Books by Andrea Villani
Papers by Andrea Villani
The Oxford Handbook of Origen, 2022
This chapter provides an overview of Origen's impact in the West at the beginning of the Modern E... more This chapter provides an overview of Origen's impact in the West at the beginning of the Modern Era. The focus is first on the reception, or better the rejection of Origen and his allegories by the Reformers Luther and Melanchthon. An exception within the Reformation is represented by Bucer, whose attitude towards Origen was rather positive. Next, Renaissance humanists are taken into consideration. Early authors like Palmieri made an evident but hidden use of Origen, while Ficino praised him as a Platonic philosopher. Pico della Mirandola was deeply influenced by Origen and wrote a passionate defence of him. The friar Francesco Giorgi proves that Origen could be interesting also as a Christian wit ness of the Jewish Cabbala. Finally, the most important editions of Origen's texts between the end of the fifteenth and the beginning of the sixteenth century are presented, with special attention to the first complete edition by Jacques Merlin.
Adamantius , 2020
Focus of this contribution is the verse 1 Sam 28,19b, «and tomorrow you and your sons (shall be) ... more Focus of this contribution is the verse 1 Sam 28,19b, «and tomorrow you and your sons (shall be) with me», a part of the prophecy that the prophet Samuel tells the king Saul after having been summoned by the necromancer of Endor. Firstly, some Greek Bible translations are considered, starting with the Septuagint, which modifies the final part of the verse, probably to avoid a theological problem. In a second part, the interpretations of the Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum and of Flavius Josephus’ Antiquitates Iudaicae are analyzed as examples of Jewish Hellenistic attitude towards the necromancy scene of 1 Sam 28. The third and longer part is devoted to the rich debate which arose between Christian exegetes on how to interpret the Endor narrative in general and the v. 19b in particular. Special attention is dedicated to the different forms of the v. 19b as it appears in the biblical translations employed as well as in the various interpretations of the scene. The different forms of the verse are collected in an appendix, in order to show the variety of them at a glance.
R. Somos-G. Heidl (eds.), Origeniana Nona. Origen and the Religious Practice of His Time- BEThL 228 , 2009
in esso lo studioso discute alcune delle scelte testuali operate dall'editore Klostermann e ne me... more in esso lo studioso discute alcune delle scelte testuali operate dall'editore Klostermann e ne mette in luce i difetti, dialogando anche con le ipotesi avanzate da Vogt. Egli sostiene, tra l'altro, per alcuni dei passi che esamina, con il conforto sapientemente tratto da brani di materiale catenario, che "il testo origeniano che aveva sott'occhio il traduttore latino non coincideva in tutto con l'attuale testo geco" (p. 272); e conseguentemente che, talvolta, il latino riproduce un testo più genuino rispetto a quello trasmesso nel greco. In conclusione, pur non potendo Simonetti dedurre considerazioni generali, che necessiterebbero di un esame più ampio dei testi conservati, per altro quanto mai auspicabile, constata che "al fine dell'apprezzamento, il più possibile completo, sulla base del materiale a nostra disposizione, dell'originario testo di CMt XII, 9-14 è necessario fondarsi sull'analisi sia del teso greco sia del testo latino" (p. 294). Affermazione di non poco rilievo. 2. CMtS: ed. KLOSTERMANN-BENZ (GCS, 38), pp. 180s. TRA DOTTRINA E MORALE L'INTERPRETAZIONE ORIGENIANA DI OLEUM IN CMTS 77 *
Reading the Way to the Netherworld, 2016
in: G. Bady / D. Cuny (edd.), Les polémiques religieuses du Ier au IVe siècle de notre ère. Hommage à Bernard Pouderon. Théologie historique 128, Paris: Beauchesne, 2018
Around seventy years after Origen’s death, Eustathius, the future bishop of Antioch, composed an ... more Around seventy years after Origen’s death, Eustathius, the future bishop of Antioch, composed an exegetic-polemic treatise against Origen’s interpretation of the biblical episode of the so-called ‘Witch of Endor’ (1 Kings 28 LXX), the De engastrimytho contra Origenem. Predominantly in the middle chapters of the treatise (21-22) Eustathius shows the more general aim of his writing: to criticize Origen and his exegesis as unable to correctly understand and explain every biblical text.
