Acting Gods, Playing Heroes, and the Interaction between Judaism, Christianity, and Greek Drama in the Early Common Era

Auteur

Courtney J. P. Friesen is Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Classics at the University of Arizona where he teaches classical Greek and courses on the New Testament, early Christianity, and Greek and Roman culture. His first book, Reading Dionysus (2015), explored ancient receptions of Euripides' Bacchae.

Texte du rabat

This volume demonstrates that by the time the public performance of classical drama ceased at the end of antiquity the ideals of Jews and Christians had already been shaped **by it in profound and lasting ways. It is suitable for those working on ancient Christianity and Judaism, and ancient drama and literature.

Contenu

1. Theater and/as Ritual: Introduction to the State of the Question(s) and Scope of the Study; 2. A Tale of Two Cities' Theaters: From Athens to Jerusalem; 3. The Drama of Debating Gods (and Their Existence): Lucian of Samosata and Philo of Alexandria on Creation and Providence; 4. Gods on Stage and Gods in Heaven: Fragments of Atheism in Sextus Empiricus and Pseudo-Justin; 5. Laughing at/with Heracles: Philo of Alexandria on Freedom and Virtue; 6. Atonement and Resurrection as the Denouement of Euripides' Alcestis; 7. From Tragic Heroines to Religious Martyrs: The Afterlife of Polyxena between Philo and Clement of Alexandria; 8. Deus ex Machina: Concluding Thoughts on Dramatic Closure.