Papers by Julie Van Pelt
Between the second and sixth centuries AD, numerous Christian leaders condemned the theatre. Thei... more Between the second and sixth centuries AD, numerous Christian leaders condemned the theatre. Their criticism was directed not only against the pagan theatrical tradition, which still enjoyed much popularity in late antiquity, but also against theatre as an art form. To them, theatre was equivalent to deception and illusion. It literally deceived the spectators and corrupted them through false realities. This meant that theatre was regarded as a devilish and dangerous practice. These critiques closely echo Platonic warnings against the deceptive allurements of fiction. They also explain why Byzantium (unlike the Christian West) never developed a religious theatre. At the same time, the Byzantines had their own ways of entertaining the public.
According to a recent authoritative dictionary of Late Antiquity, 'hagiography' is 'a broad desig... more According to a recent authoritative dictionary of Late Antiquity, 'hagiography' is 'a broad designation encompassing a variety of literary forms in both prose and verse that take the life and the actions of a holy person as their subject' .1 This definition highlights the incredible variety within late antique hagiography, a fact that is often obscured because scholars tend to sort these texts into a limited number of subgenres (e.g. saints' Lives, martyr acts, miracle collections, and edifying tales). In addition to the difference between prose and verse mentioned in the definition cited above, there are differences, among many others, in length, style, and narrative form. In modern editions, some texts cover only a few paragraphs, while others run for hundreds of pages; some take the form of letters, others are orations; some are written in a simple, unadorned style, others adopt a higher register; some are presented as third-person narratives, others as first-person accounts; some present themselves as a simple record of facts, while others more evidently elaborate in the narrative; some recount lives straightforwardly and chronologically, others contain embedded narratives and thus build a labyrinth of pro-and analepses.2 Yet for all their diversity, what many of these narratives have in common is that they present themselves, in one way or another, as truthful. Not only do they purport to relate actual events from a more or less distant past, but also, by doing so they claim to convey profound religious, moral or philosophical truths. Turner therefore describes hagiography as a 'truth-telling genre' , 'whose
Narrative, Imagination and Concepts of Fiction in Late Antique Hagiography (Leiden: Brill), pp. 151-180 , 2024
in: Dabiri G. and Ruani F. (eds.), Thecla and Medieval Sainthood: The Acts of Paul and Thecla in ... more in: Dabiri G. and Ruani F. (eds.), Thecla and Medieval Sainthood: The Acts of Paul and Thecla in Eastern and Western Hagiography, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 197-232.
This chapter critically examines two long-held beliefs with regards to Thecla, the first Christian heroine to take on male dress: 1) that she is the forerunner of Byzantine transvestite saints and 2) that her tale is a reference point for their narratives (fourth to seventh centuries). Arguably, these claims tend to be based on hasty assumptions or insufficient evidence built on one particular transvestite saint’s Life, the Life and Martyrdom of Eugenia. In this chapter, I discuss Thecla’s literary legacy both in the wider tradition of Greek hagiography and specific cross-dressers’ Lives. I demonstrate that the Life of Eugenia is an exception among cross-dressers’ tales in terms of its frequent referencing and evident modeling of the APT. This point is especially salient considering the APT’s many echoes in certain Greek hagiographies that are not concerned with cross-dressers. Finally, I propose some new perspectives on how the motif of cross-dressing traveled from the APT until it appeared in later hagiographical accounts. I argue that the Acts of Xanthippe and Polyxena, Life and Miracles of Thecla, and Life of Eusebia called Xenê represent important intermediary steps both in the interpretation of Thecla as a cross-dresser and in the development of this literary theme.
Historica. Tijdschrift voor gendergeschiedenis. Nr. 2, 2021
Pelagia/Pelagios, Theodora/Theodoros, Maria/Marinos: dat zijn slechts enkele van de personages ui... more Pelagia/Pelagios, Theodora/Theodoros, Maria/Marinos: dat zijn slechts enkele van de personages uit laatantieke christelijke verhalen die bekend staan bij specialisten als ‘heilige travestieten’. Dat klinkt misschien als een contradictio in terminis, en dat is het in zekere zin ook. Vrouwelijke heiligen die als man door het leven gingen, waren nochtans populair in de late oudheid, hoewel travestie omstreden was binnen de vroege kerk. Deze paradox kan begrepen worden binnen de toenmalige christelijke genderideologie.
