Sprachlich-ästhetische Darstellung und "Anwendung" von Gewalt in Texten frühchristlicher Apologeten - das Beispiel der Rede Tatians an die Griechen

Lossl, Josef ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5829-6500 2012. Sprachlich-ästhetische Darstellung und "Anwendung" von Gewalt in Texten frühchristlicher Apologeten - das Beispiel der Rede Tatians an die Griechen. Zeitschrift für Religionswissenschaft 20 (2) , pp. 196-222. 10.1515/zfr-2012-0008

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Abstract

The juncture "language and violence" is an important aspect of the wider theme of "religion and violence". Language is capable of representing violence and make it appealing in terms of literary aesthetics thus creating an "aesthetics of violence". Language can also inflict violence through a »rhetoric of violence«, either directly by causing psychological effects, or indirectly, by provoking actual physical violence. This essay applies these concepts in an analysis of an early Christian Apology, Tatian’s Oration to the Greeks (dated ca. 165-172 AD). Previously, similar studies have been undertaken for Christian Apologies from the fourth and fifth centuries in view of what has been perceived as an increasing intolerance of Christianity towards Jews, pagans and heretics. This analysis of a much earlier text – it is indeed one of the earliest texts of its kind – suggests however that the motivation for the use of "linguistic violence" was quite differentiated and cannot be reduced to a tendency towards intolerance inherent in Christianity. In the context of contemporary socio-linguistics such as C. Culpepper’s study "Impoliteness: Using language to cause offence" (Cambridge 2011) "violent language" might even be understood as a technique for reducing intolerance and avoiding physical violence rather than as a catalyst of physical violence.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	History, Archaeology and Religion
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BL Religion P Language and Literature > PA Classical philology
Publisher:	De Gruyter
ISSN:	0943-8610
Last Modified:	24 Oct 2022 10:53
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/46261

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