432 JOURNAL OF EARLY CHRISTIAN STUDIES

Hervé Inglebert
Interpretatio Christiana: Les mutations des savoirs (cosmographie, géographie,
ethnographie, histoire) dans l’Antiquité chrétienne (30–630 après J.C.)
Collection des Études Augustiennes
Paris: Institute d’Études Augustiniennes, 2001
Pp. 632. 49,42 BF.

Hervé Ingelbert’s Interpretatio Christiana is an extraordinary work. Not only is

it well crafted and thoroughly researched, but it also takes up the study of the
Christian transformation of ancient savoirs with unparalleled intellectual energy
and scrupulous attention to detail. In this book Inglebert succeeds admirably well
in living up to his intention of providing a more comprehensive study of the
evolution of the cultural encounter between pagan and Christian intellectuals
than Marrou does in his work on ancient Christianity. While recognizing the
importance of Marrou’s work, Inglebert nevertheless sets out to map a significant
portion of the intellectual terrain of the ancient world. The six hundred–plus
pages that he devotes to this endeavor span a period of roughly nine centuries
and draw upon sources from Greek, Latin, Syrian, Armenian, and Jewish
traditions.
Eschewing more frequently studied areas such as philosophy, theology, and
biblical studies, he concentrates his attention on four areas of ancient learning:
cosmography, geography, ethnography, and historiography. Though the latter
half of the book focuses solely on historiography, Inglebert judiciously prepares
the ground for this discussion in the first part of the book. His treatment of what
the ancients meant by the first three disciplines displays a sensitivity to the
different cultural contexts in which these bodies of knowledge arose: linguistic,
regional, and social. On the basis of this nuanced discussion, he adopts the model
of a filter and assesses the nature of the Christian reaction to these disciplines
using the fourfold schema of refusal, indifference, synthesis, and original
contribution. What emerges in the end is a clear sense of the complementary
nature of the four disciplines and the extent to which Christians based their
appraisal of these disciplines on the foundation of their own familiarity with
Greek paideia.
Inglebert’s balanced and illuminating assessment of the Christian transforma-
tion of ancient learning rests on a complex analysis of the dynamics of this
change. On the basis of a preliminary analysis of the christianization of the
ancient savoirs of cosmography, geography, and ethnography, the author constructs
an intricate argument that requires multiple levels of interpretation. Initially, he
elaborates the chronological development of the Christian transformation of
Greek paideia as it passed from the Greeks to the Latins, Syrians, and Armenians
while emphasizing the extent to which the influence of Jewish thought and social
milieu modified or obstructed the transfer of this knowledge to Christians.
Next, he demonstrates how Christian belief provided the means by which
Christians were able to transform the ancient notion of scientia. In this context,
he disputes the claim that parallels can be found between the ancient notion of
knowledge and the rationalistic conception of modern science as well as the
belief that if no parallels exist, the Christian transformation of Greek scientia
 BOOK REVIEWS 433

ends in obscurantism. Instead, he argues that faith provided epistemological

insight into the unifying knowledge of Christian wisdom that enabled Christians
to overcome the conflicting logoi proposed by pagans in their effort to resolve the
dilemma of divergent mythological interpretations of the world. And yet, Ingle-
bert acknowledges that while the true philosophy of Christianity allowed for the
possibility of understanding the contents of faith, at times Christians depended
upon the same unscientific knowledge of the world as the ancients did. Reflection
on Christian exegesis reveals the use Christians made of literal and figurative
interpretations of Scripture to reconcile conflicts between Christian belief and
classical paideia.
Finally, Inglebert examines in considerable depth what he regards as the most
astounding achievement of the Christian transformation of ancient thought,
namely, the invention of a universal history of humankind that had its roots in
the messianic trajectory of Christianity and its ongoing dialogue with the pagan
world. This dialogue eventually led to the integration of the three complementary
domains of ethnography, geography, and historiography. It marked the develop-
ment of new historical genres such as universal chronicles, heresiologies,
ecclesiastical histories, and hagiographies. And, even more importantly, it ele-
vated historiography to the level of a knowledge essential to the understanding of
what eventually became Christ’s empire.
This brief attempt to capture the intricacy of Ingelbert’s argument hardly does
justice to the enormous amount of research distilled in this work. Rather than
leaving his readers to sift through the various strands of his argument on their
own, Ingelbert conveniently inserts detailed charts into the critical phases of the
work to direct them towards his overall conclusion. An extensive bibliography
and thematic index of the principal sources used in the book complement his
efforts to bring to a close the first phase of a systematic study of the various types
of ancient savoirs.
The scholarly nature of this enterprise makes this work a fitting resource for
the accomplished scholar who wishes to gain a sense of the full sweep of the
Christian transformation of ancient culture. In the meantime, given the auspi-
cious beginning of Inglebert’s project, one can only hope that the author will
persist in carrying it forth.
Marianne Djuth, Canisius College

Henry Chadwick
The Church in Ancient Society: From Galilee to Gregory the Great
New York: Oxford University Press, 2001
Pp. ix + 730. $130.

Henry Chadwick’s latest book is a contribution to the Oxford History of the

Church, a series edited by Henry and his brother Owen. This volume in the series
is a 700-page survey of the development of Christianity from Jesus through to
the seventh century. Throughout, Chadwick continues to demonstrate that he