Output details
31 - Classics
University of Glasgow
Chorikios und die Ekphrasis der Stephanoskirche von Gaza: Bildung und Christentum im städtischen Kontext
Gaza in late antiquity is often held to exemplify a smooth blending of ancient culture (paideia) and Christian religion. In the peculiar stance on myths which the rhetorician Choricius uses in his epideictic orations, not least his description of St Stephen’s Church delivered at its dedication, he avoids advocating an unproblematic adherence to the transmitted paideia. Rather, he carefully tailors the pagan tale to its festive audience, in order to minimise the risk of offending the Christian public and to secure the ongoing relevance of the inherited culture. The oversimplified view of Gaza’s cultural climate thus needs revision.