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Introduction

Paideia, Masculinity, and Identity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 November 2022

Nathan D. Howard
Affiliation:
University of Tennessee, Martin
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Summary

The Introduction discusses paideia (culture of Greek intellectuals) and its relevance for fourth-century clergy by providing a background to the Cappadocian Fathers. The chapter defines the meaning of "classical masculinity" for this study and places its treatment of gender into the broader scholarship on late antiquity and Christianity. The chapter outlines key concepts such as aretē (manly virtue), agathos (superior person), and asceticism (self-denial), and introduces agōn (contest or struggle) as the concept around which the book is organized. It also directs the reader to consider the Second Sophistic as the antecedent to the fourth-century culture of epistolary exhibitions. The chapter explains the differences in the Cappadocians’ use of genre and the distinguishing features of epistolography and hagiographic biography. And the Introduction explores identity theory and its usefulness for investigating gender and Christianity.

Type
Chapter
Information
Christianity and the Contest for Manhood in Late Antiquity
The Cappadocian Fathers and the Rhetoric of Masculinity
, pp. 1 - 62
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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  • Introduction
  • Nathan D. Howard
  • Book: Christianity and the Contest for Manhood in Late Antiquity
  • Online publication: 10 November 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009090827.002
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  • Introduction
  • Nathan D. Howard
  • Book: Christianity and the Contest for Manhood in Late Antiquity
  • Online publication: 10 November 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009090827.002
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Introduction
  • Nathan D. Howard
  • Book: Christianity and the Contest for Manhood in Late Antiquity
  • Online publication: 10 November 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009090827.002
Available formats
×