hajnalka tamas | Babes-Bolyai University (original) (raw)
Papers by hajnalka tamas
New Europe College Yearbook - Ștefan Odobleja Program 2021-2022, 2022
In the ancient world, recommendation was an important expression of patronage, effecting introduc... more In the ancient world, recommendation was an important expression of patronage, effecting introduction, mediation, problem‑solving. Christianity took over and adapted Roman models to suit new realities of Christian travel and hospitality, pastoral care, recruitment, career advancement (clerical as well as ascetic), the articulation of communion and orthodoxy, among others. This paper explores the functions of late antique Christian recommendation practices, its complex and often ambiguous typology, with particular emphasis on the correspondence – or discrepancy – between evidence collected from extant papyri, canonical prescriptions, and examples from epistolary corpora of known authors.
http://www.editura.ubbcluj.ro/ This volume is a revised version of my doctoral dissertation, Pann... more http://www.editura.ubbcluj.ro/ This volume is a revised version of my doctoral dissertation, Pannonian Martyrs of the Great Persecution and the Formation of Christian Identity in the Late 4 th and Early 5 th Century Middle Danube Area (KU Leuven, 2014). The dissertation contained also extensive studies of the transmission history and critical editions of three of the analysed texts. Since these have appeared elsewhere, I did not include them here. Although expanded, corrected, or nuanced, the core of this volume still represents my doctoral research. It is fit, therefore, to begin by thanking those who supported and shaped that endeavour: the promoters of my doctorate, Prof. Johan Leemans and Prof. Mathijs Lamberigts; and the correctors of my dissertation, Prof. David G. Hunter, Prof. Gert Partoens, and Prof. Anthony Dupont. Their patient and generous advice steered clear of obstacles, enabled the overcoming of cliffhangers, and tempered excesses. Born in the office of Prof. Leemans in a sunny afternoon in late September 2008, the project was nurtured throughout the years in the Leemans Research Group, the Research Unit History of Church and Theology from the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, KU Leuven, and in many conversations with my Leuven colleagues and friends. A heartfelt thank you to all! In 2016-2018, parts of this book were shaped by further study in the context of an MSCA Individual Fellowship at the University of Exeter (Christian Diversity in Late Antique Sirmium (ca 350 AD-ca 450 AD): A Historical, Literary and Theological Study, Grant no. 658265). Substantial contributions resulted from visits to research institutions and libraries during and after my doctorate: the Société des Bollandistes in Brussels; the Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences; the Niedersächsische Staats-und Universitätsbibliothek, Göttingen; the Museo Archeologico Nazionale Cividale, Archivi e Biblioteca; the Museum of Srem and the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments in Sremska Mitrovica. In the course of these visits I had the privilege to consult with experts who offered valuable information concerning the history of Pannonia and of Christianity in Pannonia, epigraphic and martyrological material, and the transmission history of texts: Prof. László Perendy, Prof. Péter Kovács (Budapest); Dr. Levente Nagy (Pécs); Mrs. Claudia Franceschini (Cividale del Friuli); Mrs. Jasmina Davidović and Mrs. Biljana Lučić (Sremska Mitrovica). Special gratitude goes to Prof. Bogdan Neagota, who encouraged the publication of this research, and to Pr. Dr. Claudiu George Tuțu, who made it possible by offering the generous financial support of the Center for Patristic Studies and Ancient Christian Literature from the Babeș-Bolyai University. Most of all, I wish to thank my family and my fiancée. My parents understood my dream of studying in Leuven and patiently endured the separation from their only child. My late grandmother never fully grasped the meaning of a doctorate, yet she was so proud and supportive all along. They all became co-sufferers on a laborious journey that dragged on for too many years, holding fast long after I had given up. My warmest thoughts go to my fiancée, Vojtech Novitzky, who selflessly and cheerfully encouraged this project, both when I wrote the dissertation, and when I rewrote the book, never losing patience, never complaining about short temper, unslept nights, or long days spent in the cocoon of late antique hagiography in Pannonia.
Jan Willem Drijvers and Noel Lenski (eds.), The Fifth Century: Age of Transformation. Proceedings of the 12th Biennial Shifting Frontiers in Late Antiquity Conference (Munera 46; Bari: Edipuglia), 2019
Sacris Erudiri: Journal of Late Antique and Medieval Christianity, 2020
The Passio Sereni (BHL 7595-7596) is one of the most intriguing hagiographic narratives stemming ... more The Passio Sereni (BHL 7595-7596) is one of the most intriguing hagiographic narratives stemming from late antique Pannonia. The cult of its protagonist, whose name can be reconstructed from ancient sources as Syneros, left its imprint on the landscape of ancient Sirmium. Taken together, these represent an important source for the study of early Christianity in Sirmium, as well as Pannonia. The present contribution offers a concise, yet comprehensive overview of Syneros’ cult and other elements of his hagiographic dossier (name, date), followed by the first critical edition of the Passio Sereni. Collated on the basis of ten witnesses ranging from the ninth to the fifteenth century, the new text established here also elucidates the problem of subsequent redactions: Notably, if previous scholarship considered the two published versions (the Bollandist and Ruinart’s, respectively) as two distinct recensions, it is demonstrated here that both of these versions are merely re-worked copies of an older archetype. An English translation is also included.
