La percezione della crisi religiosa calcedonese in alcuni testi storici e agiografici prodotti negli ambienti dell’episcopato di Alessandria

This essay explores the significance and evolution of some symbols and images in a number of Egyptian histories produced in the circles of the institutional church, such as the fragments by Timothy Aelurus, the History of the Church in Coptic (= CHC), the ancient layer of the History of the Patriarchs (= HP), as well as in a number of hagiographic texts produced in the same milieu or connected with the monastic opposition to the Council of Chalcedon under Justinian: the Life of Dioscorus, which relates the last four years of Dioscorus’ existence; the Panegyric of Makarius, bishop of Tkou. In the prehistory of this literary traditions the role of Athanasius is to be noticed: he created a literary and historiographical genre, where the documents were used in the service of a thesis, embedded in a narrative. Constantius as Antichrist and Arianism as the forerunner of the end of times are images that have been successful. Athanasius’ example was followed especially by Timothy Ailurus.

La crisi calcedonese (451 d.C.) in alcuni testi agiografici e storiografici del patriarcato di Alessandria: si analizzano i vecchi e nuovi simboli identitari che compaiono nella letteratura impegnata nella polemica contro il Concilio di Calcedonia.