Lautaro Roig Lanzillotta
University of Groningen, Jewish, Christian and Islamic Origins, Department Member
- Doctor Litterarum (Universidad Complutense, 1997)
Doctor theologiae (2004)edit
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En su acercamiento a la filosofía griega, los estudios modernos tienden a destacar, a mi ver de forma excesiva, el carácter eminentemente racional de la misma. Según una muy extendida opinión, gnosis o "conocimiento" en la antigüedad... more
En su acercamiento a la filosofía griega, los estudios modernos tienden a destacar, a mi ver de forma excesiva, el carácter eminentemente racional de la misma. Según una muy extendida opinión, gnosis o "conocimiento" en la antigüedad griega se buscaba sólo a través de medios racionales, pues su objeto era exclusivamente de tipo racional. Plutarco ofrece el más claro ejemplo para desestimar dicha opinión: por un lado, Moralia destaca el papel de la epopteia en la aprehensión de los primeros principios; por otro, los mitos incluidos en tratados como De facie, De genio y De sera presentan la experiencia de diversos visionarios como culminación a discusiones previas de tipo científico y/o empírico. Tras ofrecer un análisis de los diferentes tipos de revelación en estos mitos plutarqueos, mi contribución intentará defender la tesis de que en el mundo antiguo no existía una separación estricta entre razón y revelación, pues una y otra se concebían como medios complementarios de alcanzar el conocimiento.
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Up to not so long ago texts were approached with rather rigid_traditional literary methods in which author, text, and reader were envisaged in a fixed and unidirectional chronological sequence. In their quest for meaning readers were... more
Up to not so long ago texts were approached with rather rigid_traditional literary methods in which author, text, and reader were envisaged in a fixed and unidirectional chronological sequence. In their quest for meaning readers were constrained by the notions of originality, uniqueness, singularity and autonomy of both author and text. A good
example of this approach is the historical method applied to the study of ancient religious texts, the primary goal of which is to try to inderstand as closely as possible the author's original meaning and their intended audience or readership (DeConick 2016: 383).
Intertextuality challenges traditional notions of writing, text and reading. Based on a new vision of meaning, it rejects the idea that the production of meaning is unidirectional, stemmmg from the author who instills into the text and reaching the reader as its final decoder. In fact in the intertextual approach the interest moves away from the author who is to a certain extent dispensable, in order to focus preferably on the reader. Not only is the author dispensable (Barthes 1968); also the notions of uniqueness and originality of texts are questionable. Appealing to the etymological sense of the term "text" as "a tissue, a woven fabric" (Barthes 1977: 159), intertextuality claims that a text does not exist in isolation, but is rather at the same time result of previous texts and beginning of future ones, the so-called intertext. In the words of a well-known scholar, "it is not true that works are created by their authors. Works are created by works, texts are created by texts, all together they speak to each other independently of the intention of their authors" (Eco 1986: 199).
example of this approach is the historical method applied to the study of ancient religious texts, the primary goal of which is to try to inderstand as closely as possible the author's original meaning and their intended audience or readership (DeConick 2016: 383).
Intertextuality challenges traditional notions of writing, text and reading. Based on a new vision of meaning, it rejects the idea that the production of meaning is unidirectional, stemmmg from the author who instills into the text and reaching the reader as its final decoder. In fact in the intertextual approach the interest moves away from the author who is to a certain extent dispensable, in order to focus preferably on the reader. Not only is the author dispensable (Barthes 1968); also the notions of uniqueness and originality of texts are questionable. Appealing to the etymological sense of the term "text" as "a tissue, a woven fabric" (Barthes 1977: 159), intertextuality claims that a text does not exist in isolation, but is rather at the same time result of previous texts and beginning of future ones, the so-called intertext. In the words of a well-known scholar, "it is not true that works are created by their authors. Works are created by works, texts are created by texts, all together they speak to each other independently of the intention of their authors" (Eco 1986: 199).
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In The Rebel (1951) Albert Camus assigns ancient Gnosticism an important place in the history of human revolt. In his interpretation, Gnostics incarnate the spirit of proud re- bellion and protest against a God deemed responsible for... more
In The Rebel (1951) Albert Camus assigns ancient Gnosticism an important place in the history of human revolt. In his interpretation, Gnostics incarnate the spirit of proud re- bellion and protest against a God deemed responsible for human suffering and death. For Camus these are the roots of metaphysical rebellion in Western history that, be- ginning in the eighteenth century, culminated in the fascist and socialist utopian ex- periments in the twentieth century. After assessing Camus’s view of Gnosticism, this article claims that modern cinema shows the impact of The Rebel on the way several recent films conceive of their rebellious protagonists. The controlled character of the revolts they promote shows that modern cinema follows Gnosticism in their analysis both the modern sentiments of alienation in contemporary society and the ways to break free in order to attain a life worthy of its name.