T. Nicklas, J.E. Spittler, J.N. Bremmer (eds), The Apostles Peter, Paul, John, Thomas and Philip with their Companions in Late Antiquity, SECA 17 (Peeters, Leuven), 2021
The Life of Leo Bishop of Catania is a largely fictive text dated to the
first half of the 9th ce... more The Life of Leo Bishop of Catania is a largely fictive text dated to the
first half of the 9th century. It is the perfect example of how 'magoi' (magicians) tend to play the role of the adversary in hagiographical narrative. Unfortunately, the figure of the 'magos' has rarely been studied in the context of Byzantine hagiography. In this article, I consider the Life in connection with the apocryphal Acts of Peter (late 2nd century). Just like the Life of Leo, it features a confrontation between a holy man, in this case, the apostle Peter, and a 'magos', Simon. Through their portrayal of a contest between a saint and a 'magos', the Acts of Peter and the Life of Leo both raise questions regarding the distinction between magic and miracle. I aim to show that the Life of Leo successfully constructs a distinction between saint and magos and, in particular, how it achieves this distinction; how it makes it convincing. The author of the Life of Leo, I argue, adopts narrative strategies belonging to a longstanding tradition of Christian narratives featuring 'magoi', of which the Acts of Peter is a prominent example.
Metaphrasis. A Byzantine Concept of Rewriting and its Hagiographical Products, Edited by Stavroula Constantinou and Christian Høgel (Leiden: Brill), 92-106, 2020
Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies 60.2, 272–289, 2020
The author has lent drama to his story by using the theme of disguise found in some other saints’... more The author has lent drama to his story by using the theme of disguise found in some other saints’ lives and in particular in the Life of Euphrosyne (BHG 625), which shows specific textual parallels.
This article brings to light an intertextual connection between two hagiographical texts that has... more This article brings to light an intertextual connection between two hagiographical texts that has not been acknowledged in scholarship: the Life of Thaïs (BHG 1695) and the Greek Life of Abraham and his Niece Mary (BHG 5). The first part of the article presents an overview of the different possibilities of interdependence. Next, the textual correspondences and the contextual divergences between the two passages are discussed. In the final part, the intertextual connection between the two stories is understood as the result of a shared narrative purpose, and the divergences are interpreted within the specific narrative context of each text. This discussion considers the two texts against the background of other Lives of so-called ‘holy harlots’.
This article intends to contribute to a research topic that has largely stayed under the radar of... more This article intends to contribute to a research topic that has largely stayed under the radar of modern scholarship: the topos of desire for death in the ancient Greek novel. Attempted suicide and a strong wish to die are indeed ubiquitous in ancient narrative fiction and form an inherent part of the generic code of the Greek novel. By tracing the motives and means for self-killing in the five major Greek novels through a New Historicist approach, this article brings into focus the ways in which this genre incorporates and adapts ancient social and cultural ideals of self-killing in order to serve its main themes of love and fidelity.
Talks by Julie Van Pelt
In deze lezing, die plaatsvond in het kader van de jaarlijkse CSCT-reeks (Centrum voor de Studie ... more In deze lezing, die plaatsvond in het kader van de jaarlijkse CSCT-reeks (Centrum voor de Studie van Christelijke Tradities), ging ik in op het bestaan van heilige figuren binnen de vroege Byzantijnse literatuur die aan 'cross-dressing' of 'travestie' doen, door zicht te kleden als mannen en zich uit te geven onder een mannennaam. Wat betekende cross-dressing binnen de vroege Christelijke gemeenschap, en hoe valt dit te rijmen met de strenge afkeuring van cross-dressing die we gearticuleerd zien bij enkele Christelijke autoriteiten?
Dans les romans grecs anciens tout comme dans la littérature hagiographique, le divin joue un rôl... more Dans les romans grecs anciens tout comme dans la littérature hagiographique, le divin joue un rôle important : il appartient généralement au monde conceptuel des auteurs, des textes et des lecteurs, il est parfois directement invoqué dans la narration, et plus spécifiquement, il agit dans le développement du récit. Bien entendu, dans ces deux traditions littéraires il s’agit de deux conceptions différentes du divin, la première étant païenne, l’autre chrétienne.
