Dear Readers of Rome,
On Monday, Team C will lead a discussion of an assortment of texts. While we can only sample a small selection from the many volumes of the Latin Fathers of the Church, we have chosen some really interesting materials, and provided some rabbinic counterpoint.
(1) Download, print and read the fact sheet about the Latin Church Fathers.
(2) Download, print and read the excerpts from Tertullian's De Spectaculis.
(3) Download, print and read the rabbinic sources, "Foreign Gods & Greek Wisdom."
(Rabban Gamaliel is a major Jewish figure of the first century C.E. Note that he was mentioned on the Ancient Judaism
timeline. Gamaliel was the grandson of the revered teacher Hillel, and he served as the head of the Sanhedrin not long after the time of Jesus, and before the destruction of the Second Temple.)
(4) Download, print and read the excerpts from Augustine.
In looking at these texts together, we want to consider how Jews and Christians defined themselves in a predominantly pagan world. While these groups shared an aversion to what they deemed "idolatrous," they still had to negotiate their relationship to classical learning, as well as debate their participation in aspects of city life, such as attending circuses, theaters, and baths. Both patristic and rabbinic texts exhibit a wide gamut of views, ranging from tentative forms of approval to sharp opprobrium.
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