The next public talk at Il-Hagar Museum in Victoria, Gozo, will feature Rev. Prof. Jonathan Farrugia, Head of the Department of Church History, Patrology, and Palaeochristian Archaeology at the University of Malta, who will discuss the literary development of the Christian hero.
Every culture and religious tradition constructs its own models of heroism, and Christianity is no exception. Building upon classical ideals of virtue, endurance, and noble suffering – already celebrated in Greek philosophical and literary traditions – early Christianity introduced a distinctive dimension: the concept of martyrdom and the giving of public witness (martyria) to the faith.
The museum said that this lecture will explore how the classical paradigm of the hero was reinterpreted and “Christianised” in the figure of the saint. Drawing on selected early hagiographical texts, it will examine the literary and theological strategies through which inherited heroic motifs were transformed, integrated, and reoriented within a Christian framework of sanctity.
The lecture is taking place this coming Saturday, the 25th of April at 11am
The museum is located in St George’s Square, admission is free but seat reservations are recommended by sending an email to events@heartofgozo.org.mt [1].