Christoph Jedan | University of Groningen (original) (raw)
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Papers by Christoph Jedan
NTT Journal for Theology and the Study of Religion, 2021
As part of NTT JTSR’s series on Key Texts, the present article discusses Cicero’s dialogue Cato M... more As part of NTT JTSR’s series on Key Texts, the present article discusses Cicero’s dialogue Cato Maior De Senectute (44 bce). Over the longue durée of western cultural history, the dialogue has been a key cultural reference. Even today, after the rise of modern gerontology, it is frequently cited. However, prevailing interpretations are hard-pressed to offer an even-handed and plausible view of the text. On the one hand, Cicero is presented uncritically as having anticipated all the latest results of today’s gerontological research. On the other hand, he is ridiculed as spokesman for a male Roman elite, drawing an unrealistically positive picture of old age. In this article a fresh interpretation is proposed, to contextualize and mitigate such extreme readings. De Senectute is primarily a consolation for old age, which uses themes and stratagems of the consolatory genre. It offers a more realistic view of old age than current ideas of ‘successful ageing’ and can contribute to a conce...
Willensfreiheit bei Aristoteles?, 2000
Religions, 2020
Cemeteries have been viewed in opposed ways as ritual spaces that either mirror society or presen... more Cemeteries have been viewed in opposed ways as ritual spaces that either mirror society or present an idealized model of society. In this article, we propose an analysis of cemeteries as ritual spaces, focused on the case study of municipal cemetery Tongerseweg in Maastricht, among the most important monumental cemeteries still in active use in The Netherlands today. Drawing on historical as well as interview material, spatial and ritual studies, the authors argue for a new “Arena Model” to understand cemeteries as dynamic ritual spaces. Cemeteries do not only form an ensemble of ritual spaces that are reliant on pre-existing communities, they also evoke, produce and maintain communities. Codeterminants are the physical layout and a wide range of ritual markers that variously underscore, mitigate or even contradict the communities created by the spatial layout. Important actors pertain to municipal politics and administration as well as the users, their respective allies and service...
Dans le cadre du debat compatibiliste opposant le determinisme et la volonte libre depuis les Sto... more Dans le cadre du debat compatibiliste opposant le determinisme et la volonte libre depuis les Stoiciens, l'A. refute la strategie qui consiste a developper des contre-exemples du type de Frankfurt contre l'intuition de l'existence de possibilites alternatives comme condition de la responsabilite morale.
Philosophisches Jahrbuch, 2000
Freiheit und Determinismus. Ein philosophischer Kommentar zu Ciceros Schrift De fato, Magnus Scha... more Freiheit und Determinismus. Ein philosophischer Kommentar zu Ciceros Schrift De fato, Magnus Schallenberg
The article addresses a methodological question: how to read ancient philosophical texts in such ... more The article addresses a methodological question: how to read ancient philosophical texts in such a way that they remain visibleboth as relevant cultural background of Christianity’s formative phase and as a valuable voice in societal debates today?It argues that an approach inspired by the vocabulary of religious studies can help us to realise that double tenet. The articleexplores inter alia the analytical usefulness of Ninian Smartʼs differentiation of six dimensions of religions / worldviews andthe application of the concept of lived religion to ancient philosophical currents and texts, with ancient Stoicism and the Epicureanthesis that one should not fear death serving as case studies.
In recent onderzoek naar het thema 'dood' blijft het thema 'troost' onderbelicht.... more In recent onderzoek naar het thema 'dood' blijft het thema 'troost' onderbelicht. Komt dit voort uit wantrouwen ten opzichte van een proces waarin men iets ontvangt en niet de regie heeft? Hoe vonden mensen in het verleden troost? En waarin vinden mensen nu nog troost? Dit dubbele themanummer van het Nederlands Theologisch Tijdschrift (tevens los verkrijgbaar in de boekhandel) verkent de complexe samenhang van dood en troost vanuit theologisch, filosofisch en godsdienstwetenschappelijk perspectief
Geistersehers is nog niet in het Nederlands vertaald. De hier weergegeven vertalingen van passage... more Geistersehers is nog niet in het Nederlands vertaald. De hier weergegeven vertalingen van passages uit deze tekst en de andere Duitse bronnen zijn van mijn hand.
NTT Journal for Theology and the Study of Religion, 2021
The article analyses the public health policy brief From Disparity to Potential by the Dutch Scie... more The article analyses the public health policy brief From Disparity to Potential by the Dutch Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR). It argues that the WRR brief presents a distinctive and novel brand of proportionate universalism, a theory proposed by Sir Michael Marmot (2010). The article situates the brief in the wider debate on proportionate universalism and offers an evaluation from an ethical perspective. It argues that the WRR’s version of proportionate universalism exhibits three flaws: (1) the definition of socio-economic status is unduly focused on education levels and thus ignores important, health-relevant disparities; (2) whilst the policy brief endorses subsidiarity, it remains focused on governmental and economic actors, ignoring the importance of voluntary associations such as churches and faith-based organizations; (3) the focus of proportionate universalism is quantitative and needs supplementing with theories of the good life, typically associated with the...
