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    This document provides a detailed summary and analysis of Hervé Inglebert's book "Interpretatio Christiana". It summarizes that Inglebert thoroughly examines how ancient Christian thinkers transformed pagan concepts of cosmography, geography, ethnography and historiography based on their Greek education. It analyzes the complex ways Inglebert argues Christians were able to reconcile classical learning with their faith through figurative interpretation and by developing new genres like universal histories. The review praises Inglebert's enormous research and argues it is a valuable resource for scholars interested in the Christian transformation of ancient culture.

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    11 3djuth

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    This document provides a detailed summary and analysis of Hervé Inglebert's book "Interpretatio Christiana". It summarizes that Inglebert thoroughly examines how ancient Christian thinkers transformed pagan concepts of cosmography, geography, ethnography and historiography based on their Greek education. It analyzes the complex ways Inglebert argues Christians were able to reconcile classical learning with their faith through figurative interpretation and by developing new genres like universal histories. The review praises Inglebert's enormous research and argues it is a valuable resource for scholars interested in the Christian transformation of ancient culture.

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    This document provides a detailed summary and analysis of Hervé Inglebert's book "Interpretatio Christiana". It summarizes that Inglebert thoroughly examines how ancient Christian thinkers transformed pagan concepts of cosmography, geography, ethnography and historiography based on their Greek education. It analyzes the complex ways Inglebert argues Christians were able to reconcile classical learning with their faith through figurative interpretation and by developing new genres like universal histories. The review praises Inglebert's enormous research and argues it is a valuable resource for scholars interested in the Christian transformation of ancient culture.

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    11 3djuth

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    This document provides a detailed summary and analysis of Hervé Inglebert's book "Interpretatio Christiana". It summarizes that Inglebert thoroughly examines how ancient Christian thinkers transformed pagan concepts of cosmography, geography, ethnography and historiography based on their Greek education. It analyzes the complex ways Inglebert argues Christians were able to reconcile classical learning with their faith through figurative interpretation and by developing new genres like universal histories. The review praises Inglebert's enormous research and argues it is a valuable resource for scholars interested in the Christian transformation of ancient culture.

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    432 JOURNAL OF EARLY CHRISTIAN STUDIES

    Hervé Inglebert
    Interpretatio Christiana: Les mutations des savoirs (cosmographie, géographie,
    ethnographie, histoire) dans l’Antiquité chrétienne (30–630 après J.C.)
    Collection des Études Augustiennes
    Paris: Institute d’Études Augustiniennes, 2001
    Pp. 632. 49,42 BF.

    Hervé Ingelbert’s Interpretatio Christiana is an extraordinary work. Not only is


    it well crafted and thoroughly researched, but it also takes up the study of the
    Christian transformation of ancient savoirs with unparalleled intellectual energy
    and scrupulous attention to detail. In this book Inglebert succeeds admirably well
    in living up to his intention of providing a more comprehensive study of the
    evolution of the cultural encounter between pagan and Christian intellectuals
    than Marrou does in his work on ancient Christianity. While recognizing the
    importance of Marrou’s work, Inglebert nevertheless sets out to map a significant
    portion of the intellectual terrain of the ancient world. The six hundred–plus
    pages that he devotes to this endeavor span a period of roughly nine centuries
    and draw upon sources from Greek, Latin, Syrian, Armenian, and Jewish
    traditions.
    Eschewing more frequently studied areas such as philosophy, theology, and
    biblical studies, he concentrates his attention on four areas of ancient learning:
    cosmography, geography, ethnography, and historiography. Though the latter
    half of the book focuses solely on historiography, Inglebert judiciously prepares
    the ground for this discussion in the first part of the book. His treatment of what
    the ancients meant by the first three disciplines displays a sensitivity to the
    different cultural contexts in which these bodies of knowledge arose: linguistic,
    regional, and social. On the basis of this nuanced discussion, he adopts the model
    of a filter and assesses the nature of the Christian reaction to these disciplines
    using the fourfold schema of refusal, indifference, synthesis, and original
    contribution. What emerges in the end is a clear sense of the complementary
    nature of the four disciplines and the extent to which Christians based their
    appraisal of these disciplines on the foundation of their own familiarity with
    Greek paideia.
    Inglebert’s balanced and illuminating assessment of the Christian transforma-
    tion of ancient learning rests on a complex analysis of the dynamics of this
    change. On the basis of a preliminary analysis of the christianization of the
    ancient savoirs of cosmography, geography, and ethnography, the author constructs
    an intricate argument that requires multiple levels of interpretation. Initially, he
    elaborates the chronological development of the Christian transformation of
    Greek paideia as it passed from the Greeks to the Latins, Syrians, and Armenians
    while emphasizing the extent to which the influence of Jewish thought and social
    milieu modified or obstructed the transfer of this knowledge to Christians.
    Next, he demonstrates how Christian belief provided the means by which
    Christians were able to transform the ancient notion of scientia. In this context,
    he disputes the claim that parallels can be found between the ancient notion of
    knowledge and the rationalistic conception of modern science as well as the
    belief that if no parallels exist, the Christian transformation of Greek scientia
    BOOK REVIEWS 433

    ends in obscurantism. Instead, he argues that faith provided epistemological


    insight into the unifying knowledge of Christian wisdom that enabled Christians
    to overcome the conflicting logoi proposed by pagans in their effort to resolve the
    dilemma of divergent mythological interpretations of the world. And yet, Ingle-
    bert acknowledges that while the true philosophy of Christianity allowed for the
    possibility of understanding the contents of faith, at times Christians depended
    upon the same unscientific knowledge of the world as the ancients did. Reflection
    on Christian exegesis reveals the use Christians made of literal and figurative
    interpretations of Scripture to reconcile conflicts between Christian belief and
    classical paideia.
    Finally, Inglebert examines in considerable depth what he regards as the most
    astounding achievement of the Christian transformation of ancient thought,
    namely, the invention of a universal history of humankind that had its roots in
    the messianic trajectory of Christianity and its ongoing dialogue with the pagan
    world. This dialogue eventually led to the integration of the three complementary
    domains of ethnography, geography, and historiography. It marked the develop-
    ment of new historical genres such as universal chronicles, heresiologies,
    ecclesiastical histories, and hagiographies. And, even more importantly, it ele-
    vated historiography to the level of a knowledge essential to the understanding of
    what eventually became Christ’s empire.
    This brief attempt to capture the intricacy of Ingelbert’s argument hardly does
    justice to the enormous amount of research distilled in this work. Rather than
    leaving his readers to sift through the various strands of his argument on their
    own, Ingelbert conveniently inserts detailed charts into the critical phases of the
    work to direct them towards his overall conclusion. An extensive bibliography
    and thematic index of the principal sources used in the book complement his
    efforts to bring to a close the first phase of a systematic study of the various types
    of ancient savoirs.
    The scholarly nature of this enterprise makes this work a fitting resource for
    the accomplished scholar who wishes to gain a sense of the full sweep of the
    Christian transformation of ancient culture. In the meantime, given the auspi-
    cious beginning of Inglebert’s project, one can only hope that the author will
    persist in carrying it forth.
    Marianne Djuth, Canisius College

    Henry Chadwick
    The Church in Ancient Society: From Galilee to Gregory the Great
    New York: Oxford University Press, 2001
    Pp. ix + 730. $130.

    Henry Chadwick’s latest book is a contribution to the Oxford History of the


    Church, a series edited by Henry and his brother Owen. This volume in the series
    is a 700-page survey of the development of Christianity from Jesus through to
    the seventh century. Throughout, Chadwick continues to demonstrate that he

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