Environ soixante-dix ans après la mort d’Origène, Eustathe, le futur évêque d’Antioche, composa un traité exégétique-polémique contre l’interprétation origénienne de l’épisode biblique de la soi-disant ‘Sorcière d’Endor’ (1 Rois 28 LXX), le De engastrimytho contra Origenem. Il est surtout dans les chapitres centrales (21-22) que le but de l’écrit apparaît de façon manifeste : Eustathe critique Origène et sa méthode exégétique fondée sur l’allégorie en tant qu’incapable de comprendre et expliquer correctement chaque texte biblique.
B. Bäbler / H.-G. Nesselrath (eds.), Origenes der Christ und Origenes der Platoniker, SERAPHIM 2, 2018
As it is (almost) generally admitted, Plato and the Platonism play a not minor role in the though... more As it is (almost) generally admitted, Plato and the Platonism play a not minor role in the thought of Origen of Alexandria. This essay examines this influence in the light of the apology Contra Celsum. In a first part are taken into consideration Origen's various mentions of Plato's name, which testify a double attitude towards the philosopher: on the one hand Plato is appreciated for being able to grasp some aspects of the truth but at the same time he is criticized for not having abandoned idolatry. In a second part of the essay, the philosophical influence of Platonism on Origen is shown by the example of the concept of God.
Origenes in Frankreich. Die Origeniana Pierre-Daniel Huets. Adamantiana 10, 2017
The article focuses on the third book of Pierre-Daniel Huet's Origeniana, dealing with Origen's l... more The article focuses on the third book of Pierre-Daniel Huet's Origeniana, dealing with Origen's literary activity. After some general remarks, Huet discusses Origen's works according to their literary genre, i.e. exegetical works and treatises. Afterwards the French scholar tries to reconstruct their chronological order. An Appendix devoted to the spurious texts concludes Huet's study.
The contribution, after a short overview of Bucer’s general attitude towards the Church Fathers, ... more The contribution, after a short overview of Bucer’s general attitude towards the Church Fathers, focuses on the presence of Origen in the writings of Martin Bucer. Differently from other Reformers, who rejected Origen and his allegorical exegesis completely, Bucer referred often to the Alexandrian Father and quoted him as an historical witness of religious practices common to Reformation and to the early Church (like the infant baptism). More important, Bucer knew and employed Origen’s biblical interpretation as a source of inspiration for his own exegetical practice, as his Commentary to the Romans plainly testify.
This essay analyzes Tertullian’s reflections on monotheism focusing on different works of his lit... more This essay analyzes Tertullian’s reflections on monotheism focusing on different works of his literary corpus, which reflect different debates against his various adversaries. In the anti-pagan writings Tertullian does not found rationally his monotheistic perspective but adapts the arguments at the needs of the polemic in order to claim for Christian’s religious freedom. The debate against Marcion – based both on the Bible and its exegesis and on rational arguments – leads Tertullian to defend a strict monotheism, which is opposed to Marcion’s ditheism, seen as a form of polytheism. Finally, discussing with the modalism of Praxeas, the theologian from Carthage has to justify his Trinitarian creed that could destroy a rigid monotheism and he looks for a solution uniquely within the Bible. To sum up, Tertullian’s discussion on monotheism is always dependent on the specific polemic, even if a common point is given by the regula fidei, whose content is never questioned.
This paper analyzes the first Latin translation of Contra Celsum, published 1481 in Rome by the p... more This paper analyzes the first Latin translation of Contra Celsum, published 1481 in Rome by the prior Cristoforo Persona, future first librarian at the Vatican Library. Three different dedicatory letters introducing to the text give important pieces of information about the origin of the project and the purpose it followed.
This essay deals with the question of the Church ministries in the writings of Tertullian, wonder... more This essay deals with the question of the Church ministries in the writings of Tertullian, wondering whether the way in which he talks about them can be considered an objective descprition of the Christian community in Carthage or rather a highlight of those aspects that best meet Tertullian's literary purposes. In Apologeticum 39, he does not intend to make clames about the Christian hierarchy but he compares the behavior of the Christian leaders to that of the leaders of the civic community. In De baptismo 17, the question addressed is related to not downsize the role of the bishop, while recognizing that also a laic can baptize. In De fuga in persecutione 11, the emphasis is put on the morality expected from the clergy. These exemples show how the literary and rhetorical purposes are fundamental in the construction of Tertullian's speech.
