Imperial authority and the providence of monotheism in Orosius‘s Historiae Adversus Paganos

Leonard, Victoria 2014. Imperial authority and the providence of monotheism in Orosius‘s Historiae Adversus Paganos. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

Preview	PDF - Accepted Post-Print Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (2MB) | Preview
	PDF - Supplemental Material Restricted to Repository staff only Download (89kB)

Abstract

This doctoral thesis concentrates exclusively on the Historiae adversus paganos, an apologetic history in seven books written by the presbyter Paulus Orosius in the early fifth century AD. This thesis is ultimately an exposition of Orosius's philosophy of history, within which the themes of divine providence, monotheism, and imperial authority are central. This thesis has endeavoured to establish what the Historiae is in terms of content, purpose, and genre, a more complex task than this simple statement suggests. At every stage of analysis this research has worked to uncover the ideology and apologetic underlying Orosius‘s historical narrative, in particular the significance behind Orosius‘s stylistic habit of rhetorical comparison. This thesis consists of six chapters, unified in methodology but encompassing a broad diversity of subject matter. Chapter One examines the constructed text and its genre, as well as issues of opponent, audience and self-representation. Chapter Two provides a philosophical and technical treatment of time. Chapters Three and Four explore the representations of monotheism and imperial authority in the emperors Augustus and Theodosius. Chapter Five is concerned with Orosius‘s representation of warfare, and Chapter Six considers the retributive and redemptive aspect of the sack of Rome.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	History, Archaeology and Religion
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BL Religion B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BR Christianity
Funders:	AHRC
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	30 March 2016
Last Modified:	27 May 2020 12:45
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/69291

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item