This article analyses the legal position of Christian communities in the Roman Empire before the middle of third century CE. It will be argued that the treatment of this group, which has often been... Show moreThis article analyses the legal position of Christian communities in the Roman Empire before the middle of third century CE. It will be argued that the treatment of this group, which has often been marked as unique by both public opinion and academic debate, can only be explained by placing Christianity within the broader societal and administrative framework of the Roman world. A comparison with the treatment of other contemporary religious groups is necessary for a better understanding of the underlying principles and mechanisms that collectively shaped the Roman authorities’ attitudes towards these religious communities. Show less
The legal treatment of Christianity in the Roman world continues to be a source of seemingly endless cultural and historical fascination. At least partially due to numerous well-known stories about... Show moreThe legal treatment of Christianity in the Roman world continues to be a source of seemingly endless cultural and historical fascination. At least partially due to numerous well-known stories about persecution and martyrdom, the idea has persisted that the marginalised position of early Christians was unusual, or even unique, within the otherwise almost proverbially religiously tolerant Roman world. This study aims provide a more nuanced understanding by systematically analysing how early Christians were embedded in, and interacted with, the Roman legal system of the imperial period. It does so in two ways. Firstly, this project is not just concerned with the contents of Roman legal measures, but also with their origins and enforcement. By taking all stages of the legal process into account, it becomes possible to investigate the mechanisms and underlying principles that shaped these measures, and to firmly embed them in their historical context. Secondly, the legal position of Christians is compared to two contemporary religious movements, namely Jewish communities and practitioners of divination. This serves to paint a more comprehensive picture of the legal treatment of religious groups in the Roman world in general, and to more precisely locate early Christianity within the wider religious landscape. Show less
This dissertation describes for the first time in detail a manuscript held by the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam, known as Izcatqui. This manuscript is written in Nahuatl or the Aztec... Show moreThis dissertation describes for the first time in detail a manuscript held by the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam, known as Izcatqui. This manuscript is written in Nahuatl or the Aztec language, in the 18th century. This study has shown just how complex and multi-layered this book is. It contains Nahuatl translations of Spanish source texts from as early as the 15th century. These range from texts on the Gregorian calendar, liturgy, astrology, agriculture and medicine. Not only includes the manuscript a variety of sources, its content was also known in several manuscripts in other indigenous languages. This study showcases the interest and collaboration of people from local and non-local descent to translate and transfer knowledge from one cultural background to the other. Show less
This book provides a grammatical description of Noon, an Atlantic language spoken by fewer than 32,000 people in 33 villages and neighborhoods in the outskirts of Thiès. The study, based primarily... Show moreThis book provides a grammatical description of Noon, an Atlantic language spoken by fewer than 32,000 people in 33 villages and neighborhoods in the outskirts of Thiès. The study, based primarily on new data collected by the author, provides an analysis on phonology, morphology, nominal classification, verbal system, ideophones, interjections and linguistic routines, syntax and divination systems. This work constitutes an important step forward in the nominal classification system. There are two nominal class systems in Noon: a Niger-Congo agreement system for modifiers that are attached to the head noun and another system for independent modifiers. The second nominal class system, based on human and diminutive semantic features, has an additional agreement singular/plural class pair for human nouns. The author also describes the divination practices in Noon by presenting an overview of divination systems in Senegal based on audio/video recordings collected in a natural setting. This empirical work, carried out in a linguistic and multimodal perspective, allows to focus first on the forms of divination of Noon, then on their meanings and expressions, and finally on some characteristic features in divination practices. Show less
This dissertation compares divination in ancient Greece to divinatory practices in Republican Rome and Neo-Assyrian Mesopotamia. Divination is the human production and interpretation of signs which... Show moreThis dissertation compares divination in ancient Greece to divinatory practices in Republican Rome and Neo-Assyrian Mesopotamia. Divination is the human production and interpretation of signs which were thought to have come from the supernatural – the signs could be concerned with past, present or future. The process of divination consists of three elements: homo divinans, sign and text. These three elements are systematically compared, after which divination is discussed in its relation to time and uncertainty.********************************************************************************Commercial edition available at Brill Publishers, ISBN 978-90-04-25239-4 (hbk) ; 978-90-04-46422-3 (pbk); 978-90-04-25630-9 (e-book)https://brill.com/view/title/24193 Show less
The specific time-count made up of the combination of 20 signs and 13 numbers (260 days), was one of the essential traits of ancient Mesoamerican civilisations. Interestingly, this calendar system... Show moreThe specific time-count made up of the combination of 20 signs and 13 numbers (260 days), was one of the essential traits of ancient Mesoamerican civilisations. Interestingly, this calendar system persists in some contemporary communities of Southern Mexico and Guatemala, where __daykeepers__, specialists in traditional healing and divination, still utilize it. The present study comprises a documentation of one of these calendars, among the Ayook people of Oaxaca, Mexico. The aim was to record the sacred count of the days, still managed effectively by women, along with its relationship to other culturally significant symbolism, for instance in the realm of ritual, divination, world vision perceptions, and origin narratives. This work expects to shed light on Mesoamerican calendars research, but also provide a respectful and dignified description of Ayook People__s heritage. Show less