The present article aims to draw attention to a neglected source attesting the epithet christiani... more The present article aims to draw attention to a neglected source attesting the epithet christianissimus imperator as a late antique imperial title. The source in question, the Passio Pollionis (BHL 6869), is one of the earliest testimonies, alongside Ambrose’s and Jerome’s works. It is also peculiar in that, as a hagiographic work, it addresses the emperor Valentinian I with this title. A brief comparison with the use of christianissimus in Ambrose, as well as the analysis of its literary—propagandistic function in the Passio Pollionis is meant to shed light on the documentary potential of the Passio.
The present contribution offers the first critical edition of the Passio Pollionis (BHL 6869). Th... more The present contribution offers the first critical edition of the Passio Pollionis (BHL 6869). The accompanying historical-literary introduction treats succintly Pollio’s hagiographical dossier, the Passio’s compositional context and its place in Pannonian hagiography. The text relates the martyrdom of Pollio, a lector in Cibalae (nowadays Vinkovci, Croatia), during the Great Persecution. It was written during the last decades of the 4th century, in Pannonia. The terminus post quem is inferred from the text itself (the mentioning of Valentinian I, probable allusions to Sextus Petronius Probus). The terminus ante quem is deduced from external evidence: on one hand, the 5th century Passio Donati, Venusti et Hermogenis (BHL 2309), which quotes from the Passio Pollionis; on the other hand, the celebration of Pollio’s cult in Ravenna in the last decade of the 4th century. The introduction also discusses the existence of a Greek version and the relationship with the Passio Irenaei Sirmiensis (BHL 4466). As far as textual transmission is concerned, the Passio Pollionis is extant in thirteen manuscripts, ranging from the 11th to the 15th century. They are classified in three families, identified through philological and chronological criteria. The present edition is based on a member of the second family, namely the 12th century Clm 4531, preserved at the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek München.
Johan Leemans, Peter Gemeinhardt (eds.), Christian Martyrdom in Late Antiquity (300-450AD)History and Discourse, Tradition and Religious Identity, 2012
Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses, 2016
Scholars agree that Augustine’s notion of (original) sin and his related understanding of the rel... more Scholars agree that Augustine’s notion of (original) sin and his related understanding of the relation between human free will and divine predestination did not come out of the blue. The question of the precise patristic antecedents of these (biblically rooted) concepts is however not without discussion. The current article presents two notes on an attested presence of pre-Augustinian discussions about human free will and sinfulness. More in particular, we study passages from two apologetic works traditionally ascribed to Africa: the Octavius of Minucius Felix (11, 5; 36, 1-2) and the Adversus nationes of Arnobius of Sicca (1, 49). These three case studies exemplify that, although in nucleo and not always very explicit, reflections about human sin and its impact on human free will and God’s relation to humanity were present quite early in the African theological tradition, and were part of what Minucius Felix and Arnobius considered to be the Christian doctrine.
This article offers an in-depth study of Asterius’ often neglected Liber ad Renatum monachum in r... more This article offers an in-depth study of Asterius’ often neglected Liber ad Renatum monachum in relation to its compositional context and other similar writings from Late Antiquity. It starts with a thorough discussion about the possible date, author, and place of the Liber ad Renatum monachum. One will see that the context of the writing was the (early) fifth century, but also that the treatise cannot be connected to a place more precisely than the Latin West. In the second part of this article, a closer look is given to the ascetic content of the Liber ad Renatum monachum. Although the treatise has many topics worth discussing, the present authors have chosen to direct their attention to the rather unknown late antique ascetic practice of syneisaktism, a practice in which an ascetic man and a virgin lived together unmarried with the (unofficial) promise to remain chaste. For this reason the final part of this article is wholly dedicated to the question of how Asterius used and reworked a centuries-old tradition of arguments against syneisaktism. The analysis extends over a wide range of polemical writings, starting from Asterius’ proven sources (e.g., Jerome’s epistulae and the anonymous De singularitate clericorum) to sources previously not connected with this work (e.g., John Chrysostom’s Adversus eos qui apud se habent subintroductas virgines and Quod regulares feminae viris cohabitare non debeant, and several works of the Cappadocians).
