Why Tatian Never "Apologized" To The Greeks

Tatian's "To the Greeks" (Pros Hellenas) has usually been classified as either an apology or a harangue. Yet neither of these genres can explain the work's vituperative style, denigration of Tatian's rivals, frequent digressions, and intent. If we classify the work as a prot...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: McGehee, Michael (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Johns Hopkins Univ. Press 1993
In: Journal of early Christian studies
Year: 1993, Volume: 1, Issue: 2, Pages: 143-158
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Summary:Tatian's "To the Greeks" (Pros Hellenas) has usually been classified as either an apology or a harangue. Yet neither of these genres can explain the work's vituperative style, denigration of Tatian's rivals, frequent digressions, and intent. If we classify the work as a protrepticus, however, we can see it as an integrated whole which was given with the intent of attracting people to study the "barbarian philosophy" with Tatian. The use of this genre implies that Tatian understood Christianity to be a philosophy and himself to be an independent teacher who could work without ecclesiastical oversight.
ISSN:1086-3184
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of early Christian studies
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1353/earl.0.0102