom . 5.1) has proven rather curious to some scholars, who have sought to account for his use of the term as a reference to a specific historical phenomenon. While intriguing in their own right and perhaps also at work in his thought, these proffered solutions are not easily reconciled with Ignatius’ pejorative tone and his employment of the term in a derogatory and figurative manner. In this essay I propose a tentative alternative understanding of Ignatius’ use of the term which accords well with his polemical tone. If the word λεόπαρδος is recontextualized within an ancient understanding of what the term conveyed, Ignatius’ use of the designation becomes understandable as the insult he intended it to be. I suggest that Ignatius sought to exploit the perceived illegitimacy of the ancient λεόπαρδος to insult the soldiers’ mothers as promiscuous, and by extension themselves as the offspring of this derision-worthy coupling. |
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| ISSN: | 1477-4607 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: The journal of theological studies
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1093/jts/flv096 |