A prática cristã e os conflitos com o império romano no segundo século: a retórica apologética de Atenágoras de Atenas na “petição em favor dos cristãos”.

Abstract

This research aims to analyze Christian practice and its conflicts with the Roman Empire. For this, the apologetic writings produced in the 2nd century A.D. are used, especially the “Petition in favor of Christians”, attributed to the Greek apologist Athenagoras of Athens. The apology of Athenagoras was elaborated in order to respond to the accusations made against the Christians. In this sense, Athenagoras refutes three main accusations, whose systematization is made by himself: atheism, immoral acts and anthropophagy. Nevertheless, through him and the other apologist writers, it is possible to question ourselves about the interior of the Christian communities in formation and, at the same time, visualize their conflicts with the imperial power. These are two realities that, although they may seem insurmountable, are in constant relationship, which allows us to use the concept of culture proposed by Raymond Williams, as well as cultural studies. In this way, the apologetic discourse of denial towards the accusations suffered is important as it expresses places of power and uses different instruments in the pursuit of its objectives. The clashes between Christians and the Roman imperial reality allow us to perceive a set of relationships developed in the second century, understood by methodologically analyzing the internal and external elements of the texts considered.