Desiring Conversion: Hermas, Thecla, Aseneth

by B. Diane Lipsett

Self-restraint or self-mastery may appear to be the opposite of erotic desire. But in this nuanced, literary analysis, Diane Lipsett traces the intriguing interplay of desire and self-restraint in three ancient tales of conversion: The Shepherd of Hermas, the Acts of Paul and Thecla, and Joseph and Aseneth. Lipsett treats "conversion"--marked change in a protagonist's piety and identity--as in part an effect of story, a function of narrative textures,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0199754519
• ISBN13: 9780199754519
• Release Date: December 2010
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 200 Pages
• Weight: 0.83 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.7" x 8.9"