{"id":{"repo_id":"aachen","oai_identifier":"oai:publications.rwth-aachen.de:63323"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/aachen/oai:publications.rwth-aachen.de:63323","repository":{"repo_id":"aachen","name":"RWTH Aachen University","base_url":"https://publications.rwth-aachen.de/oai2d"},"display":{"title":"Die Einstellung vorkonstantinischer Apologeten zum römischen Staat am Beispiel der römischen Frühzeit","abstract":"The Romans regarded especially their dominion as being wanted by the deities and for this reason the prosperity of their state depended existentially on the deities' goodwill. The starting time of Rome plays a special role, because during that period the deities' goodwill manifested and founded Rome's rise in Roman conception. Since the end of the 2nd century p. Chr. the commitment to this early time became more and more an indicator for Roman loyality towards the state and intensified the conflict between pagans and Christians. When the Visigoths under Alarich conquered Rome in 410, the contrast between pagans and Christians in the Imperium Romanum for the last time flared up and the reciprocal accusations, who was to be held responsible for the calamity of the empire, came to the fore. In this situation we see the end of the quarrel about the idealization of Roman starting time in the work of Augustine. This thesis also refers to what Preconstantine apologists had to say about this idealized epoch of Rome at a time, in which Christianity was a religio illicita. The most important thesis here is the explosiveness of the subject for the Christian authors: their interest in the early exempla was not a theoretic one, but an actual one. They had to argue with the heroes because of current circumstances. At the same time their positioning towards this epoch shows their perception of the Roman self-concept. The investigation includes statements of Tertullian, Clemens Alexandrinus, Minucius Felix and Arnobius the Elder on this pagan idealized starting time. It appears that regarding the Preconstantine apologists we cannot speak of a fundamental demonisation of the Roman early time, because of their struggle for acceptance. They have to agree to compromises with pagan imaginations and look for individual solutions. Apart from cultural and character differences situative differentiations are important. Both earliest apologists show that because of their defensive situation, there is some great differentiation in their dispute. In Tertullians work we see a clear hostility against Rome, whereas Minucius Felix meets pagan positions halfway. In the time of the so-called \"Reichskrise\" (crisis of the empire) during the 3rd century, the Church goes through an intern process. In a time of strong contestation the church is sealed off the external world and gives the Christians a room of retreat. This insulation leads to an internal strengthening and has clear effects on the pagan-Christian conflict: It forms a new belief in progress, which appears for the first time in Arnobius' work at the end of the 3rd century and affects the importance of the exempla. The new religion is not to be regarded as being worse because of their novelty, but occurs even as an improvement or even completion in religious history. This new parameter replaces the \"Altersbeweis\", which was still important in the time of the earlier apologists, and effects a change in the Christian way how to deal with the Roman starting time. So Arnobius is no more interested in a differenced dispute and in fighting for acceptance. Instead he propagates the quick overcoming of paganism by Christianity. Thereby a change becomes visible in Arnobius' judging about the early time, which marks a shift: On the one hand, there are the earlier apologists with their defensive attitude because of their fight for acceptance from the pagans. On the other hand there is Augustine, who in the time of Christian emperors proves their justice to be hypocritical and who takes away the aura of perfection. Clemens Alexandrinus shows great internal distance to the Roman starting time. Here it is confirmed, that the conflict about the early is limited to the Roman civilization.","abstract_html":"The Romans regarded especially their dominion as being wanted by the deities and for this reason the prosperity of their state depended existentially on the deities' goodwill. The starting time of Rome plays a special role, because during that period the deities' goodwill manifested and founded Rome's rise in Roman conception. Since the end of the 2nd century p. Chr. the commitment to this early time became more and more an indicator for Roman loyality towards the state and intensified the conflict between pagans and Christians. When the Visigoths under Alarich conquered Rome in 410, the contrast between pagans and Christians in the Imperium Romanum for the last time flared up and the reciprocal accusations, who was to be held responsible for the calamity of the empire, came to the fore. In this situation we see the end of the quarrel about the idealization of Roman starting time in the work of Augustine. This thesis also refers to what Preconstantine apologists had to say about this idealized epoch of Rome at a time, in which Christianity was a religio illicita. The most important thesis here is the explosiveness of the subject for the Christian authors: their interest in the early exempla was not a theoretic one, but an actual one. They had to argue with the heroes because of current circumstances. At the same time their positioning towards this epoch shows their perception of the Roman self-concept. The investigation includes statements of Tertullian, Clemens Alexandrinus, Minucius Felix and Arnobius the Elder on this pagan idealized starting time. It appears that regarding the Preconstantine apologists we cannot speak of a fundamental demonisation of the Roman early time, because of their struggle for acceptance. They have to agree to compromises with pagan imaginations and look for individual solutions. Apart from cultural and character differences situative differentiations are important. Both earliest apologists show that because of their defensive situation, there is some great differentiation in their dispute. In Tertullians work we see a clear hostility against Rome, whereas Minucius Felix meets pagan positions halfway. In