New Europe College Yearbook - Ștefan Odobleja Program 2021-2022, 2022
In the ancient world, recommendation was an important expression of patronage, effecting introduc... more In the ancient world, recommendation was an important expression of patronage, effecting introduction, mediation, problem‑solving. Christianity took over and adapted Roman models to suit new realities of Christian travel and hospitality, pastoral care, recruitment, career advancement (clerical as well as ascetic), the articulation of communion and orthodoxy, among others. This paper explores the functions of late antique Christian recommendation practices, its complex and often ambiguous typology, with particular emphasis on the correspondence – or discrepancy – between evidence collected from extant papyri, canonical prescriptions, and examples from epistolary corpora of known authors.
http://www.editura.ubbcluj.ro/ This volume is a revised version of my doctoral dissertation, Pann... more http://www.editura.ubbcluj.ro/ This volume is a revised version of my doctoral dissertation, Pannonian Martyrs of the Great Persecution and the Formation of Christian Identity in the Late 4 th and Early 5 th Century Middle Danube Area (KU Leuven, 2014). The dissertation contained also extensive studies of the transmission history and critical editions of three of the analysed texts. Since these have appeared elsewhere, I did not include them here. Although expanded, corrected, or nuanced, the core of this volume still represents my doctoral research. It is fit, therefore, to begin by thanking those who supported and shaped that endeavour: the promoters of my doctorate, Prof. Johan Leemans and Prof. Mathijs Lamberigts; and the correctors of my dissertation, Prof. David G. Hunter, Prof. Gert Partoens, and Prof. Anthony Dupont. Their patient and generous advice steered clear of obstacles, enabled the overcoming of cliffhangers, and tempered excesses. Born in the office of Prof. Leemans in a sunny afternoon in late September 2008, the project was nurtured throughout the years in the Leemans Research Group, the Research Unit History of Church and Theology from the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, KU Leuven, and in many conversations with my Leuven colleagues and friends. A heartfelt thank you to all! In 2016-2018, parts of this book were shaped by further study in the context of an MSCA Individual Fellowship at the University of Exeter (Christian Diversity in Late Antique Sirmium (ca 350 AD-ca 450 AD): A Historical, Literary and Theological Study, Grant no. 658265). Substantial contributions resulted from visits to research institutions and libraries during and after my doctorate: the Société des Bollandistes in Brussels; the Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences; the Niedersächsische Staats-und Universitätsbibliothek, Göttingen; the Museo Archeologico Nazionale Cividale, Archivi e Biblioteca; the Museum of Srem and the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments in Sremska Mitrovica. In the course of these visits I had the privilege to consult with experts who offered valuable information concerning the history of Pannonia and of Christianity in Pannonia, epigraphic and martyrological material, and the transmission history of texts: Prof. László Perendy, Prof. Péter Kovács (Budapest); Dr. Levente Nagy (Pécs); Mrs. Claudia Franceschini (Cividale del Friuli); Mrs. Jasmina Davidović and Mrs. Biljana Lučić (Sremska Mitrovica). Special gratitude goes to Prof. Bogdan Neagota, who encouraged the publication of this research, and to Pr. Dr. Claudiu George Tuțu, who made it possible by offering the generous financial support of the Center for Patristic Studies and Ancient Christian Literature from the Babeș-Bolyai University. Most of all, I wish to thank my family and my fiancée. My parents understood my dream of studying in Leuven and patiently endured the separation from their only child. My late grandmother never fully grasped the meaning of a doctorate, yet she was so proud and supportive all along. They all became co-sufferers on a laborious journey that dragged on for too many years, holding fast long after I had given up. My warmest thoughts go to my fiancée, Vojtech Novitzky, who selflessly and cheerfully encouraged this project, both when I wrote the dissertation, and when I rewrote the book, never losing patience, never complaining about short temper, unslept nights, or long days spent in the cocoon of late antique hagiography in Pannonia.
Jan Willem Drijvers and Noel Lenski (eds.), The Fifth Century: Age of Transformation. Proceedings of the 12th Biennial Shifting Frontiers in Late Antiquity Conference (Munera 46; Bari: Edipuglia), 2019
Sacris Erudiri: Journal of Late Antique and Medieval Christianity, 2020
The Passio Sereni (BHL 7595-7596) is one of the most intriguing hagiographic narratives stemming ... more The Passio Sereni (BHL 7595-7596) is one of the most intriguing hagiographic narratives stemming from late antique Pannonia. The cult of its protagonist, whose name can be reconstructed from ancient sources as Syneros, left its imprint on the landscape of ancient Sirmium. Taken together, these represent an important source for the study of early Christianity in Sirmium, as well as Pannonia. The present contribution offers a concise, yet comprehensive overview of Syneros’ cult and other elements of his hagiographic dossier (name, date), followed by the first critical edition of the Passio Sereni. Collated on the basis of ten witnesses ranging from the ninth to the fifteenth century, the new text established here also elucidates the problem of subsequent redactions: Notably, if previous scholarship considered the two published versions (the Bollandist and Ruinart’s, respectively) as two distinct recensions, it is demonstrated here that both of these versions are merely re-worked copies of an older archetype. An English translation is also included.