This study analyzes the presence of Homeric quotations in the Origenian apology Against Celsus in... more This study analyzes the presence of Homeric quotations in the Origenian apology Against Celsus in order to grasp the different functions they cover. They can be summarized as follows: first, the epic citations are sometimes used by the two opponents just as an ornamental tool which embellishes their prose; second, they serve as a support for an argument proposed; third, they reveal a pure polemic aim. The last paragraph, finally, deals with an example of another way of Homeric reception in a Christian environment, hidden behind the lines of the text: indeed, also the prosopological exegesis, created as a hermeneutical tool in order to better understand the meaning of difficult passages in Homer’s poems, can be taken as another form of the presence of Homer in Origen’s apology.
German Abstract:
Ziel dieses Beitrages ist es, die Verwendung des Konzeptes von innocentia sow... more German Abstract:
Ziel dieses Beitrages ist es, die Verwendung des Konzeptes von innocentia sowie das Kontrastmotiv Unschuld/Schuld in Tertullians Apologeticum zu analysieren. Mittels besonderer rhetorischer und literarischer Strategien wie retorsio und Ringkomposition versucht Tertullian zu beweisen, dass nur die Christen als wirklich unschuldig anzusehen sind, während sich dagegen die Heiden mit ihren unrechten Handlungen den Christen gegenüber als schuldig erweisen. Um dies aufzuzeigen, benutzt Tertullian den Begriff innocentia in zweifacher Weise: Αm Anfang seiner Apologie ist sie im rein juristischen Sinn (Mangel an Schuld) zu verstehen, wohingegen in den Schlussparagraphen der Unschuldsbegriff wie eine christliche Tugend wirkt, die ihre Besonderheit aus der Verbundenheit mit Gott erhält und mit einem vollkommenen sittlichen Verhalten zu identifizieren ist.
Parlare del posto della retorica nella strategia polemica elaborata da Origene per rispondere all... more Parlare del posto della retorica nella strategia polemica elaborata da Origene per rispondere alle accuse rivolte al cristianesimo dall'Alethes Logos (= AL) di Celso può significare, da una parte, affrontare l'ampia questione del ruolo che la retorica ha giocato nell'elaborazione del piano argomentativo dell'Alessandrino o nella strutturazione della forma polemica del suo discorso; dall'altra, però, limitarsi all'analisi dei casi in cui Origene si richiama esplicitamente all'ars rhetorica in generale, o ad un preciso concetto o pratica che di essa fa parte, per comprendere se tale riferimento sia solo occasionale o rientri piuttosto in un progetto a più ampio raggio, in grado di condizionare o almeno di volgere in una precisa direzione il senso della risposta a Celso. inoltre, questo secondo modello di indagine -che è quello adottato in questo studio -può servire anche a dimostrare la familiarità dell'apologista con l'ambiente, i modelli e le forme della retorica e soprattutto della letteratura 'scolastica' del periodo a lui contemporaneo o immediatamente precedente -familiarità che gli studiosi ancora oggi non sempre sono disposti a riconoscere 1 . * Desidero qui ringraziare le molte persone che hanno contribuito a migliorare questo saggio. Oltre ai partecipanti al colloquio foggiano, mi preme menzionare almeno il prof. Olivier Munnich e i frequentatori del suo seminario parigino, cui ho presentato una versione francese del testo, così come gli amici Agnès Bastit-Kalinowska e Antonio Sena, dai cui consigli ho tratto gran profitto.
