Institute for Medieval Studies

Session	1318
Title	Writing Letters in Climates of Conflict during Late Antiquity
Date/Time	Wednesday 7 July 2021: 16.30-18.00
Organiser	Daniel Knox, Department of Medieval Studies, Central European University, Budapest/Wien / Institut für Geschichte, Universität Wien
Moderator/Chair	Danuta Shanzer, Institut für Klassische Philologie, Mittel- und Neulatein, Universität Wien
Paper 1318-a	Μηδὲν ἀποδεῖν ἀραχνίου: Basil of Caesarea, Bishop between State and Church (Language: English) Matthijs Zoeter, Vakgroep Geschiedenis, Universiteit Gent Index Terms: Ecclesiastical History; Language and Literature - Latin; Social History
Paper 1318-b	A Bishop in Unstable Times: Conflict in the Letters of Sidonius Apollinaris (Language: English) Madeleine St Marie, Department of History, University of Califonia, Riverside Index Terms: Ecclesiastical History; Language and Literature - Latin; Social History
Paper 1318-c	Ennodius of Pavia's Letters during the Laurentian Schism, 498-503 (Language: English) Daniel Knox, Department of Medieval Studies, Central European University, Budapest/Wien / Institut für Geschichte, Universität Wien Index Terms: Ecclesiastical History; Language and Literature - Latin; Social History
Abstract	From the 4th to 6th centuries, letters were written, collected, and circulated in a wide variety of social, religious, and political contexts that reflected the shift from a monolithic state-structure to a plurality of independent and dependent polities. A constant theme for writers such as Basil of Caesarea, Sidonius Apollinaris, and Ennodius of Pavia was conflict. Conflicts both affected the personal circumstances of writers - who often acted as brokers in conflicts, and provided a fertile field for rhetorical embellishment in letters. This session will explore the wide range of late-antique letter writers and the conflicts that shaped their work.