Arts of Memory, Ancient Manuscript Technologies, and the Aims of Theology
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5158047 |
|---|---|
| Authors | T J Lang (0000-0003-2467-3501, University of St Andrews, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 426 |
| Publication date | 2022-05-08 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Religions (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/rel13050426 |
| OpenAlex | W4229369927 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 18 |
This article explores how ancient rhetorical theories about the improvement of human memory were applied to manuscripts in the form of paratextual ordering systems. It then considers the intellectual implications of these technological changes in the management of textual knowledge. A sequentially ordered system for dividing textual information into "chapters" or "verses" proved powerful for both mnemonic arts and textual arts. The article next explores a specific example of paratextual technologies in Priscillian of Avila's fourth-century CE Canones Epistularum Pauli Apostoli, which is one of the most sophisticated cross-referencing systems ever produced prior to printed texts. The article concludes by reflecting on the implications of textual divisions and citation schemes for the work of theology. The test case for this is Priscillian's "versification" of the Pauline corpus for purposes of textual abstraction (the extraction and reorganization of numerically divided textual parts) in service of theological abstraction (the attempt to create systematic wholes out of the newly reorganized parts
Abstraction · Art · Citation · Epistemology · Library science · Linguistics · Literature · Mnemonic · Rhetorical question · Sociology · The arts · Visual arts · Byzantine Studies and History · Computer Science · Historical and Linguistic Studies · Medieval Literature and History · Philosophy
The Book of Memory
Transforming Textuality
Gospel as Recipe Book
Titles of the New Testament (TiNT)
The Eusebian Canon Tables
Euthalian Traditions
Christianity and the Transformation of the Book
Ordering Knowledge in the Roman Empire
The Origins of Pauline Theology
Ammonius of Alexandria, Eusebius of Caesarea and the Origins of Gospels Scholarship
Mosaics of Knowledge
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |