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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

Keywords

Epistula Severi, Judaism, Christian religion, Minorca, Religious conversion, Narratology, Discourse analysis, Severus of Minorca

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