the time of the so-called "Reichskrise" (crisis of the empire) during the 3rd century, the Church goes through an intern process. In a time of strong contestation the church is sealed off the external world and gives the Christians a room of retreat. This insulation leads to an internal strengthening and has clear effects on the pagan-Christian conflict: It forms a new belief in progress, which appears for the first time in Arnobius' work at the end of the 3rd century and affects the importance of the exempla. The new religion is not to be regarded as being worse because of their novelty, but occurs even as an improvement or even completion in religious history. This new parameter replaces the "Altersbeweis", which was still important in the time of the earlier apologists, and effects a change in the Christian way how to deal with the Roman starting time. So Arnobius is no more interested in a differenced dispute and in fighting for acceptance. Instead he propagates the quick overcoming of paganism by Christianity. Thereby a change becomes visible in Arnobius' judging about the early time, which marks a shift: On the one hand, there are the earlier apologists with their defensive attitude because of their fight for acceptance from the pagans. On the other hand there is Augustine, who in the time of Christian emperors proves their justice to be hypocritical and who takes away the aura of perfection. Clemens Alexandrinus shows great internal distance to the Roman starting time. Here it is confirmed, that the conflict about the early is limited to the Roman civilization.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Kolter, Claudia"],"institution":"Publikationsserver der RWTH Aachen University","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Haehling von, Raban"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2008,"date_issued":"2008","date_published":"2008","updated_at":"2026-07-30T19:43:35Z","subjects":["info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/930","Romulus","Alte Geschichte, Archäologie","Numa Pompilius","Regulus","Aeneas","Kreusa","Tertullian","Minucius Felix","Clemens Alexandrinus","Arnobius"],"languages":["ger"],"rights":["info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://publications.rwth-aachen.de/search?p=id:%22RWTH-CONV-124758%22"],"render_values":[{"text":"https://publications.rwth-aachen.de/search?p=id:%22RWTH-CONV-124758%22","href":"https://publications.rwth-aachen.de/search?p=id:%22RWTH-CONV-124758%22","code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://publications.rwth-aachen.de/record/63323","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Haehling von, Raban"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Kolter, Claudia"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:coverage","label":"Dc Coverage","values":["DE"]},{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2008"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Publikationsserver der RWTH Aachen University"]},{"key":"dc:relation","label":"Dc Relation","values":["info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/urn/urn:nbn:de:hbz:82-opus-25980"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["info:eu-repo/semantics/doctoralThesis","info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/930","Romulus","Alte Geschichte, Archäologie","Numa Pompilius","Regulus","Aeneas","Kreusa","Tertullian","Minucius Felix","Clemens Alexandrinus","Arnobius"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["ger"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://publications.rwth-aachen.de/record/63323","https://publications.rwth-aachen.de/search?p=id:%22RWTH-CONV-124758%22"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["The Romans regarded especially their dominion as being wanted by the deities and for this reason the prosperity of their state depended existentially on the deities' goodwill. The starting time of Rome plays a special role, because during that period the deities' goodwill manifested and founded Rome's rise in Roman conception. Since the end of the 2nd century p. Chr. the commitment to this early time became more and more an indicator for Roman loyality towards the state and intensified the conflict between pagans and Christians. When the Visigoths under Alarich conquered Rome in 410, the contrast between pagans and Christians in the Imperium Romanum for the last time flared up and the reciprocal accusations, who was to be held responsible for the calamity of the empire, came to the fore. In this situation we see the end of the quarrel about the idealization of Roman starting time in the work of Augustine. This thesis also refers to what Preconstantine apologists had to say about this idealized epoch of Rome at a time, in which Christianity was a religio illicita. The most important thesis here is the explosiveness of the subject for the Christian authors: their interest in the early exempla was not a theoretic one, but an actual one. They had to argue with the heroes because of current circumstances. At the same time their positioning towards this epoch shows their perception of the Roman self-concept. The investigation includes statements of Tertullian, Clemens Alexandrinus, Minucius Felix and Arnobius the Elder on this pagan idealized starting time. It appears that regarding the Preconstantine apologists we cannot speak of a fundamental demonisation of the Roman early time, because of their struggle for acceptance. They have to agree to compromises with pagan imaginations and look for individual solutions. Apart from cultural and character differences situative differentiations are important. Both earliest apologists show that because of their defensive situation, there is some great differentiation in their dispute. In Tertullians work we see a clear hostility against Rome, whereas Minucius Felix meets pagan positions halfway. In the time of the so-called \"Reichskrise\" (crisis of the empire) during the 3rd century, the Church goes through an intern process. In a time of strong contestation the church is sealed off the external world and gives the Christians a room of retreat. This insulation leads to an internal strengthening and has clear effects on the pagan-Christian conflict: It forms a new belief in progress, which appears for the first time in Arnobius' work at the end of the 3rd century