Questo studio costituisce la rielaborazione di un seminario tenuto tra il 25 e il 26 gennaio 2008... more Questo studio costituisce la rielaborazione di un seminario tenuto tra il 25 e il 26 gennaio 2008 alla Humboldt-Universität di Berlino nell'ambito di un Doktorandenkolloquium del Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Christoph Markschies. A lui e a tutti i partecipanti debbo un ringraziamento per i numerosi spunti emersi nel corso della discussione. Desidero inoltre esprimere particolare gratitudine a Barbara Hanus che ha letto l'intero manoscritto, ha discusso con me diversi problemi, offrendomi vari suggerimenti, oltre ad aver rivisto, con grande disponibilità, la redazione tedesca del testo. 1 Dies bezeugen Aussagen bei Chrysipp (fr. 27 VON ARNIM) und Philodem von Gadara, De poematis V,15,1-13. 2 Vgl. H. LAUSBERG, Handbuch der literarischen Rhetorik, Stuttgart 1990 3 , § § 826-829, wo er folgende Definition anführt: «Die fictio personae ist die Einführung nichtpersonhafter Dinge als sprechender sowie zu sonstigem personhaftem Verhalten befähigter Personen […] Die fictio personae ist eine durch Übersteigerung der schöpferischen Phantasie erzeugte hochpathetische Figur» (S. 411). Diesen Worten folgen einige Beispiele und eine detailliertere Erläuterung der Unterschiede zwischen den verschiedenen auf diese Figur bezogenen Passagen bei mehreren Autoren. Man beachte darüberhinaus die Paragraphen zur sermocinatio (820-825), wo hervorgehoben wird: «Die sermocinatio ist die der Charakterisierung natürlicher (historischer oder erfundener) Personen dienende Fingierung von Aussprüchen, Gesprächen und Selbstgesprächen oder unausgesprochenen gedanklichen Reflexionen der betreffenden Personen» (407). Und besonders § 821: «Inhaltlich braucht die sermocinatio nicht autonomen Literaturgattung, nämlich der sogenannten Vorübungen, der praeexercitamenta, griechisch προγυμνάσματα 3 . Unter den ersten Bezeugungen der Prosopopoiie als rhetorischer Figur sind der Traktat De elocutione des Pseudo-Demetrios von Phaleron zu nennen sowie das rhetorische Werk des Dionys von Halikarnaß. In De elocutione 265-266 spricht der Autor von der Prosopopoiie als einer Figur, die Ausdruckskraft schafft und eine gewisse Dramatisierung des Textes bewirkt. Er benutzt darüber hinaus den Ausdruck ἐκ τοῦ ἰδίου προσώπου, der anzeigt, daß ein Autor eines Textes in der ersten Person spricht. Bei Dionys findet man zwar nicht das Substantiv προσωποποιία, doch aber das Verb προσωποποιέω (s. z.B. De Thucydide 37), das dazu dient, dieses bestimmte literarische Mittel zu bezeichnen, das Thukydides nach der Darstellung in narrativer Form verwendet, die ihrerseits τὸ διηγηματικόν genannt wird. Auch hier begegnet man dem technischen Ausdruck ἐκ τοῦ ἰδίου προσώπου und der Nebeneinanderstellung von Prosopopoiie und Drama. Dionys spricht desweiteren von der Erfindung einer Person, braucht dafür aber den Begriff ἠθοποιία: er erklärt, daß für das Gelingen einer guten Ethopoiie die Wahl von passenden Gedanken und Worten notwendig ist, also solchen, die der dargestellten Person angemessen sind 4 . Dies entspricht dem Konzept des πρέπον, von dem Dionys auch an anderer Stelle spricht (z.B. De Lysia 9,1-5); von da aus bildet dieser Begriff die Grundlage, auf der sich alle nachfolgenden Abhandlungen zu diesem Thema bewegen, wie diejenige des Hermogenes von Tarsus (160-230 n. Ch.) oder der Traktat περὶ τῶν τὴς διανοίας καὶ τῆς λέξεως σχημάτων von Alexander Rhetor (2. Jh. n. Ch.) 5 . Die lateinischen Traktate, welche ein fortgeschritteneres Stadium der Entwicklung von rhetorischen Figuren widerspiegeln, zeigen eine klarere Unterscheidung von Prosopopoiie und Ethopoiie. Die Rhetorica ad Herennium unterscheidet zwischen notatio (Ethopoiie) und conformatio (Prosopopoiie) und erklärt, daß erstere dazu dient, einen Charakter zu beschreiben, letztere wird verwendet, wenn man sich eine abwesende Person als anwesend vorstellt oder wenn ein Objekt oder eine abstrakte Idee personifiziert wird. Auch hier wird die Notwendigkeit betont, daß die Worte zur dargestellten Person passen müssen.
