HISTORY OF BYZANTINE CHRISTIANISM

The course of History of Byzantine Christianity is a teaching of the master's degree of "Sciences of Religions" and the master's degree in "Sciences of antiquity: literatures, history and archaeology". Teaching is also offered for the master's degree course in "History from the Middle Ages to the Contemporary Age" and "History of the arts and conservation of artistic heritage".

The course of History of Byzantine Christianity offers students the training they need to learn how to identify the central themes in the millenary history of Byzantine Christianity, their cultural, literary and artistic stacks and the links with nearby historical realities, the Islamic world and the Latin West.

At the end of the course the students:
will know how to orient themselves in Byzantine religious and ecclesiastical history;
will know the religious and cultural relations between Byzantium and the surrounding worlds;
will be able to identify the central issues in the history of Byzantine Christianity;
know the fundamental terms and concepts of Byzantine Christianity.

Basic knowledge of Byzantine history.

The origins of a monastic centre in Byzantium.
The holy mountains.
The early history of Mount Athos (up to the middle 11th century) and the patriographic legends concerning its origins.
Reading and commentary on archival documents, historical and literary sources, hagiographic texts and patriographic literature.

General overview: the chapers of Gilbert Dagron in Storia del cristianesimo. Religione, politica, cultura [vol_4] / Vescovi, monaci e imperatori (610-1054). Edited by G. Dagron, P. Riché, A. Vauchez, Roma 1999.
Other materials (text and studies) will be uploaded to the moodle.
It is useful to consult John Thomas - Angela Constantinides Hero, Byzantine Monastic Foundation Documents, I; Washington D. C. 2000, p. 193-293.

In addition to the work done during the course, the exam consists of an oral discussion on the topics and materials covered in class.

oral

The lecturer has a duty to ensure that the rules regarding the authenticity and originality of exam tests and papers are respected. Therefore, if there is suspicion of irregular conduct, an additional assessment may be conducted, which could differ from the original exam description.

28-30L: mastery of the topics covered; exploitation of appropriate technical terminology;
26-27: good knowledge of the topics covered; familiarity with technical terminology;
24-25: knowledge of the topics covered is not always in-depth; oral presentation with incorrect use of technical terminology;
22-23: often superficial knowledge of the topics covered; oral presentation unclear
and lacking;
18-21: at times incomplete knowledge of the topics covered; confused oral presentation.

Lessons and short presentations by the students.

The presence is strongly recommended. Students who do not attend classes should prepare an alternative programme agreed with the professor.
The course is divided into two integrated modules (1. General introduction; 2 Study of the texts).