| The subject of the project is the comparison between a number of specimina of anti-Jewish propaganda written by Christians in different areas of the Roman Empire in the 4th century, a crucial period for the history of the interaction between Christian and Jews. Polemical literature provides an ideal ground for the researcher to study the dynamics of conflict between religious groups and the different strategies adopted by each group to construct its identity. A comparison between anti-Jewish writings of the Latin West (in particular Spain) and of the Greek East (Asia Minor and West Syria) allows to identify not only the common features derived from the previous apologetic literature, but also the elements peculiar to every single author, and possibly to connect them with a specific local situation. Since anti-Jewish polemic concerns the history of religion and ideas as well as the social history of Late Antiquity, the research topic requires a multidisciplinary approach in order to combine the historical-philological method with a more innovative historical-sociological method. The research is of great importance for the study of the origins and the development of Christian anti-Judaism and will be significant for historians with an interest in religion, culture and society. |