This study analyzes the presence of Origen in the debates between Luther and two catholic theolog... more This study analyzes the presence of Origen in the debates between Luther and two catholic theologians at different times of the Reformation, the Dominican Ambrosius Catharinus and the priest Albert Pighius. While the former has no problem in quoting Origen as well as in criticizing him according to the different polemic strategy he is pursuing, the latter is more faithful to his favorite Church Father. Nevertheless, both Catharinus’ and Pighius’ witnesses prove that, at least for the controversial theology in the XVIth century, a real confrontation with the deep theological meaning of Origen’s speculation is not to be found.
Book Reviews by Andrea Villani
Adamantius , 2018
Adamantius 24 (2018) 634-637: Dieter Lau, Origenes' tropologische Hermeneutik und die Wahrheit d... more Adamantius 24 (2018) 634-637: Dieter Lau, Origenes' tropologische Hermeneutik und die Wahrheit des biblischen Wortes, (LATERES 10), Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main et al. 2016, pp. 266.
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Books by Andrea Villani
Papers by Andrea Villani
Environ soixante-dix ans après la mort d’Origène, Eustathe, le futur évêque d’Antioche, composa un traité exégétique-polémique contre l’interprétation origénienne de l’épisode biblique de la soi-disant ‘Sorcière d’Endor’ (1 Rois 28 LXX), le De engastrimytho contra Origenem. Il est surtout dans les chapitres centrales (21-22) que le but de l’écrit apparaît de façon manifeste : Eustathe critique Origène et sa méthode exégétique fondée sur l’allégorie en tant qu’incapable de comprendre et expliquer correctement chaque texte biblique.
Ziel dieses Beitrages ist es, die Verwendung des Konzeptes von innocentia sowie das Kontrastmotiv Unschuld/Schuld in Tertullians Apologeticum zu analysieren. Mittels besonderer rhetorischer und literarischer Strategien wie retorsio und Ringkomposition versucht Tertullian zu beweisen, dass nur die Christen als wirklich unschuldig anzusehen sind, während sich dagegen die Heiden mit ihren unrechten Handlungen den Christen gegenüber als schuldig erweisen. Um dies aufzuzeigen, benutzt Tertullian den Begriff innocentia in zweifacher Weise: Αm Anfang seiner Apologie ist sie im rein juristischen Sinn (Mangel an Schuld) zu verstehen, wohingegen in den Schlussparagraphen der Unschuldsbegriff wie eine christliche Tugend wirkt, die ihre Besonderheit aus der Verbundenheit mit Gott erhält und mit einem vollkommenen sittlichen Verhalten zu identifizieren ist.
Book Reviews by Andrea Villani
Environ soixante-dix ans après la mort d’Origène, Eustathe, le futur évêque d’Antioche, composa un traité exégétique-polémique contre l’interprétation origénienne de l’épisode biblique de la soi-disant ‘Sorcière d’Endor’ (1 Rois 28 LXX), le De engastrimytho contra Origenem. Il est surtout dans les chapitres centrales (21-22) que le but de l’écrit apparaît de façon manifeste : Eustathe critique Origène et sa méthode exégétique fondée sur l’allégorie en tant qu’incapable de comprendre et expliquer correctement chaque texte biblique.
Ziel dieses Beitrages ist es, die Verwendung des Konzeptes von innocentia sowie das Kontrastmotiv Unschuld/Schuld in Tertullians Apologeticum zu analysieren. Mittels besonderer rhetorischer und literarischer Strategien wie retorsio und Ringkomposition versucht Tertullian zu beweisen, dass nur die Christen als wirklich unschuldig anzusehen sind, während sich dagegen die Heiden mit ihren unrechten Handlungen den Christen gegenüber als schuldig erweisen. Um dies aufzuzeigen, benutzt Tertullian den Begriff innocentia in zweifacher Weise: Αm Anfang seiner Apologie ist sie im rein juristischen Sinn (Mangel an Schuld) zu verstehen, wohingegen in den Schlussparagraphen der Unschuldsbegriff wie eine christliche Tugend wirkt, die ihre Besonderheit aus der Verbundenheit mit Gott erhält und mit einem vollkommenen sittlichen Verhalten zu identifizieren ist.