Ancient World Seminar: Phil Forness (KU Leuven): 'Translations and the Spread of Christianity in Late Antiquity.'

Abstract

The spread of Christianity went hand-in-hand with the emergence and development of translation cultures. Yet while Western Christians primarily carried out translations into Latin and Greek, Eastern Christian communities in the Roman Empire and beyond translated texts into approximately ten languages during late antiquity. This presentation investigates geography as a heuristic tool for understanding the divergent translation practices of Western and Eastern Christianity. It examines three dimensions of geography: physical, political, and linguistic. First, it explores how the physical geography of regions like the southern Caucasus fostered linguistic diversity and, as a result, translation practices. Next, it analyzes the influence of political geography by tracing the impact of systems of rule in places such as Sassanian Persia, Tang China, the ʿAbbasid Caliphate, and Slavic lands on the selection and translation of texts. Finally, it  highlights the role of multilingualism within communities, focusing on the impact of language dynamics in Egypt, Nubia, Ethiopia, and Central Asia on translation practices. Overall, this presentation sets forth geography as a framework for explaining where translations appeared as Christianity expanded in the first millennium

About the Speaker

​Dr. Philip Michael Forness is a scholar specializing in early Christianity and early medieval history. He has been affiliated with institutions such as KU Leuven, where he has contributed to research in these fields. Additionally, he has pursued studies at Princeton Theological Seminary. His academic work focuses on the development of Christian communities and theological discourses during late antiquity and the early medieval period.