Always print out the primary-source text as well as the questions and bring them with you to class for discussion!

Questions on the readings from Ammianus Marcellinus  will be listed separately in a study guide for the relevant class days.  (Check the class schedule.)

Questions on:

Directions:  Please reflect on all of the following questions as you read through the text assigned for Monday.  Then choose one of the questions with an asterisk (*)--in this case nos. 2, 3 or 5--to answer in a thoughtful, 1-page response.  Always cite the text or provide specific examples from the text to support your points.

1. What is Perpetua's attitude toward her religion?  Toward her family?

*2. What does the Passion of Sts. Perpetua and Felicity reveal about the Christian community of 3rd century Carthage?  How does the text confront traditional Roman forms of community--both familial and civic community--with the Christian alternative?

*3. From this text, what determines who does what in Christian society?  How do gender and social status seem to function here in comparison with traditional Roman norms?

 4. What different reactions to Christian martyrs or to martyrdom in general do we find among non-Christian Romans in this text?  What attitudes or reactions do we find among Christians?

*5. From Perpetua's account, why is Christianity threatening the Roman government?  How does this perception of the Christian faith compare with the perspective of Pliny as revealed in his letter to Emperor Trajan?

Marcus Aurelius, The Meditations:
1. What arguments does Marcus Aurelius offer to help people accept death?  How persuasive do you find them?
2. Given the political and social context of the Roman Empire in the third century, why might these recommendations on how to live the good life have been particularly attractive?

We will discuss most or all of these questions in class on Wednesday, Feb. 11.  However, you should choose one of the questions with an asterisk (*) for your short written response.   Please print out the selections from Life of Anthony (the long excerpt), Palladius and the Rule of St. Benedict in their entirety (not more than 10 pages each).  [Note:  If you have read monastic texts before for one of my classes please focus on one of the texts you haven't read or written about before.]

Athanasius, Life of Antony
1.What different forms of asceticism does Antony practice according to the account in his Life?  In what sense might this kind of lifestyle have been regarded as a preparation for martyrdom?
*2. How does Antony view the physical body?  (Give concrete evidence.)  Why do you think the body is so denigrated in this text?
3. Antony is constantly attacked by demons who tempt him in various ways.  What kinds of temptations or attacks does he face, and how does he counter them?  Note at least one concrete example.
*4. What do we learn from the biography about Antony’s theological views?  [See especially chapter 69.]  In light of what you know about Antony’s biographer, why might this be significant?

Additional questions for small group discussion in class (not for written response):
-List the top 5 reasons why you think Antony was such a "success," i.e. why this guy became such a model or hero for men and women of the late antique world.
-Based on these factors create your own image of a modern-day Antony.  Consider the following questions:  What kind of background would he or she come from (e.g., socio-economic, religious or non-religious, intellectual, professional)?  What would he/she be renouncing?  What temptations would he/she face?  What kind of alternative life would such a person choose to lead, and why would this lifestyle be attractive to others?

Palladius, The Lausiac History
1. In the Preface to the Lausiac History what reasons does Palladius give for writing this text?  What kind of language does he use to describe the monastic life?
2. According to this preface, what is the author’s take on the involvement of women in monastic life?  How does he describe virtuous ascetic women here?  [1 & 5]
3. How would you describe the monastic life of Macarius of Alexandria in this text?  What similarities & differences do you find between his life & the life of Antony? *4. What seem to be the main virtues that the ascetics value & seek to emulate?  How does this compare with the virtues most valued by Christian martyrs, e.g., in the account of Perpetua & Felicitas?  How does this compare with the virtues most valued by neo-platonists?  (If you write on this question choose either Christian martyrs or neoplatonists as the focus of your comparison.)
*5. What kind of women were drawn to the monastic movement?  What do we learn about their background & way of life prior to undertaking the monastic life?  What issues or difficulties might their commitment to monastic life have caused fortheir families or society at large?
*6. How does Palladius relate the lives of these ascetics to broader issues and/or circumstances in the late Roman world?  [See chaps. LIV.7 & LXI.5, LXIII.1-3]

Augustine, Excerpts on the Two Cities (from City of God)
4. How does Augustine, as a Christian thinker, interpret the crumbling of the Roman Empire, specifically the sack of Rome by Alaric in 410?
5. How does his notion of the "two cities" (in the section of the City of God that you have read) suggest a Christian response to or explanation of this event?

Please work through and be prepared to discuss the following questions as you read the assigned texts.  (Be sure to read the short introduction at the top of each document.)  Choose any one of the following questions for your 1-page response.

Letters of Sidonius Apollinaris
1. Briefly describe the lifestyle of the Gallo Roman aristocrat Sidonius Apollinaris.  To what extent do his letters reveal the social and political upheaval taking place in 5th-century Gaul, and why is this significant?
2. What picture does Sidonius's second letter present of a "barbarian" ruler in the West Roman Empire?  What does this suggest about a) Roman and b) Frankish culture and ideals in 5th century Gaul?  (Choose either a or b if you answer this question for your 1-page response.

Procopius, The Secret History
1. For what reason does Procopius suggest that he wrote this text?  How does it relate to his other major writings?

*2. Did you find the work credible, or did it seem to you merely a personal vendetta?  Why or why not?  Provide evidence from the text to support your view.

3. How does Procopius present Beliarius?  How does he describe his major strengths and weaknesses?

*4. What contradictions are expressed in this work?  (Think about seeming contradictions in the lives of major figures like Belisarius, Antonina, Justinian, and Theodora, as well as possible contradictions between what you have read and heard elsewhere about Justinian’s reign and what Procopius presents here?)

*5. What do we learn about economic and social realities in the sixth century from this text, especially from chapter 6?  (Be prepared to point to at least one specific example.)

*6. Why do you think Procopius wrote this work?  Refer to specific passages or sections of the narrative that you think substantiate your view.

These questions are for your own reflection as you read:

1. How would you describe the laws in "The Law of the Salian Franks"?  Refer to a specific example.  How do these laws compare with the nature of the laws you have read from the Theodosian Code, i.e. with earlier Roman law?

2. Compare the episodes in Gregory if Tours' History of the Franks to Procopius's descriptions of life in the eastern capital in Secret History.  How are theses similar or different?

3. What are the causes of violence in Frankish society?  What sets off particular episodes of conflict, and how are they concluded?  (In particular consider the episdodes of Eberhulf, VII.21-22, & Sichar & Chramnesind, VII.47 & IX.19.)

4. What was Gregory trying to teach or communicate through the story of Volfolaic the Langobard (VIII.15-16)?  What did Vulfolaic do wrong, and what did he do right?

5. How integrated is Gregory in the society around him?  How sharp a distinction can be seen between "Romans" and "barbarians" in his accounts?  What role does religion play in these identities?

6. Reflecting on any one or two of the the texts you have read for today (from Gregory of Tours, Law of the Salian Franks, and Cassiodorus), in what ways do these texts suggest decline in Roman standards of civilization?