and affects the importance of the exempla. The new religion is not to be regarded as being worse because of their novelty, but occurs even as an improvement or even completion in religious history. This new parameter replaces the \"Altersbeweis\", which was still important in the time of the earlier apologists, and effects a change in the Christian way how to deal with the Roman starting time. So Arnobius is no more interested in a differenced dispute and in fighting for acceptance. Instead he propagates the quick overcoming of paganism by Christianity. Thereby a change becomes visible in Arnobius' judging about the early time, which marks a shift: On the one hand, there are the earlier apologists with their defensive attitude because of their fight for acceptance from the pagans. On the other hand there is Augustine, who in the time of Christian emperors proves their justice to be hypocritical and who takes away the aura of perfection. Clemens Alexandrinus shows great internal distance to the Roman starting time. Here it is confirmed, that the conflict about the early is limited to the Roman civilization."]},{"key":"dc:source","label":"Dc Source","values":["Aachen : Publikationsserver der RWTH Aachen University 339 S. (2008). = Aachen, Techn. Hochsch., Diss., 2008"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Die Einstellung vorkonstantinischer Apologeten zum römischen Staat am Beispiel der römischen Frühzeit"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Haehling von, Raban"],"dc:coverage":["DE"],"dc:creator":["Kolter, Claudia"],"dc:date":["2008"],"dc:description":["The Romans regarded especially their dominion as being wanted by the deities and for this reason the prosperity of their state depended existentially on the deities' goodwill. The starting time of Rome plays a special role, because during that period the deities' goodwill manifested and founded Rome's rise in Roman conception. Since the end of the 2nd century p. Chr. the commitment to this early time became more and more an indicator for Roman loyality towards the state and intensified the conflict between pagans and Christians. When the Visigoths under Alarich conquered Rome in 410, the contrast between pagans and Christians in the Imperium Romanum for the last time flared up and the reciprocal accusations, who was to be held responsible for the calamity of the empire, came to the fore. In this situation we see the end of the quarrel about the idealization of Roman starting time in the work of Augustine. This thesis also refers to what Preconstantine apologists had to say about this idealized epoch of Rome at a time, in which Christianity was a religio illicita. The most important thesis here is the explosiveness of the subject for the Christian authors: their interest in the early exempla was not a theoretic one, but an actual one. They had to argue with the heroes because of current circumstances. At the same time their positioning towards this epoch shows their perception of the Roman self-concept. The investigation includes statements of Tertullian, Clemens Alexandrinus, Minucius Felix and Arnobius the Elder on this pagan idealized starting time. It appears that regarding the Preconstantine apologists we cannot speak of a fundamental demonisation of the Roman early time, because of their struggle for acceptance. They have to agree to compromises with pagan imaginations and look for individual solutions. Apart from cultural and character differences situative differentiations are important. Both earliest apologists show that because of their defensive situation, there is some great differentiation in their dispute. In Tertullians work we see a clear hostility against Rome, whereas Minucius Felix meets pagan positions halfway. In the time of the so-called \"Reichskrise\" (crisis of the empire) during the 3rd century, the Church goes through an intern process. In a time of strong contestation the church is sealed off the external world and gives the Christians a room of retreat. This insulation leads to an internal strengthening and has clear effects on the pagan-Christian conflict: It forms a new belief in progress, which appears for the first time in Arnobius' work at the end of the 3rd century and affects the importance of the exempla. The new religion is not to be regarded as being worse because of their novelty, but occurs even as an improvement or even completion in religious history. This new parameter replaces the \"Altersbeweis\", which was still important in the time of the earlier apologists, and effects a change in the Christian way how to deal with the Roman starting time. So Arnobius is no more interested in a differenced dispute and in fighting for acceptance. Instead he propagates the quick overcoming of paganism by Christianity. Thereby a change becomes visible in Arnobius' judging about the early time, which marks a shift: On the one hand, there are the earlier apologists with their defensive attitude because of their fight for acceptance from the pagans. On the other hand there is Augustine, who in the time of Christian emperors proves their justice to be hypocritical and who takes away the aura of perfection. Clemens Alexandrinus shows great internal distance to the Roman starting time. Here it is confirmed, that the conflict about the early is limited to the Roman civilization."],"dc:identifier":["https://publications.rwth-aachen.de/record/63323","https://publications.rwth-aachen.de/search?p=id:%22RWTH-CONV-124758%22"],"dc:language":["ger"],"dc:publisher":["Publikationsserver der RWTH Aachen University"],"dc:relation":["info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/urn/urn:nbn:de:hbz:82-opus-25980"],"dc:rights":["info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess"],"dc:source":["Aachen : Publikationsserver der RWTH Aachen University 339 S. (2008). = Aachen, Techn. Hochsch., Diss., 2008"],"dc:subject":["info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/930","Romulus","Alte Geschichte, Archäologie","Numa Pompilius","Regulus","Aeneas","Kreusa","Tertullian","Minucius Felix","Clemens Alexandrinus","Arnobius"],"dc:title":["Die Einstellung vorkonstantinischer Apologeten zum römischen Staat am Beispiel der römischen Frühzeit"],"dc:type":["info:eu-repo/semantics/doctoralThesis","info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-30T19:43:35Z"}