Christianity and Classics
Currently I’m in the midst of getting all of my applications together for grad school next year. I’ve gone back and forth on a particular issue and so I wanted to ask the Biblioblogger community their thoughts.
If my interests are in Christianity in the Late Antique, why shouldn’t I apply to Classics programs? Why isn’t Christianity studied as another religion among many in the Roman empire?
Doesn’t it really depend on the school and their programs? Many Classics departments do not really extend their studies into Late Antiquity to begin with, which makes it a hard place to get expertise and supervision in late antique Christianity anyway. Apart from those thoughts, a Classics program might indeed be the place to be, it will certainly give a different angle to your academic formation.
By all means. My focus is primarily in NT, and I applied to several classics programs. I’ve had several NT profs who did graduate degrees in Classics before going on to the PhD as well. Ultimately, though, I settled on studying in the Ancient History department at Macquarie Uni, which comprises faculties in Classics, Egyptology, biblical studies, early Christianity and Judaism, archaeology, etc. A broader ‘ancient history’ program might suit your needs better, but I think you’re quite right that early Christianity ought to be studied as a phenomenon which arose within a particular time and place and among particular circumstances in history.