Overview
Choose one of the following directed reading assignments:
Option #1:
The Letter of the Churches of Lyons and Vienne has many graphic descriptions of torture being inflicted on Christians. What was it like for you—a student in the 21st century—to read those graphic descriptions?
Do you think an ancient audience would have responded differently to those descriptions? If so, how?
- What do you think was the intended message of the text? Pick one or two descriptions that you thought were most effective in conveying that message, and explain why.
Option #2:
In his Plea Regarding the Christians Athenagoras compares the Christian view of the divine with the non-Christian ("pagan") view of the divine. What, in his view, are the main differences between the Christian and pagan view of (the) God(s)?
- Which points do you think Athenagoras believed were most persuasive?
Which points did you think were most persuasive?
Option #3:
The selection from the Acts of Thomas recounts two stories: the story of the king's brother and the story of the murdered adulteress. Summarize these two stories.
Assuming both of these stories were designed to convince an audience of the superiority of Christianity: what are the points that would persuade someone?
Would these points also persuade someone in the 21st century?
Choose one of the directed reading assignments above.