The present article aims to draw attention to a neglected source attesting the epithet christiani... more The present article aims to draw attention to a neglected source attesting the epithet christianissimus imperator as a late antique imperial title. The source in question, the Passio Pollionis (BHL 6869), is one of the earliest testimonies, alongside Ambrose’s and Jerome’s works. It is also peculiar in that, as a hagiographic work, it addresses the emperor Valentinian I with this title. A brief comparison with the use of christianissimus in Ambrose, as well as the analysis of its literary—propagandistic function in the Passio Pollionis is meant to shed light on the documentary potential of the Passio.
The present contribution offers the first critical edition of the Passio Pollionis (BHL 6869). Th... more The present contribution offers the first critical edition of the Passio Pollionis (BHL 6869). The accompanying historical-literary introduction treats succintly Pollio’s hagiographical dossier, the Passio’s compositional context and its place in Pannonian hagiography. The text relates the martyrdom of Pollio, a lector in Cibalae (nowadays Vinkovci, Croatia), during the Great Persecution. It was written during the last decades of the 4th century, in Pannonia. The terminus post quem is inferred from the text itself (the mentioning of Valentinian I, probable allusions to Sextus Petronius Probus). The terminus ante quem is deduced from external evidence: on one hand, the 5th century Passio Donati, Venusti et Hermogenis (BHL 2309), which quotes from the Passio Pollionis; on the other hand, the celebration of Pollio’s cult in Ravenna in the last decade of the 4th century. The introduction also discusses the existence of a Greek version and the relationship with the Passio Irenaei Sirmiensis (BHL 4466). As far as textual transmission is concerned, the Passio Pollionis is extant in thirteen manuscripts, ranging from the 11th to the 15th century. They are classified in three families, identified through philological and chronological criteria. The present edition is based on a member of the second family, namely the 12th century Clm 4531, preserved at the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek München.
Johan Leemans, Peter Gemeinhardt (eds.), Christian Martyrdom in Late Antiquity (300-450AD)History and Discourse, Tradition and Religious Identity, 2012
Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses, 2016
Scholars agree that Augustine’s notion of (original) sin and his related understanding of the rel... more Scholars agree that Augustine’s notion of (original) sin and his related understanding of the relation between human free will and divine predestination did not come out of the blue. The question of the precise patristic antecedents of these (biblically rooted) concepts is however not without discussion. The current article presents two notes on an attested presence of pre-Augustinian discussions about human free will and sinfulness. More in particular, we study passages from two apologetic works traditionally ascribed to Africa: the Octavius of Minucius Felix (11, 5; 36, 1-2) and the Adversus nationes of Arnobius of Sicca (1, 49). These three case studies exemplify that, although in nucleo and not always very explicit, reflections about human sin and its impact on human free will and God’s relation to humanity were present quite early in the African theological tradition, and were part of what Minucius Felix and Arnobius considered to be the Christian doctrine.
This article offers an in-depth study of Asterius’ often neglected Liber ad Renatum monachum in r... more This article offers an in-depth study of Asterius’ often neglected Liber ad Renatum monachum in relation to its compositional context and other similar writings from Late Antiquity. It starts with a thorough discussion about the possible date, author, and place of the Liber ad Renatum monachum. One will see that the context of the writing was the (early) fifth century, but also that the treatise cannot be connected to a place more precisely than the Latin West. In the second part of this article, a closer look is given to the ascetic content of the Liber ad Renatum monachum. Although the treatise has many topics worth discussing, the present authors have chosen to direct their attention to the rather unknown late antique ascetic practice of syneisaktism, a practice in which an ascetic man and a virgin lived together unmarried with the (unofficial) promise to remain chaste. For this reason the final part of this article is wholly dedicated to the question of how Asterius used and reworked a centuries-old tradition of arguments against syneisaktism. The analysis extends over a wide range of polemical writings, starting from Asterius’ proven sources (e.g., Jerome’s epistulae and the anonymous De singularitate clericorum) to sources previously not connected with this work (e.g., John Chrysostom’s Adversus eos qui apud se habent subintroductas virgines and Quod regulares feminae viris cohabitare non debeant, and several works of the Cappadocians).