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Modern receptions of ancient Gnosticism tend to highlight Gnostic non-con- formism, especially admiring the alleged gnostic freedom of mind and revolt against standard values and forms. Such an understanding of ancient Gnosticism presents... more
Modern receptions of ancient Gnosticism tend to highlight Gnostic non-con- formism, especially admiring the alleged gnostic freedom of mind and revolt against standard values and forms. Such an understanding of ancient Gnosticism presents Gnostics as anarchists avant-la-lettre, as rebels who romantically rejected the yoke of the world rulers and a life of alienation. Even if numerous readers will surely trace this analysis back to Hans Jonas’ Gnostic Religion, this conception of Gnosticism predates Jonas (1903-1993) and can be found in different authors of the twentieth century, most notably in the works of Albert Camus (1913-1960). Fascination for ancient Gnosticism accompanied Albert Camus throughout his life, but it is in The Rebel (1951) where the French philosopher gives ancient Gnosticism an important place in the history of human rebellion. This paper will delve into Camus’ work with a view to analyzing his view on Gnosticism, his unders- tanding of the role it places in the history of western thought.
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Resumen: El artículo analiza la equiparación de la existencia humana con la violencia en dos tratados del corpus de Nag Hammadi, la Exposición sobre el Alma (NHC II, 6; ExAlma) y la Enseñanza autorizada (NHC VI, 3; EnAut). Se argumenta... more
Resumen: El artículo analiza la equiparación de la existencia humana con la violencia en dos tratados del corpus de Nag Hammadi, la Exposición sobre el Alma (NHC II, 6; ExAlma) y la Enseñanza autorizada (NHC VI, 3; EnAut). Se argumenta que ambos textos presentan un dualismo que no es tan extremo como afirman los heresiólogos, sino más bien cercano al de Platón, ya que se ocupan del obstáculo que tanto el cuerpo como el mundo físico suponen para nuestra realización ética y epistemológica. En ambos textos, la violencia es aquello que perpetúa el dualismo, manteniendo al alma separada del Padre, forzándola a vivir en el exilio, en un lugar extraño y agobiante. Con este fin, primero se aborda la condición humana actual y el lugar que, según la EnAut, ocupa en su entorno. Se ofrece, a continuación, un flashback que describe la naturaleza original del alma, su degradación y, finalmente, su encarnación en el testimonio de la Exposición sobre el Alma. Esto crea el contexto para un breve tratamiento de la ética como curación, pues es por medio de la misma que ambos textos intentan superar el sufrimiento del alma e invertir su situación presente. Por último, algunas conclusiones cierran el trabajo. Palabras clave: Nag Hammadiexistencia humanaviolenciadualismoética
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El presente estudio analiza el legado platónico en la noción de Dios de Clemente de Alejandría, en especial la influencia de la noción de Dios «como creador y padre». Se organiza en cuatro partes, de las cuales la primera ofrece un primer... more
El presente estudio analiza el legado platónico en la noción de Dios de Clemente de Alejandría, en especial la influencia de la noción de Dios «como creador y padre». Se organiza en cuatro partes, de las cuales la primera ofrece un primer acercamiento al uso de la filosofía griega por parte de Clemente. La segunda sección ofrece una panorámica del contexto medioplatónico del discurso teológico de la época, mientras que la tercera se centra en la concepción de Dios en Clemente de Alejandría. El cuarto apartado incluye las conclusiones.
Democritus' ethical fragments reveal a serious attempt to neutralise the internal and external obstacles that pose a threat to man's happiness in its social (euthumia) and individual (euestw) manifestations. Essential for both is the... more
Democritus' ethical fragments reveal a serious attempt to neutralise the internal and external obstacles that pose a threat to man's happiness in its social (euthumia) and individual (euestw) manifestations. Essential for both is the individual's eustatheia, a “balance” in the constitutive elements of his soul, that he can only reach through an active involvement in his circumstance. Due to the character of his cognitive means and the dynamics of his social environment, the comparison process becomes for the individual the exclusive scale to establish his values and to delimit his existential horizon. His awareness of the functioning of such an evaluative method and his rational reelaboration of its axiological co-ordinates, however, may control impending distortions, avoiding the risk of alienation of the self and providing him with a sound idea both of his own values and of his position in his social universe.
