Competing conceptualizations of identity for late antique antioch (fourth-sixth centuries AD)

This thesis examines the conceptualizations and imaginations of Antioch, a significant administrative, religious, and cultural center of the Late Roman Empire, as envisioned by two crucial figures, Libanius and John Chrysostom, within the framework of the changing dynamics of the fourth century. Libanius, the city's sophist and a proponent of traditional Greek culture and religion, portrayed Antioch as a prominent center of the Hellenic world. In contrast, John Chrysostom, one of the leading figures of the Antiochene church at that time, idealized the city as one of the most important Christian centers by assigning it a Christian identity in his sermons preached to his congregation. This study's main objective is to examine these two urban conceptualizations of Antioch that these two figures constructed using similar themes and strategies. The first chapter investigates the construction of discourses related to these two distinct urban identities, employing historical and mythological narratives and memory. The second part examines how these two figures developed their visions of Antioch through their consideration of public spaces and everyday practices. The final chapter of the thesis discusses the continuity or change of these idealized visions and narratives of Antioch during the fifth and sixth centuries, as demonstrated in the works of historians and religious figures who lived in Antioch during that time.