Against the Christians: the rise of early anti-Christian polemic

186 Pages·2001·7.182 MB·English

by  Porphyry;Hargis, Jeffrey W.;

Against the Christians
Patristic Studies
Gerald Bray
General Editor
Vol. 1
PETER LANG
New York • Washington, D.C./Baltimore • Boston • Bern
Frankfurt am Main • Berlin • Brussels • Vienna • Canterbury
Jeffrey W. Hargis
Against the Christians
The Rise of Early
Anti-Christian Polemic
PETERUNG
New York • Washington, D.C./Baltimorc • Boston • Bern
Frankfurt am Main • Berlin • Brussels • Vienna • Canterbury
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hargis, Jeffrey W.
Against the Christians: the rise
of early anti-Christian polemic I Jeffrey W. Hargis.
p. em.-(Patristic studies; vol. 1)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Christianity-Controversial literature. 2. Philosophy, Ancient. 3. Rome
Religion. 4. Christianity and other religions-Roman. 5. Church
history-Primitive and early church, ca. 30-600. I. Title. II. Series:
Patristic studies (Peter Lang Publishing); vol. 1.
BR160.3.H37 270.1-dc21 98-25584
ISBN 0-8204-4156-2 (hardcover)
ISBN 0-8204-5741-8 (paperback)
ISSN 10 94-6217
Die Deutsche Bibliothek-CIP-Einheitsaufnahme
Hargis, Jeffrey W.:
Against the Christians: the rise
of early anti-christian polemic I Jeffrey W. Hargis.
-New York; Washington, D. C./Baltimore; Boston; Bern;
Frankfurt am Main; Berlin; Brussels; Vienna; Canterbury: Lang.
(Patristic studies; Vol. 1)
ISBN 0-8204-4156-2 (hardcover)
ISBN 0-8204-5741-8 (paperback)
Cover design by Nona Reuter
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability
of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity
of the Council of Library Resources.
© 1999, 2001 Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., New York
All rights reserved.
Reprint or reproduction, even partially, in all forms such as microfilm,
xerography, microfiche, microcard, and offset strictly prohibited.
Printed in the United States of America
To Gerard S. Sloyan
Teacher, Mentor, Friend
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Acknowledgments
For making this work possible, I extend gratitude and honor first to
Merilyn, my wife. Her love, support and confidence in me were
invaluable and cannot be adequately acknowledged.
Many thanks are also due to my instructors at Temple Univer
sity, whose encouragement and direction made this project a reality.
Special thanks go to Dr. Gerard Sloyan, without whose wisdom and
practical assistance this book would not have been written. Thanks
to Dr. Vasiliki Limberis for reminding me that ancient texts were not
written in a historical or cultural vacuum and for encouraging the
creative aspect of historical study. Dr. Robert Wright's practical in
struction in the "how to" of scholarship was invaluable, as were his
extraordinarily high standards for precision in both thinking and
writing.
Acknowledgment and thanks go to my friend and colleague,
Dr. M. James Sawyer of Western Seminary, whose many valuable
contributions to the writing of this book go far beyond his thorough
review of the manuscript.
Quotations from Against the Galileans are reprinted by permis
sion of the publishers and the Loeb Classical Library from JULIAN:
VOLUME III translated by W.C. Wright, Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard
University Press, 1923.
Quotations from City of God are reproduced by permission of
Penguin Books Ltd. from Augustine, City of God, pp. 421, 886-888,
translated by Henry Bettenson, Penguin Classics, London, 1972.
Translation copyright© Henry Bettenson, 1972; introduction copy
right© John O'Meara, 1984.
Quotations from Contra Celsum are reprinted by permission of
Cambridge University Press from Origen: Contra Celsum, translated
by Henry Chadwick, Cambridge University Press, 1953.
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Table of Contents
1 Defining the Christian "Other": From Persecution
to Polemic 1
2 Celsus and the "Revolt Against the Community" 17
3 Celsus, Plato, and the Gods 41
4 Porphyry and the Polemic of Universalism 63
5 Julian the Apostate and the Politics of Hellenism 91
6 Julian and the Bounded God 107
7 Negotiating the Pagan-Christian Divide 129
Notes 139
Select Bibliography 155
Index 167