Letter Writing in Antiquity and Early Christianity

Thomas Johann Bauer

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Chapter 1 Letter Writing in Antiquity and Early Christianity

In: A Companion to Byzantine Epistolography

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Thomas Johann Bauer

Thomas Johann Bauer
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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 33–67

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004424616_003

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Abstract

In the context of ancient Greek and Latin literature, transmitted letters document not only historical and biographical interest in the real and fictitious correspondence of prominent statesmen, writers, and philosophers, but also the use of letters as tools for philosophical and scholarly instruction, cultivated literary entertainment and self-representation in the context of the educational culture of the Roman empire and late antiquity. Many extant non-literary letters provide insights into the everyday epistolary correspondence of all social classes and groups within the Hellenistic Roman world. The extant literary and non-literary letters indicate that ancient letters were – with regard to their formulation and motifs – composed in accordance with conventions that remained nearly the same over the centuries. Evidence of a scholarly theoretical discussion about the letter shows that ideas about epistolary function, form, and content were determined by the ideal of the friendship letter. Early Christian letters should also be examined within this framework, as they are to be understood as adaptations of the Greco-Roman letter to the communicative needs and religious beliefs of Christian communities.

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A Companion to Byzantine Epistolography

Series: Brill's Companions to the Byzantine World, Volume: 7

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004424616

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 10 Jun 2020

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Chapter 1 Letter Writing in Antiquity and Early Christianity

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A Companion to Byzantine Epistolography

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