DOI
https://doi.org/10.52284/NECJ.45.2.article.pearsall
Publication Date
2018
Abstract
This article analyzes the Epistula Severi, a fifth-century letter which describes the coercive conversion of Jews on the island of Minorca. Approaching the text on the level of narrative and rhetoric, rather than history alone, it argues that the letter’s framing and historical account serve to promote a discourse of binary opposition between Jews and Christians. In his presentation of the events, the letter’s author obscures Christian agency in anti-Jewish violence and argues for divine sanction of violent conversions. The historical dimension of the letter’s discourse is considered along with that of its content.
First Page
69
Last Page
91
Recommended Citation
Pearsall, Mark
(2018)
"Identity through Discourse: Narrative Technique in the Epistula Severi,"
New England Classical Journal: Vol. 45
:
Iss.
2
, 69-91.
https://doi.org/10.52284/NECJ.45.2.article.pearsall
Keywords
Epistula Severi, Judaism, Christian religion, Minorca, Religious conversion, Narratology, Discourse analysis, Severus of Minorca