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Caecilius_est_pater

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About Caecilius_est_pater

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  1. Caecilius_est_pater

    Gender disguise in Roman comedies?

    Thanks guys, very interesting and useful. I know from my theological studies that Tertullian's 'Against the Valendintians' uses gender indeterminacy for comic effect - eg he says that Sophia, the mother of the creator of the world according to Gnosticism, receives honours that are only appropriate to men, and she should therefore be given a beard too. It looks like this is the only example out there of comic cross-gender references in the ancient world - unless the Hercules and Omphale story is ever played for laughs anywhere.
  2. Caecilius_est_pater

    Gender disguise in Roman comedies?

    Hi guys I was wondering (without being an expert in this field) whether Roman comedies feature the sort of gender disguise that we get in the comedies of Shakespeare. From what little I know about Roman comedy, there's plenty about clever young couples outwitting doddery old men, but are there any instances of girls dressing as boys or vice versa? Be good to know, as I am about to teach 'As You Like It', and I'd like to be clear if there are any classical precedents for the gender-bending. Thanks!
  3. Caecilius_est_pater

    Roman attitudes to the past

    Thanks guys - all really interesting and useful. What I am interested in is Tertullian's allusion to God's prophecy to Rebekah in Gensis 25:23 - 'two nations are striving in your womb, and the elder shall serve the younger.' The ref occurs in 'Adversus Judaeos' and I think it's a way round the problem that Christianity was only a recent religion, certainly far newer than Judaism (something, indeed, that Julian II was to seize on a couple of centuries later). The problem is an especially embarrassing one for Tertullian, as he uses the argument from antiquity against both pagans and heretics in other works. The word 'maior' crops up in the Latin of the prophecy, so this brings in mos maiorum really nicely. Thanks once again people - if anyone asks me why I think the internet is amazing, I will mention all the invaluable pointers you have given me.
  4. Caecilius_est_pater

    Roman attitudes to the past

    Thanks guys...soooooo helpful!
  5. Caecilius_est_pater

    Roman attitudes to the past

    Thanks Klingan - I will get in touch.
  6. Caecilius_est_pater

    Roman attitudes to the past

    Hi guys I am a theologian who needs some help from a classicist. I am having a look at Tertullian at the moment, a Christian from the 2nd century AD and every inch a Roman rhetorician. The thing I am particularly interested in is his argument that things which are old have more credibility than things that are recent. We see this assumption in action when he claims that Judaeo-Christian monotheism is more ancient than the state-sponsored imperial cult, for example. Any idea where this attitude might be coming from? I guessed it might have something to do with the use of precedence in law, or maybe with the notion of auctoritas, which (as far as I understand) signifies an orginating power. Any references or useful citations anyone knows? Thanks Caecilius
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