Arnobius’ Scythians and the Dating of Adversus Nationes
Jerome’s De uiris illustribus and Chronicon supply conflicting dates for Arnobius: the reign of Diocletian and the year 327. Mark Edwards has recently defended the latter date for the writing, final redaction, or publication of Aduersus nationes. References to the contemporary social and political s...
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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
2021
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| In: |
The journal of theological studies
Year: 2021, Volume: 72, Issue: 2, Pages: 832-842 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Arnobius, Rhetor -327, Adversus nationes
/ Dating
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| IxTheo Classification: | KAB Church history 30-500; early Christianity NAB Fundamental theology |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Jerome’s De uiris illustribus and Chronicon supply conflicting dates for Arnobius: the reign of Diocletian and the year 327. Mark Edwards has recently defended the latter date for the writing, final redaction, or publication of Aduersus nationes. References to the contemporary social and political situation point, however, to writing under the Tetrarchy; the few chronological references are vague, but do not conflict with an early date. A new datum advanced by Edwards clinches the case, but against the late dating. At 1.16, Arnobius reproaches pagans for blaming the defeat of the Alamanni, Scythians (likely the Goths), and Persians on the Christians among them. An echo of Tertullian, the passage shows that Arnobius must have been writing before Constantine’s open declarations of support for Christianity, after which it would have been impossible, without signalling the irony, to put such words in a pagan mouth. |
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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/flab103 |