NTT Journal for Theology and the Study of Religion, 2021
As part of NTT JTSR’s series on Key Texts, the present article discusses Cicero’s dialogue Cato M... more As part of NTT JTSR’s series on Key Texts, the present article discusses Cicero’s dialogue Cato Maior De Senectute (44 bce). Over the longue durée of western cultural history, the dialogue has been a key cultural reference. Even today, after the rise of modern gerontology, it is frequently cited. However, prevailing interpretations are hard-pressed to offer an even-handed and plausible view of the text. On the one hand, Cicero is presented uncritically as having anticipated all the latest results of today’s gerontological research. On the other hand, he is ridiculed as spokesman for a male Roman elite, drawing an unrealistically positive picture of old age. In this article a fresh interpretation is proposed, to contextualize and mitigate such extreme readings. De Senectute is primarily a consolation for old age, which uses themes and stratagems of the consolatory genre. It offers a more realistic view of old age than current ideas of ‘successful ageing’ and can contribute to a conce...
Willensfreiheit bei Aristoteles?, 2000
Religions, 2020
Cemeteries have been viewed in opposed ways as ritual spaces that either mirror society or presen... more Cemeteries have been viewed in opposed ways as ritual spaces that either mirror society or present an idealized model of society. In this article, we propose an analysis of cemeteries as ritual spaces, focused on the case study of municipal cemetery Tongerseweg in Maastricht, among the most important monumental cemeteries still in active use in The Netherlands today. Drawing on historical as well as interview material, spatial and ritual studies, the authors argue for a new “Arena Model” to understand cemeteries as dynamic ritual spaces. Cemeteries do not only form an ensemble of ritual spaces that are reliant on pre-existing communities, they also evoke, produce and maintain communities. Codeterminants are the physical layout and a wide range of ritual markers that variously underscore, mitigate or even contradict the communities created by the spatial layout. Important actors pertain to municipal politics and administration as well as the users, their respective allies and service...
Dans le cadre du debat compatibiliste opposant le determinisme et la volonte libre depuis les Sto... more Dans le cadre du debat compatibiliste opposant le determinisme et la volonte libre depuis les Stoiciens, l'A. refute la strategie qui consiste a developper des contre-exemples du type de Frankfurt contre l'intuition de l'existence de possibilites alternatives comme condition de la responsabilite morale.
Philosophisches Jahrbuch, 2000
Freiheit und Determinismus. Ein philosophischer Kommentar zu Ciceros Schrift De fato, Magnus Scha... more Freiheit und Determinismus. Ein philosophischer Kommentar zu Ciceros Schrift De fato, Magnus Schallenberg
The article addresses a methodological question: how to read ancient philosophical texts in such ... more The article addresses a methodological question: how to read ancient philosophical texts in such a way that they remain visibleboth as relevant cultural background of Christianity’s formative phase and as a valuable voice in societal debates today?It argues that an approach inspired by the vocabulary of religious studies can help us to realise that double tenet. The articleexplores inter alia the analytical usefulness of Ninian Smartʼs differentiation of six dimensions of religions / worldviews andthe application of the concept of lived religion to ancient philosophical currents and texts, with ancient Stoicism and the Epicureanthesis that one should not fear death serving as case studies.
In recent onderzoek naar het thema 'dood' blijft het thema 'troost' onderbelicht.... more In recent onderzoek naar het thema 'dood' blijft het thema 'troost' onderbelicht. Komt dit voort uit wantrouwen ten opzichte van een proces waarin men iets ontvangt en niet de regie heeft? Hoe vonden mensen in het verleden troost? En waarin vinden mensen nu nog troost? Dit dubbele themanummer van het Nederlands Theologisch Tijdschrift (tevens los verkrijgbaar in de boekhandel) verkent de complexe samenhang van dood en troost vanuit theologisch, filosofisch en godsdienstwetenschappelijk perspectief
Geistersehers is nog niet in het Nederlands vertaald. De hier weergegeven vertalingen van passage... more Geistersehers is nog niet in het Nederlands vertaald. De hier weergegeven vertalingen van passages uit deze tekst en de andere Duitse bronnen zijn van mijn hand.
NTT Journal for Theology and the Study of Religion, 2021
The article analyses the public health policy brief From Disparity to Potential by the Dutch Scie... more The article analyses the public health policy brief From Disparity to Potential by the Dutch Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR). It argues that the WRR brief presents a distinctive and novel brand of proportionate universalism, a theory proposed by Sir Michael Marmot (2010). The article situates the brief in the wider debate on proportionate universalism and offers an evaluation from an ethical perspective. It argues that the WRR’s version of proportionate universalism exhibits three flaws: (1) the definition of socio-economic status is unduly focused on education levels and thus ignores important, health-relevant disparities; (2) whilst the policy brief endorses subsidiarity, it remains focused on governmental and economic actors, ignoring the importance of voluntary associations such as churches and faith-based organizations; (3) the focus of proportionate universalism is quantitative and needs supplementing with theories of the good life, typically associated with the...