Ricerc@Sapienza

Abstract. This contribution offers a synthesis of a debate about the book Beyond Conflicts. Cultural and Religious Cohabitations in Alexandria and Egypt between the 1st and the 6th Century CE, edited by L. Arcari in 2017, which took place in Naples, University “Federico II”, on November 20, 2018. In the main text, written by Lorenzo Perrone, the fubdamental topics of the book are discussed: the new hermeneutical paradigms of the Alexandrian multiculturalism, Jewish culture and Greek culture, the meaning of the Alexandrian school, Gnosticism and the fund of Nag Hammadi.

The recently published Historia episcopatus Alexandriae (end of the fourth, beginning of the fifth century), Severus of Antioch (first part of the sixth century), and Eutychius of Alexandria (tenth century) attest to an ancient custom concerning the election of the patriarch of Alexandria, according to which he would be appointed by a group of twelve priests who would choose him from within their number. According to HEpA this would have happened in the presence of the corpse of the predecessor.

The essay deals with a recently edited historiographical work (Alessandro Bausi and Alberto Camplani), which has been entitled "History of the Episcopate of Alexandria", and clarifies its transmission, its relationship with other historiographical traditions, in particular that of the bishopric of Rome (Chronograph of 354, Liber pontificalis), and its circulation in Aksum and Carthage.

The present volume is mainly the outcome of the international conference Coptic Literature in Context.
The Contexts of Coptic Literature. Late Antique Egypt in a Dialogue between Literature, Archaeology, and
Digital Humanities, which took place at Sapienza Università di Roma on 25-27 February 2019, representing
the third annual conference organised by the ‘PAThs’ project.