This book addresses a particular and little-known form of writing, the prose dialogue, during the Late Antique period, when Christian authors adopted and transformed the dialogue form to suit the new needs of religious debate. Connected to, but departing from, the dialogues of Classical Antiquity, these new forms staged encounters between Christians and pagans, Jews, Manichaeans, and "heretical" fellow Christians. At times fiction, at others records of, or scripts for, actual debates, the dialogues give us a glimpse of Late Antique rhetoric as it was practiced and tell us about the theological arguments underpinning religious differences. By offering the first comprehensive analysis of Christian dialogues in Greek and Syriac from the earliest examples to the end of the sixth century CE, the present volume shows that Christian authors saw the dialogue form as a suitable vehicle for argument and apologetic in the context of religious controversy and argues that dialogues were intended as effective tools of opinion formation in Late Antique society. Most Christian dialogues are little studied, and often in isolation, but they vividly evoke the religious debates of the time and they embody the cultural conventions and refinements that Late Antique men and women expected from such debates.

About the Author
Alberto Rigolio was trained in Classics and Late Antiquity in Milan, Oxford, and Princeton, and is currently Associate Professor in Classics at Durham University. He works on the cultural history of the later Roman world, with particular reference to the transformations of ancient rhetorical and philosophical traditions in Early Christianity and Late Antiquity.

Reviews
Rigolio provides the reader with an extremely valuable catalogue of early Christian dialogues with an introduction that offers an innovative methodological approach. It is to be hoped that other scholars will build on his foundation. * Church History *
This is a learned and unique book. Rigolios systematic approach to the literary form of philosophical and theological works turns attention to certain important, but often overlooked textual readings. * The International Journal of the Platonic Tradition *
Already an opus magnum, it is hoped that the solidity of this work may act as a catalyst for further studies.... A reference work for the next generation. * Medioevo Greco *
Rigolio's book represents a significant advance in the study of early Christian dialogues and opinion formation in late antiquity. The comprehensiveness of Rigolio's bibliographies and his detailed summaries of prior scholarship will provide an important foundation for all future research on early Christian dialogues. One would hope that this new resource will also encourage the formation of a network of scholars working on early Christian dialogues. * Journal of Early Christian Studies *
This is a comprehensive and meticulous guide to a fascinating literary genre: Rigolio has done scholarship a great service by opening up the field by allowing the easy comparison of a wide range of texts. * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *



Book Information
ISBN 9780190915452
Author Alberto Rigolio
Format Hardback
Page Count 312
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 499g
Dimensions(mm) 163mm * 236mm * 31mm