Communal Consciousness in the Ancient World: Focusing on Judeo-Christian Relations in Syria

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K12961
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 01030:Religious studies-related
• Research Institution: Chukyo University
• Principal Investigator: Osawa Koji 中京大学, 教養教育研究院, 助教 (40730891)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: ユダヤ教 / キリスト教 / シリア / アイデンティティー

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study has focused its analysis on how both sides have defined and portrayed each other, especially in the Jewish-Christian relationship in the ancient world. Although we were forced to reduce the scope of our analysis from our original plan, mainly due to the Corona disaster, we were able to concentrate on the Syriac Church Fathers and their contemporary Jews/Judaism. One clear outcome is that, for example, when the Syriac Church Fathers refer to "Jews," their definition of that "Jews" and their behavior are convenient for the author(s), Christian, and the boundaries can fluctuate arbitrarily.

Free Research Field

ユダヤ学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

そもそも西方キリスト教に比べて扱われることの少ない東方キリスト教を中心的な題材として、その枠組みを疑うところからユダヤ教との比較を行うという点に新規性がある。またそれは本研究の成果を受けて改めて西方キリスト教にも投げかけてみるべき問いでもある。そして共同体の定義づけが時に任意に行われるという本研究の結論は、古代のみならず現代の人間関係も含め他の隣接分野にもそのまま適用可能な知見である。