Melania the Younger: From Rome to Jerusalem by Elizabeth A. Clark (review)

Abstract

they each other and the networks in which they circulated, the pagan authors past and present (e.g., Libanius of Antioch) that they esteemed, or not least the biblical writers (the author of the Song of Songs, the Apostle Paul, etc.) who displayed their own artistry. Ludlow concludes with a strong reminder that the virtuosity of these Christian authors served a deeply theological passion to draw their audiences into the creative and salvific economy of the divine Craftsman. I discern few serious flaws in Ludlow’s convincing account. Some of her chapters duplicate earlier published essays and there is invariably the challenge of providing an even flow between them. Chapter Seven on christological use of prosōpopoeia seemed to break the rhythm of discussing the crafting of speeches for women that began in Chapter Six and was resumed in Chapter Eight. In some instances, furthermore, I would have preferred more nuance in Ludlow’s description of the specific emotions that these early Christian writers/preachers were trying to elicit using ekphrasis and prosōpopoeia. Some of these emotions, after all, were quite context-specific, such as when they sought a very particular quality of Christian mercy (not pity-at-a-distance) in response to the poor. There are some incidental typographical and other minor errors: read “Johan” for “Josef” Leemans (40); “Francine” for “Christine” Cardman (124); and “Council of Constantinople, 381” for “Council of “Chalcedon, 381” (206). But these are very minor things. Ludlow’s monograph is a groundbreaking and far-reaching contribution to the ongoing investigation of the rich and diverse literary (and rhetorical) culture of late ancient Christianity. It exhibits her own virtuosity in integrating the unique perspectives of historical theology and cultural history. Hopefully, in her future work, Ludlow will extend precisely this kind of exploration beyond the Cappadocians and John Chrysostom to other representative early Christian littérateurs. Paul M. Blowers, Milligan University