ANALYSIS PAPER

Draft due: October 5; Final version due: October 12

Assignment: For much of the history of the study of religion, scholars have shied away from questions of bodily practice as being "primitive" or "secondary" aspects of religion (after doctrine, belief, and spirituality). Only since the mid-20th century have scholars of religion taken seriously religious uses of the body. The two brief essays assigned for this paper attempt to give an overarching view and theory of one religious use of the body, asceticism.

In this paper you should compare the two views of asceticism put forth in these essays and answer the following question: How is "the body" constructed as an object of religious identity through the category of "asceticism"? In answering this questions, you should summarize the views of both authors, including the types of sources they use to explain asceticism in religion. You should also tease out what issues are central to both authors' views of religion, body, and asceticism. Finally, you should consider to what extent these views might be relevant to the study of early Christian bodies.

Format: Papers should be c. 500 words, double-spaced, printed in a reasonably-sized font (e.g., Times New Roman 12-pt.). Number each page. Citations from the two main sources for the paper should be cited parenthetically by author and page (e.g., Valantasis 550; Kaebler 529). Other sources from the course readings may be cited, also by author and page number; all cited sources should be listed in full bibliographic format on a supplementary page. No sources from oustide the course readings may be consulted or cited for this paper.

On October 5, you will turn in a draft of your paper to Sakai, and bring a copy of your paper to class for discussion. This draft should be a complete and finished attempt to answer the assignment below. You will then have one week following our discussion of these texts on October 5 to revise your paper and turn in a final version to Sakai on October 12.

ARTICLE ANALYSIS

Due November 16

Assignment: Choose from among the list of scholarly articles below and answer the following questions:

1. What is the main argument of this article? How does the author go about proving this argument?

2. What sources--both primary and secondary--does the author use to make her/his point?

3. What is the significance of this argument for the study of early Christian bodies, and for larger considerations of the body, religion, and Christianity?

Format: Papers should be c. 500 words, double-spaced, printed in a reasonably-sized font (e.g., Times New Roman 12-pt.). Number each page. Citations from the article should be cited parenthetically by author and page (e.g., Brakke 425). Other sources from the course readings may be cited, also by author and page number; all cited sources should be listed in full bibliographic format on a supplementary page. No sources from oustide the course readings may be consulted or cited for this paper. You do not need to develop a thesis for this analysis; you may choose to answer the individual questions listed above in a single, coherent essay or in the form of individual headings.

Articles: Choose from among these articles on early Christian bodies. You may also write about another article you have found with the professor's approval beforehand. Note: You must be logged in to Sakai to access these articles.

David Brakke, "The Problematization of Nocturnal Emissions in Early Christian Syria, Egypt, and Gaul," Journal of Early Christian Studies 4 (1996): 419-60

Jorunn J. Buckley, "Libertines or Not: Fruit, Bread, Semen and Other Bodily Fluids in Gnosticism," Journal of Early Christian Studies 2 (1994): 15-31

Denise Kimber Buell, "Rethinking the Relevance of Race for Early Christian Self-Definition," Harvard Theological Review 94 (2001): 449-76

Virginia Burrus, "Word and Flesh: The Bodies and Sexuality of Ascetic Women in Late Antiquity," Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion 10 (1994): 27-51

Daniel Caner, "The Practice and Prohibition of Self-Castration in Early Christianity," Vigiliae Christianae 51 (1997): 396-415

Catherine M. Chin, "The Bishop's Two Bodies: Ambrose and the Basilicas of Milan," Church History 79 (2010): 531-55

Stephen Davis, "Crossed Texts, Crossed Sex: Intertextuality and Gender in Early Christian Legends of Holy Women Dsiguised as Men," Journal of Early Christian Studies 10 (2002): 1-36

Blake Leyerle, "Bood is Seed," Journal of Religion 81 (2001): 26-48

Julia Kelto Lillis, "Paradox in partu: Verifying Virginity in the Protevangelium of James," Journal of Early Christian Studies 24 (2016): 1-28

Peter Anthony Mena, "Scenting Saintliness: The Ailing Body, Chicana Feminism, and Communal Identity in Late Ancient Christianity," Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion 33 (2017): 5-20

Andrew McGowan, "Eating People: Accusations of Cannibalism Against Christians in the Second Century," Journal of Early Christian Studies 2 (1994): 413-42

Patricia Cox Miller, "Desert Asceticism and 'The Body from Nowhere,'" Journal of Early Christian Studies 2 (1994): 137-53

John David Penniman, "'The Health-Giving Cup': Cyprian's Ep. 63 and the Medicinal Power of Eucharistic Wine," Journal of Early Christian Studies 23 (2015): 189-211

Maureen Tilley, "The Ascetic Body and the (Un)Making of the World of the Martyr," Journal of the American Academy of Religion 59 (1991): 467-79