Dans les romans, la personnification de la ‘Fortune’ ou de la providence divine, voire les divinités plus directement liées à l’amour (thème principal de cette littérature), comme Eros et Aphrodite, agissent dans le récit et déclenchent certains retournements de l’action. Dans l’hagiographie, c’est le Dieu chrétien qui joue un rôle plus ou moins actif, en guidant le saint, par exemple, et certains événements se produisent en suivant sa volonté ou selon sa providence (« κατ οἰκονομίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ »).
Par ailleurs, il est aujourd’hui admis qu’une certaine appropriation des écrits romanesques païens est à l’œuvre dans la production hagiographique chrétienne. Bien entendu, si l’hagiographie « reprend » certaines techniques et structures narratives propres au roman grec, elle n’emprunte pas pour autant la même conception du divin : les divinités païennes sont ici remplacées, pour ainsi dire, par le Dieu chrétien.
Cette communication se propose d’examiner précisément ce paradoxe apparent, entre reprise littéraire d’une part, et abandon conceptuel d’autre part : plus particulièrement, comment ce changement dans la notion du divin intervient-il dans la construction des récits hagiographiques ? Et quel impact a-t-il dans les dynamiques de réappropriation des romans païens en tant que modèles littéraires ? Le divin, bien que conçu différemment, apparaît-il de la même manière et a-t-il la même fonction dans la narration ? Ou bien l’introduction de la divinité chrétienne a-t-elle des conséquences sur la construction des récits ?
Ces questions sont illustrées à travers l’exemple de la Vie d’Euphrosyne (BHG 625), un texte qui contient plusieurs thèmes et structures narratives proches du roman grec.
Book Reviews by Julie Van Pelt
Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 2021
This review is available online at: https://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2021/2021.12.36/
Kleio, 2019
Recensie: Het verhaal van Apollonius. Historia Apollonii Regis Tyri. Vertaling Vincent Hunink, in... more Recensie: Het verhaal van Apollonius. Historia Apollonii Regis Tyri. Vertaling Vincent Hunink, inleiding Diederik Burgersdijk, Zenobiareeks 5 (Hilversum: Uitgeverij Verloren, 2018), 128p. ISBN 978-90-8704-714-6.
Books by Julie Van Pelt
This book explores representations of saints in a variety of Latin and Greek late antique hagiogr... more This book explores representations of saints in a variety of Latin and Greek late antique hagiographical narratives, such as saints’ Lives, martyr acts, miracle collections, and edifying tales. The book examines techniques through which the saints featured in such texts are depicted as heroes and heroines, i.e., as extraordinary characters exhibiting both exemplary behaviour and a set of specific qualities that distinguish them from others. The book inscribes itself in a growing body of relatively recent scholarship that approaches hagiographical accounts not just as historical sources but also as narrative constructions. As such, it contributes to the development of a scholarly rationale which increasingly values imaginative and fictional aspects of hagiography in their own right, with the aim of answering broader questions about narrative creativity and ideology. For instance, individual chapters examine how hagiographical accounts mobilize and capitalize on earlier literary and rhetorical traditions or narrative models. These questions are specifically addressed to explore the narrative construction of characters. The chapters thereby encourage us to acknowledge that many hagiographers were more skilful than is often accepted.
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Papers by Julie Van Pelt
This chapter critically examines two long-held beliefs with regards to Thecla, the first Christian heroine to take on male dress: 1) that she is the forerunner of Byzantine transvestite saints and 2) that her tale is a reference point for their narratives (fourth to seventh centuries). Arguably, these claims tend to be based on hasty assumptions or insufficient evidence built on one particular transvestite saint’s Life, the Life and Martyrdom of Eugenia. In this chapter, I discuss Thecla’s literary legacy both in the wider tradition of Greek hagiography and specific cross-dressers’ Lives. I demonstrate that the Life of Eugenia is an exception among cross-dressers’ tales in terms of its frequent referencing and evident modeling of the APT. This point is especially salient considering the APT’s many echoes in certain Greek hagiographies that are not concerned with cross-dressers. Finally, I propose some new perspectives on how the motif of cross-dressing traveled from the APT until it appeared in later hagiographical accounts. I argue that the Acts of Xanthippe and Polyxena, Life and Miracles of Thecla, and Life of Eusebia called Xenê represent important intermediary steps both in the interpretation of Thecla as a cross-dresser and in the development of this literary theme.