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The present papers claim that the unity of Plutarch’s cosmological views, as expressed in De genio, De facie and De sera, and the intrinsic relationship of this cosmology with the anthropology behind De animae procreatione, De virtute... more
The present papers claim that the unity of Plutarch’s cosmological views, as expressed in De genio, De facie and De sera, and the intrinsic relationship of this cosmology with the anthropology behind De animae procreatione, De virtute morali and other works. This relationship is not striking: Plutarch is no exception to the ancient view that sees the human being in the light of the cosmological framework: the Universe and human being are so closely related to one another that they are conceived of as macro-cosmos and microcosmos, large and small examples of the same order.
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Today we are much better equipped than we were some years ago to attempt a new approach to the two so-called ‘Orphic cosmogonies’ included in the Pseudo-Clementines, Homilies VI.3-13 and Recognitions X.17-19; 30. These passages have been... more
Today we are much better equipped than we were some years ago to attempt a new approach to the two so-called ‘Orphic cosmogonies’ included in the Pseudo-Clementines, Homilies VI.3-13 and Recognitions X.17-19; 30. These passages have been dealt with rather extensively on two occasions, but the results of these studies are, in my opinion, unsatisfactory. On the one hand, the influence of the view that these texts are entirely Stoic speculation has dominated the investigation so far; on the other, the Orphic known material was not as rich as it is nowadays, and the lack of parallels impeded a proper textual comparison. Both sections include rather diverging stories of what in both cases are declared to be ‘Orphic’ cosmogonies. Are these accounts compatible with one another? Do both or either of these cosmogonies really include ‘Orphic’ issues? Or do they simply recall the name of Orpheus in order to endow their narration with authority? The first part of the present study addresses the contents and character of the relevant texts in order to determine whether in either case we are dealing with an ‘Orphic’ cosmogony at all. The second part provides a textual analysis that may distinguish original issues, that is issues proceeding from the ‘Orphic’ source, from additions by the authors of the Pseudo-Clementines. The third one attempts to link it with its Orphic model.
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... Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Greek Tragedy Lautaro Roig Lanzillotta University of Groningen flroig.lanzillotta@rug.nl Word count: 2929 ... Käppel, L. 1992. Paian. Studie zu Geschichte einer Gattung (Berlin and New York: Walter De... more
... Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Greek Tragedy Lautaro Roig Lanzillotta University of Groningen flroig.lanzillotta@rug.nl Word count: 2929 ... Käppel, L. 1992. Paian. Studie zu Geschichte einer Gattung (Berlin and New York: Walter De Gruyter). Oakley, JH – Sinos, RH 1993. ...
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The present paper explores the issue of intertextuality, or hypertextuality in Genette´s terminology, in the context of the Nag Hammadi writings. In order to do so it provides an analysis of logion 7 of the Gospel of Thomas, which up ton... more
The present paper explores the issue of intertextuality, or hypertextuality in Genette´s terminology, in the context of the Nag Hammadi writings. In order to do so it provides an analysis of logion 7 of the Gospel of Thomas, which up ton ow has resisted sound interpretation: what does it mean that man eats the lion and that the lion eats man? What do they both, lion and man, actually represent? and, Why does the act of devouring one another play the central role? Why is the lion blessed when eaten by man? More importantly, why does the lion in both cases become man? An intertextual approach offers the clue to unravel this pressing riddle.
Even though The Expository Treatise on the Soul (NHC II,6) shows undeniable Platonic influences, it also presents certain conceptual peculiarities that we should be able to explain before classing it as clearly Platonic. Thus for example... more
Even though The Expository Treatise on the Soul (NHC II,6) shows undeniable Platonic influences, it also presents certain conceptual peculiarities that we should be able to explain before classing it as clearly Platonic. Thus for example its allegorical interpretation of Gen 12,1, which, when compared to that of Philo of Alexandria, reflects rather different cosmological and anthropological frameworks. Where do these differences come from? And given their divergences, can both texts still be considered Platonic?
