Julian the Apostate and the Πιστις of Abraham
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9664283 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Brad Boswell (0000-0002-6247-9163, Samford University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 73 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 383-396 |
| Publication date | 2023-05-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Classical Quarterly (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0009-8388 • E-ISSN: 1471-6844 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0009838823000368 |
| OpenAlex | W4386839600 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 13 |
In his brief comments on the Abraham-episodes of Genesis 15:1–11, Emperor Julian the Apostate indirectly attacks the apostle Paul's interpretation that Abraham exhibited πίστις as a justifying ‘faith’. Through a close reading of the biblical text, he interprets Abraham as, rather, receiving a divine πίστις— a ‘pledge’ or ‘confirming sign’—during two theurgical rituals. Although modern scholars have overlooked Julian's subtle argument, Cyril of Alexandria recognized Julian's strategy and responded directly. Attention to Julian's and Cyril's competing accounts shows that different conceptual grammars, tied to rival traditional narratives, lay behind their incompatible claims to Abraham and his πίστις
Ancient history · Apostle · Argument (complex analysis · Art · Emperor · Epistemology · Faith · Interpretation (philosophy · Linguistics · Literature · Narrative · Parallels · Pledge · Reading (process · Theology · Biblical Studies and Interpretation · Historical and Linguistic Studies · Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies · History · Law · Philosophy
Rhetoric and Religious Identity in Late Antiquity
Must We Mean What We Say?
Whose Justice? Which Rationality?
Heritage and Hellenism
The Christians as the Romans Saw Them
Abraham as Chaldean Scientist and Father of the Jews
Abraham's Faith in Romans 4
Abraham in Graeco-Roman Paganism
Hellenism and Christianity
| Highly cited | No |
|---|