first half of the 9th century. It is the perfect example of how 'magoi' (magicians) tend to play the role of the adversary in hagiographical narrative. Unfortunately, the figure of the 'magos' has rarely been studied in the context of Byzantine hagiography. In this article, I consider the Life in connection with the apocryphal Acts of Peter (late 2nd century). Just like the Life of Leo, it features a confrontation between a holy man, in this case, the apostle Peter, and a 'magos', Simon. Through their portrayal of a contest between a saint and a 'magos', the Acts of Peter and the Life of Leo both raise questions regarding the distinction between magic and miracle. I aim to show that the Life of Leo successfully constructs a distinction between saint and magos and, in particular, how it achieves this distinction; how it makes it convincing. The author of the Life of Leo, I argue, adopts narrative strategies belonging to a longstanding tradition of Christian narratives featuring 'magoi', of which the Acts of Peter is a prominent example.
Talks by Julie Van Pelt
Dans les romans, la personnification de la ‘Fortune’ ou de la providence divine, voire les divinités plus directement liées à l’amour (thème principal de cette littérature), comme Eros et Aphrodite, agissent dans le récit et déclenchent certains retournements de l’action. Dans l’hagiographie, c’est le Dieu chrétien qui joue un rôle plus ou moins actif, en guidant le saint, par exemple, et certains événements se produisent en suivant sa volonté ou selon sa providence (« κατ οἰκονομίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ »).
Par ailleurs, il est aujourd’hui admis qu’une certaine appropriation des écrits romanesques païens est à l’œuvre dans la production hagiographique chrétienne. Bien entendu, si l’hagiographie « reprend » certaines techniques et structures narratives propres au roman grec, elle n’emprunte pas pour autant la même conception du divin : les divinités païennes sont ici remplacées, pour ainsi dire, par le Dieu chrétien.
Cette communication se propose d’examiner précisément ce paradoxe apparent, entre reprise littéraire d’une part, et abandon conceptuel d’autre part : plus particulièrement, comment ce changement dans la notion du divin intervient-il dans la construction des récits hagiographiques ? Et quel impact a-t-il dans les dynamiques de réappropriation des romans païens en tant que modèles littéraires ? Le divin, bien que conçu différemment, apparaît-il de la même manière et a-t-il la même fonction dans la narration ? Ou bien l’introduction de la divinité chrétienne a-t-elle des conséquences sur la construction des récits ?
Ces questions sont illustrées à travers l’exemple de la Vie d’Euphrosyne (BHG 625), un texte qui contient plusieurs thèmes et structures narratives proches du roman grec.
Book Reviews by Julie Van Pelt
Books by Julie Van Pelt
This chapter critically examines two long-held beliefs with regards to Thecla, the first Christian heroine to take on male dress: 1) that she is the forerunner of Byzantine transvestite saints and 2) that her tale is a reference point for their narratives (fourth to seventh centuries). Arguably, these claims tend to be based on hasty assumptions or insufficient evidence built on one particular transvestite saint’s Life, the Life and Martyrdom of Eugenia. In this chapter, I discuss Thecla’s literary legacy both in the wider tradition of Greek hagiography and specific cross-dressers’ Lives. I demonstrate that the Life of Eugenia is an exception among cross-dressers’ tales in terms of its frequent referencing and evident modeling of the APT. This point is especially salient considering the APT’s many echoes in certain Greek hagiographies that are not concerned with cross-dressers. Finally, I propose some new perspectives on how the motif of cross-dressing traveled from the APT until it appeared in later hagiographical accounts. I argue that the Acts of Xanthippe and Polyxena, Life and Miracles of Thecla, and Life of Eusebia called Xenê represent important intermediary steps both in the interpretation of Thecla as a cross-dresser and in the development of this literary theme.
