The Message and the Medium: Some Observations on Epistolary Communication in Late Antiquity
Keywords
epistolary commmunication, Late antiquity
Abstract
In antiquity, the most common form of communication between two or more parties who were physically separated was the letter. As a result,letters often constitute important source texts for a wide variety of issues and figure prominently in early Christian literature. However, to fully utilize the evidence provided by letters in any particular investigation it is important to realize that these texts are conditioned by a number of internal and external factors that can affect the message(s) they convey.To elucidate some of these important factors this study will primarily,though not exclusively, survey the epistolary evidence provided by the papyrological remains of Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt (third century BCE through fourth century CE).
Original Publication Citation
“The Message and the Medium: Some Observations on Epistolary Communication in Late Antiquity.” Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism 10 (2014): 24–67.
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Blumell, Lincoln H., "The Message and the Medium: Some Observations on Epistolary Communication in Late Antiquity" (2014). Faculty Publications. 3450.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub/3450
Document Type
Peer-Reviewed Article
Publication Date
2014
Permanent URL
http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/6260
Publisher
Academia
Language
English
College
Religious Education
Department
Ancient Scripture