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 and Augustine's Confessions will be listed separately in study guides for the relevant class days.  (Check the class schedule.)

Questions on:

The Martyrodom of Perpetua & Felicity
Marcus Aurelius & Plotinus 
Eusebius of Caesarea, Life of Constantine
Ascetic & Monastic Texts
Sidonius Apollinaris & Gregory of Tours (Bk. II)
Procopius, The Secret History
Gregory of Tours (excerpts), Law of the Salian Franks, Cassiodorus

Directions:  Please reflect on all of the following questions as you read through the text assigned for Thurday..  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.

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?

6. Do you think these accounts would have turned people toward Christian faith or further away from it?  Why?

Tuesday, 1/25
        These questions are designed to help you think through important ideas in the texts from Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations and Plotinus’s Ennead I.6 (“On Beauty”).  You do not have to submit any written responses, but you may want to jot down some of your thoughts or questions as you read.

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?

Plotinus, “On Beauty”:
1. In section 1 Plotinus raises a number of introductory questions that he proposes to address in the text.  How does he end up answering the two questions posed in section 1, paragraph 3:  “Is there some One Principle from which all take their grace...”
2. What do you think he means by “One Principle”?  How does he describe this Principle in other passages of the text?  How does this idea compare/contrast with what you know about the Judaeo-Christian idea of God?
3. What is the dilemma of the human soul according to Plotinus?  How has this problem arisen?
4. What can or should the soul do to resolve its dilemma?

1) How does Eusebius present the life of Constantine and his rise to imperial power?  Give a specific example from the text of the author’s presuppositions or assumptions in telling this story.
2) What do you know about Constantine (either from a lecture or textbook readings) that Eusebius seems to leave out of the picture?
3) Compare the newfound faith of Constantine with the faith of Perpetua & the other martyrs we read about last week.  What is similar and what is different about their understanding of & attitude toward their faith?
4) How does the status of the church & of bishops change during Constantine’s reign?  In what ways did Constantine get involved with the church?
5) Why do you think Eusebius wrote this text, i.e. what were his motives and objectives?  (Does the text itself give us any hints about what the author intended?)
6) How do you think this work might have influenced perspectives on Christianity, paganism and the nature of the church for Christians who read it?  Try to refer to a specific passage in answering this question.

Questions for further reflection:
-According to this text, when & how did Constantine’s “conversion” take place?  What was Constantine’s understanding of the Christian faith at this point? 
-Was the conversion of Constantine & ensuing legislation on behalf of the Christian religion ultimately a good or a bad thing for Christianity?  Explain your view.
-To what extent, if any, should a state legislate concerning religion or morality?  Of what views should a government be tolerant?  When do divergent opinions go too far?  When does the state go too far?  (Give specific examples.)

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 in this preface?  [especially 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]

Benedict of Nursia, The Rule of St. Benedict
1. Who is Benedict's audience?   Why would anyone choose to join a monastery?  Why would anyone commit their children to one (an increasingly common practice in the Middle Ages)?   What do you personally find attractive or off-putting in this picture of monasticism?
*2. Why was Benedict writing?  (Why do you think a Rule was needed?)  Are there any hints in the text itself?
*3. How would you compare the monastic life of Macarius in Palladius's text (written around a century before the Rule) with the style of life described in Benedict’s Rule?  What might be the significance of this contrast?
4. What are the 4 types of monks? (ch.1)  Which does Benedict approve & why?

Sidonius and Gregory of Tours

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.

Gregory of Tours, History of the Franks (Excerpts from Bk. II)
3. What do we learn from History of the Franks about the status and role of the church in the Frankish kingdom?  (Focus particularly on Gregory of Tours' portrayal of Sidonius Apollinaris and other bishops.)
4. What do you think was Gregory's overall aim in composing his history of the Franks?  How does his portrayal of Clovis and his conversion relate to this broader purpose?

Procopius, The Secret History
Please come to class having completed the text of Secret History (pp.37-194), and the Introduction (if you have time).  Bring your book with you to class and be prepared to discuss the following questions.  Always have specific passages or references ready to support or illustrate your point. Choose one of the questions with an asterisk (*) for your 1-page written 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?

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.

Please come with your own comment or question about the text!

These questions are for your own reflection as you read.  However, if you have missed one or more of your 1-page assignments, you may choose any one of the following questions as a replacement for one of the missed responses:

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's 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, andCassiodorus), in what ways do these texts suggest decline in Roman standards of civilization?