Research Interests: Platonism and Nag Hammadi
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Anyone acquainted with the factors and actors of envy, and who has been forced by circumstances to refl ect on its origin, character, and development, sooner or later unavoidably realises or intuits that this passion has a deeper... more
Anyone acquainted with the factors and actors of envy, and who has been forced by circumstances to refl ect on its origin, character, and development, sooner or later unavoidably realises or intuits that this passion has a deeper dimension and signifi cance that escapes a fi rst analysis. The apparent triangular structure of envy, comprising the envied spiritual or material goods, the envious person, and the person who is the target of the envy, is simply not enough to explain the complex set of feelings and relations triggered by this emotion. This is obvious in the fact that envy may arise not only in the individual who does not possess a given good and desires to have it, but also in he who possesses it and attempts by all means to prevent others from having it. In this homage to Professor Florentino García Martínez, I approach this complex conceptual world through the motif of the envy of God developed in chapters XV to XVIII of the Greek Life of Adam and Eve (LAE ).3 In order to do so, I shall fi rst focus on this passus. I shall then proceed to compare it with the model the author is paraphrasing (Gen 2:16–17 and 3:1–7) in order to see whether the Bible story mutatis mutandis might have provided him with the elements of his interpretation or whether one should surmise the infl uence of external factors, such as the existence of discussions or commentaries that intended to cast some light upon divine motivation. I shall fi nally compare it with the Gnostic appropriation and reinterpretation of a motif that suited their Weltanschauung very well.
In spite of being, next to the Latin version, the most important witness for the Apocalypse of Paul, the Coptic version has received virtually no attention during the last 85 years. This lack of scholarly interest is surprising,... more
In spite of being, next to the Latin version, the most important witness for the Apocalypse of Paul, the Coptic version has received virtually no attention during the last 85 years. This lack of scholarly interest is surprising, especially when one considers that the Coptic version is essential both as a touchstone for the study of the Tarsus-text and for the reconstruction of the Pre-Tarsus Greek original. Even more surprising, however, isthe widespread opinion that considers the Coptic an amplifying or inferior version of ApPaul. In an attempt to correct these errors and rehabilitate the value and interest of this version of the apocalypse, the present chapter offers a codicological, comparative, and textual study of the Coptic text. The first section includes the preliminary conclusions of my direct survey at the British Library of ms Or. 7023 (partly Layton 158), which contains the only extant exemplar of the Coptic version of the Apocalypse of Paul. The second section compares the Coptic version mostly with the Latin, and occasionally with Greek Syriac and Armenian versions. The third section, finally, focuses on internal structure and literary character of the Coptic version.
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Even if the consensus is not yet complete, the great majority of scholarly literature concerning the Acts today postulates a Syriac original for the Acts of Thomas. The current Syriac, however, visibly offers a rather poor version of the... more
Even if the consensus is not yet complete, the great majority of scholarly literature concerning the Acts today postulates a Syriac original for the Acts of Thomas. The current Syriac, however, visibly offers a rather poor version of the Acta Thomae. In addition to its numerous material errors due to textual transmission, the text shows such heavy editorial intervention that it alters both the general tenor and the conceptual peculiarities of the primitive text. My work in progress intends to revisit previous interpretations, with a view to laying the basis for a new and fresh analysis of the evidence that may, in turn, permit a proper understanding of both the textual transmission and the conceptual world of the text. The present paper intends to offer an overview of the work in progress, but given the limited space available, I will focus only on the hypothesis concerning the original language of the ATh. The first section includes a critical approach to the Syriac hypothesis that focuses on the problems and irregularities of such a theory; the second summarizes the arguments for reconsidering the hypothesis on the Syriac origin and composition of the ATh. The closing section provides an outline of the work in progress and its expected results.
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In spite of attempts by the scholarly literature on AA of the last two centuries or so, the most primitive text does not seem to include any relevant NT references. An objective approach to the text reveals that the very few alleged... more
In spite of attempts by the scholarly literature on AA of the last two centuries or so, the most primitive text does not seem to include any relevant NT references. An objective approach to the text reveals that the very few alleged echoes either are not such or could be simple vocabulary coincidences due to both the conceptual world they share and the similar environment in which the particular NT writings and Apocryphal Acts of Apostles arose. AA's silence regarding the NT, however, should not be seen as a deliberate gesture towards an authoritative corpus and/or an established Church behind it. At the time of AA's composition, the New Testament as such did not exist either, nor did its particular writings enjoy the prescriptive validity that it later acquired in some areas.
