Thesiss

Since about 1960, historians of Early Christianity have been building something approaching a consensus view of that religion's first few centuries of development. This view is based on the (much older) assumption that the dichotomy between what pertains to "spirit" ( spiritus ,…

In this dissertation I demonstrate that the accounts of Christian martyrs under Islam are a significant and neglected source for the study of early Christian apologetics against Islam. I show that these texts are primarily apologetic and that the arguments taken by the texts inc…

Apologetic is the rhetoric of self-defense. The motives of most public figures come under scrutiny at some point, and when allegations of malfeasance impugn their character, apologetic discourse serves to justify their behavior and restore their reputation. In the ancient Near E…