Discerning Fiction in the Letters of Ignatius of Antioch

Interpretive difficulties in the letters attributed to Ignatius of Antioch have long suggested to some readers that these letters are pseudepigrapic. This article builds upon recent work on ancient letter collections to consider whether some versions of Ignatius's letters might be read as works...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Given, J. Gregory (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:German
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Published: Mohr Siebeck 2023
In: Early christianity
Year: 2023, Volume: 14, Issue: 4, Pages: 411-428
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Pseudepigraphy / Ignatius, Antiochenus -110 / Textual criticism / Achilles Tatius, Scriptor Eroticus, Leucippe et Clitophon / Achilles Tatius, Scriptor Eroticus, Leucippe et Clitophon
IxTheo Classification:KAB Church history 30-500; early Christianity
VB Hermeneutics; Philosophy
Further subjects:B lettercollections
B ancientnovel
B IgnatiusofAntioch
B Pseudepigraphy
B epistolaryfiction
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:Interpretive difficulties in the letters attributed to Ignatius of Antioch have long suggested to some readers that these letters are pseudepigrapic. This article builds upon recent work on ancient letter collections to consider whether some versions of Ignatius's letters might be read as works of fiction. Acknowledging the epistemological difficulty of recognizing ancient epistolary fiction, I present an initial reading of the Greek Long Recension that highlights the narrative arc and some literary tropes evident in the collection. In particular, I compare the correspondence between Ignatius and Mary of Cassabola with features of the imperial romances, especially a notable letter exchange in Leucippe and Clitophon.
ISSN:1868-8020
Contains:Enthalten in: Early christianity
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1628/ec-2023-0028