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Document Details : Title: Wolves in Sheep's Clothing, or Minorca's Victimary Process Subtitle: Deconstructing the Epistula Seueri's Discursive Violence Author(s): BERMEJO-RUBIO, Fernando Journal: Latomus Volume: 80 Issue: 4 Date: 2021 Pages: 749-778 DOI: 10.2143/LAT.80.4.3290311 Abstract : The present paper explores the extent of the discursive violence against the Minorcan Jews embedded in the 5th century Epistula Severi, supposedly written by the bishop Severus. It identifies and analyses the rhetorical strategies of the author, which hide several kinds of violence carried out against the Jewish community. The article argues that the (scarce) historical core in this work reflects a scapegoating process and a victimary logic which not only distorts the real facts, but also turns the world upside down. It further unveils the different and mutually conflicting claims used by the author in his apologetic device in order to exonerate the Christians of blame for violence against the Jews, thereby showing their inconsistency. Furthermore, this approach allows us to realize the importance of the (previously overlooked) all-pervasive terminology of fear in the Letter, and to fully deconstruct the idyllic view of the Christian community and its bishop portrayed in it. |
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