Philosophic and Spiritual Conversion in Late Hellenism

Case Studies from the 3rd to the 5th Centuries AD

Bibliographic Data

ID3477987
AuthorsMarco Alviz Fernández (0000-0002-3709-6419, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume12
Issue9
Pages775
Publication date2021-09-15
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligions (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel12090775
OpenAlexW3201332726
LanguageEN
References cited23

This paper aims to study the historic and sociological context of philosophic-spiritual conversions through several case studies from late Hellenism (2nd to 5th c. AD). In the History of Religion, spiritual initiatory experiences have been thought of as a key factor to understand the development of a belief; from Arthur D. Nock to modern times, there have been considerable attempts made at defining the concept of conversion as a part of the human psyche. This study will examine biographies of charismatic teachers of Greco-Roman higher education (παιδεία); specifically, some passages in which philosophic-spiritual initiatory experiences are described. In addition, they will be put in parallel with other passages in which the powerful charismatic personality of the teachers can be grasped, i.e., the main trigger of conversion. One of the more significant findings to emerge from this study is the importance of a charismatic master for a philosophic-spiritual experience to take place. In conclusion, late antique biographical sources must be re-examined in search for "the personal" without forgetting that, in this literary context, religious, philosophical, educational, and spiritual experiences can be encountered

Aesthetics · Archaeology · Charisma · Forgetting · Personality · Psyche · Psychoanalysis · Sociology · Theology · Biblical Studies and Interpretation · Classical Antiquity Studies · History · Philosophy · Psychology · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology

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