HISTORY OF BYZANTINE CHRISTIANISM

The course of History of Byzantine Christianity is a teaching of the master's degree of "Sciences of Religions" and the master's degree in "Sciences of antiquity: literatures, history and archaeology". Teaching is also offered for the master's degree course in "History from the Middle Ages to the Contemporary Age" and "History of the arts and conservation of artistic heritage".

The course of History of Byzantine Christianity offers students the training they need to learn how to identify the central themes in the millenary history of Byzantine Christianity, their cultural, literary and artistic stacks and the links with nearby historical realities, the Islamic world and the Latin West.

At the end of the course the students:
will know how to orient themselves in Byzantine religious and ecclesiastical history;
will know the religious and cultural relations between Byzantium and the surrounding worlds;
will be able to identify the central issues in the history of Byzantine Christianity;
know the fundamental terms and concepts of Byzantine Christianity.

Basic knowledge of Byzantine history.

The question of the heresy in Byzantium and in the Balkans (and in West Europe)
The Byzantines and heresy.The great repertoires (and their purposes) from Epiphanius to John of Damascus and to the Panoplies
The Greek and the Slavic sources on Bogomilism in Byzantium and the Balkans (10th-15th): reading, analyzing and commenting
The studies on the Medieval Heresy (16th-20th century): the different lines of interpretation.
Bogomilism and Catharism in the studies and in the reality.

General overview: the chapers of Gilbert Dagron in Storia del cristianesimo. Religione, politica, cultura [vol_4] / Vescovi, monaci e imperatori (610-1054). Edited by G. Dagron, P. Riché, A. Vauchez, Roma 1999.
M. Loos, Dualist Heresy in the Middle Ages, Praha 1974. A. Sennis (ed.), Cathars in Question, York Medieval Press 2016.
It is useful to consult the Byzantine World,. C.650-C.1405C.650-C.1405 Edited by Janet Hamilton and Bernard. Hamilton, Manchester University Press 1998.
Other materials (text and studies) will be uploaded to the moodle.

Oral examination, or 70 % Oral examination; 30 % Presentation or short essay (in the form of a book review) agreed with the professor.

oral

28-30L: mastery of the topics covered; exploitation of appropriate technical terminology;
26-27: good knowledge of the topics covered; familiarity with technical terminology;
24-25: knowledge of the topics covered is not always in-depth; oral presentation with incorrect use of technical terminology;
22-23: often superficial knowledge of the topics covered; oral presentation unclear
and lacking;
18-21: at times incomplete knowledge of the topics covered; confused oral presentation.

Lessons and short presentations by the students.

Italian

The presence is strongly recommended. Students who do not attend classes should prepare an alternative programme agreed with the professor.