Session 1:
Prof. Stefano Rebeggiani: Utopia and dystopia in the Roman imagination
Nova Forum’s Seminar 2 in the Utopia series commences with a talk by Stefano Rebeggiani, Associate Professor of Classics at USC. Prof. Rebeggiani discusses three ancient Roman versions of utopia: Epicureanism, Stoicism, and the “Gospel of Augustus.” He outlines the origin, history, and beliefs of each one, and then compares them to early Christian ideas. Please find all material referenced during the seminar below.
Resources for Session 1:
Homer, The Odyssey
Thomas Hobbes reading Lucretius, De natura rerum
Rod Dreher, The Benedict Option
Cicero, De re publica
Pope Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate
Session 2:
Fr. Luke Dysinger hosting Prof. Robin Darling Young (CUA): Christian monasticism
During the second session of Seminar 2, Fr. Luke Dysinger introduces Robin Darling Young, associate professor of church history at the Catholic University of America, a widely published scholar and translator of ancient Christian monasticism. During the conversation, Prof. Darling Young explores the political climate and social context in which early Christian asceticism arose. She compares early Christian philosophers such as Origen of Alexandria and the great Eastern monk, Evagrius Ponticus. Excerpts from both authors as well as other materials referenced during the seminar can all be found below.
Resources for Session 2:
Philo of Alexandria
Plotinus, Enneads
Origen of Alexandria, Contra Celsum
Eusebius, Oration in Praise of Constantine (“On the Logos”)
Elizabeth DePalma Digeser, A Threat to Public Piety