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Parables and fables in Graeco-Roman Antiquity - 13/03/2018, Utrecht (Netherlands)


The purpose of the symposium is to broaden our understanding of the related literary genres of parables, fables, and similes in the context of the Graeco-Roman world. These genres, which make use of narrative analogy, appear in early Christian and Jewish (rabbinic) literature and in Graeco-Roman philosophical, oratory, and literary sources. However, despite the fact that these texts, their composers, and their first audiences, were part of the wider cultural context of Graeco-Roman Antiquity, they have not yet been thoroughly studied in relation to each other. In this symposium, we want to contribute to this underexplored field of research. We will tackle questions like: With which texts from Greek and Roman literature can early Christian and rabbinic parables be compared? How does the composition of fables and similes and their rhetorical use in Graeco-Roman philosophical, oratory, and literary sources relate to parable-telling in the Jewish and early Christian contexts? What similarities and differences can be found? How did the Graeco-Roman tradition of fables and similes influence the development of the genre of parable in the Jewish context? And, finally, how can the understanding of these groups of texts be improved by comparing them with one another? During this one-day symposium, a selection of scholars will shed light on these questions and discuss examples of fables, parables, and similes in various ancient sources


FECHA/DATE/DATA: 13/03/2018


ORGANIZADOR/ORGANIZER/ORGANIZZATORE: Albertina Oegema ; Jonathan Pater ; Martijn Stoutjesdijk


INFO: web


INSCRIPCIÓN/REGISTRATION/REGISTRAZIONE: Gratis/free/gratuito web


PROGRAMA/PROGRAM/PROGRAMMA:


10.15h

Coffee/tea

10.30h

Jonathan Pater MA, Albertina Oegema MA, and Martijn Stoutjesdijk MA (Tilburg University/Utrecht University), ‘Introduction’

10.45h

Prof. Dr. Gerard Boter (VU Amsterdam), ‘Stoic Similarities: The Use of Similes and Parables in Epictetus’ Philosophical Teaching’

11.30h

PD Dr. Annemarie Ambühl (Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz), ‘Animal Similes in Roman Imperial Epic in Their Literary, Cultural, and Political Contexts’

12.15h

Lunch

13.00h

Dr. Lieve Teugels (PThU), ‘Talking Animals in Parables: A contradictio in terminis?’

13.45h

Prof. Dr. Ruben Zimmermann (Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz), ‘The Fables According to Babrius and New Testament Parables’

14.30h

Coffee/tea

15.00h

Prof. Dr. Annette Merz (PThU), ‘Parables in the Acts of Paul and Thecla’

15.45h

Prof. Dr. Peter Tomson (KU Leuven), ‘Concluding Remarks’

16.15h

Drinks

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