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The present paper summarises the main conclusions drawn by the author in his monography (2007) on the Acts of Andrew (AA), an Early Christian apocryphal text about which the scholarly literature did not reach so far a consensus regarding... more
The present paper summarises the main conclusions drawn by the author in his monography (2007) on the Acts of Andrew (AA), an Early Christian apocryphal text about which the scholarly literature did not reach so far a consensus regarding basic issues such as how the primitive text looked like and which textual witnesses are likely to preserve it in a better form. Not only author, place and time of composition of the
Acts of Andrew are unknown, its literary genre, contents, length, thought and intention are still a matter of conjecture. The author contends that instead of focusing on the questionable reconstruction of Andrew’s apostolic career, one should rather pay head to the message and intention of the primitive text as presented by those textual witnesses that are likely to preserve in their most original state. The paper is organised into five sections: 1. AA’s textual situation and possible reconstruction of the primitive Acts; 2. AA’s fragment in ms Vaticanus graecus 808 (V); 3. Message and intention of AA as presented by V; 4: Exposition of AA’s main lines of thought; 5. AA’s plausible time of composition.
Acts of Andrew are unknown, its literary genre, contents, length, thought and intention are still a matter of conjecture. The author contends that instead of focusing on the questionable reconstruction of Andrew’s apostolic career, one should rather pay head to the message and intention of the primitive text as presented by those textual witnesses that are likely to preserve in their most original state. The paper is organised into five sections: 1. AA’s textual situation and possible reconstruction of the primitive Acts; 2. AA’s fragment in ms Vaticanus graecus 808 (V); 3. Message and intention of AA as presented by V; 4: Exposition of AA’s main lines of thought; 5. AA’s plausible time of composition.
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... Trebilco, P., The Early Christians in Ephesus. From Paul to Ignatius (Tubinga: Mohr Siebeck 2004). Witherington, B., Women in the Earliest Churches (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1988). ... Hebreos Is ..... Isaías Jds ........ more
... Trebilco, P., The Early Christians in Ephesus. From Paul to Ignatius (Tubinga: Mohr Siebeck 2004). Witherington, B., Women in the Earliest Churches (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1988). ... Hebreos Is ..... Isaías Jds ..... Judas Jdt ..... ...
Among the many accusations levelled by pagans against the early Christians, those that accuse them of cannibalism or child sacrifice deserve special attention. The interest of such charges is certainly not their novelty. Thanks to the... more
Among the many accusations levelled by pagans against the early Christians, those that accuse them of cannibalism or child sacrifice deserve special attention. The interest of such charges is certainly not their novelty. Thanks to the role played by the motif of human sacrifice in the age-old discussion about civilisation and barbarism, it has appeared in numerous contexts.The purpose of this contribution is, first, to critically review the pagan testimonies that allegedly contain accusations against Christians in order to examine whether the existence of such charges can be established only on the basis of the Christian testimonies. Secondly, it surveys the far more numerous orthodox Christian allegations of child sacrifice against different heterodox groups. Thirdly, it raises the question of whether there is a connection between the reputed pagan charges and the orthodox accusations against heterodox groups or whether they are independent developments. Within this scope attention is paid both to various hypotheses that explain the origin of these accusations and to the sources upon which these explanations rely.
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Research Interests: Bibliography and Brill
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Research Interests: Humanities and Art
Research Interests: Ancient History, Philosophy, Art, New Testament, Judaism, and 6 moreJosephus, Metamorphosis, Zeus, Greek Apologists, B, and Greek Gods
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... 1 Corintios 2 Cor 2 Corintios 1 Cr 1 Crónicas 2 Cr 2 Crónicas Dn Daniel Dt Deuteronomio Ecl Eclesiastés Eclo Eclesiástico Ef Efesios Esd Esdras Est Ester Éx Éxodo Ez Ezequiel Flm Filemón ... A Aarón (5), hijo de Amrán y Jocabed,... more
... 1 Corintios 2 Cor 2 Corintios 1 Cr 1 Crónicas 2 Cr 2 Crónicas Dn Daniel Dt Deuteronomio Ecl Eclesiastés Eclo Eclesiástico Ef Efesios Esd Esdras Est Ester Éx Éxodo Ez Ezequiel Flm Filemón ... A Aarón (5), hijo de Amrán y Jocabed, hermano menor de Miriam y mayor de Moisés. ...