first half of the 9th century. It is the perfect example of how 'magoi' (magicians) tend to play the role of the adversary in hagiographical narrative. Unfortunately, the figure of the 'magos' has rarely been studied in the context of Byzantine hagiography. In this article, I consider the Life in connection with the apocryphal Acts of Peter (late 2nd century). Just like the Life of Leo, it features a confrontation between a holy man, in this case, the apostle Peter, and a 'magos', Simon. Through their portrayal of a contest between a saint and a 'magos', the Acts of Peter and the Life of Leo both raise questions regarding the distinction between magic and miracle. I aim to show that the Life of Leo successfully constructs a distinction between saint and magos and, in particular, how it achieves this distinction; how it makes it convincing. The author of the Life of Leo, I argue, adopts narrative strategies belonging to a longstanding tradition of Christian narratives featuring 'magoi', of which the Acts of Peter is a prominent example.
Dans les romans, la personnification de la ‘Fortune’ ou de la providence divine, voire les divinités plus directement liées à l’amour (thème principal de cette littérature), comme Eros et Aphrodite, agissent dans le récit et déclenchent certains retournements de l’action. Dans l’hagiographie, c’est le Dieu chrétien qui joue un rôle plus ou moins actif, en guidant le saint, par exemple, et certains événements se produisent en suivant sa volonté ou selon sa providence (« κατ οἰκονομίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ »).
Par ailleurs, il est aujourd’hui admis qu’une certaine appropriation des écrits romanesques païens est à l’œuvre dans la production hagiographique chrétienne. Bien entendu, si l’hagiographie « reprend » certaines techniques et structures narratives propres au roman grec, elle n’emprunte pas pour autant la même conception du divin : les divinités païennes sont ici remplacées, pour ainsi dire, par le Dieu chrétien.
Cette communication se propose d’examiner précisément ce paradoxe apparent, entre reprise littéraire d’une part, et abandon conceptuel d’autre part : plus particulièrement, comment ce changement dans la notion du divin intervient-il dans la construction des récits hagiographiques ? Et quel impact a-t-il dans les dynamiques de réappropriation des romans païens en tant que modèles littéraires ? Le divin, bien que conçu différemment, apparaît-il de la même manière et a-t-il la même fonction dans la narration ? Ou bien l’introduction de la divinité chrétienne a-t-elle des conséquences sur la construction des récits ?
Ces questions sont illustrées à travers l’exemple de la Vie d’Euphrosyne (BHG 625), un texte qui contient plusieurs thèmes et structures narratives proches du roman grec.
hagiographical narrative in different cultural and literary traditions.
It includes Greek, Latin, Syriac, Armenian, Persian and Arabic
material. Whereas scholarship in these texts has traditionally
focussed on historical questions, this book approaches imaginative
narrative as an inherent element of the genre of hagiography
that deserves to be studied in its own right. The chapters explore
narrative complexities related to ction, such as invention,
authentication, intertextuality, imagination and fictionality.
Together, they represent an innovative exploration of how these
concepts relate to hagiographical discourses of truth and the
religious notion of belief, while paying due attention to the various
factors and contexts that impact readers’ responses.
waarom spreekt dat ene gedicht ons zo aan? Welke vormen kan poëzie
aannemen? En hoe komt het dat de gedichten van Sappho, Lucretius en
Hadewijch nog steeds de moeite waard zijn?
In Great Poems maken specialisten in de letterkunde je wegwijs in de
klassiekers van de dichtkunst. Ze laten de mooiste passages tot je spreken, geven gedichten klank en betekenis via uitleg over de context en geven tal van verwijzingen naar film, literatuur en muziek. Zo wordt
ook duidelijk dat poëzie meer is dan louter het traditionele ‘gedicht’.
Tien specialisten en literatuurliefhebbers verklaren waarom eeuwenoude toneelstukken nog steeds opgevoerd kunnen worden in moderne theaters.
Via hun favoriete passages tonen ze hoe deze meesterwerken de tand des tijds doorstaan hebben. Great Plays is een reis doorheen tijd en ruimte, in een wereld van kijken, luisteren en beleven.
Co-editors: Koen De Temmerman, Alexander Roose
Auteurs: Yanick Maes, Youri Desplenter, Teodoro Katinis, Jürgen Pieters, Lieve Behiels, Delphine Calle, Zoë Ghyselinck, Daan Vandenhaute, Caroline Janssen, Stef Craps