A GenAut overview was just published in Early Christianity‘s “New Projects” section:
The online research seminar of the project is launched! See the full program here.
The theme for 2025 is the construction of GenAut characters in relation to the apostles, and the recorded papers are available on the GenAut Youtube Channel.
A recent interview about the project, published in Die Presse, the daily Viennese newspaper founded in 1848: “Spin-off der Bibel: Die Nebendarsteller werden zum Superstar” (17 April). The Press dossier of the project can be found here.
Join our team! We’re looking for a specialist in Syriac studies who will either hold or is close to obtaining a PhD in a relevant field, and has significant experience in working with Syriac manuscripts. | See the by now expired announcement here.
Deadline: 1 June 2025 | Position available for up to 4 years from 1 August 2025.
The GenAut Project is focused on the network of late antique and medieval literary works – both apocryphal and hagiographic – with early Christian figures connected to apostles as main characters.
The project is funded through the FWF START 2024 Award for five years (2024-2029) by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), and is hosted at the University of Vienna, in the Institute of Church History, Christian Archaeology and Ecclesiastical Art. | Grant DOI 10.55776/STA214
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“The martyrdom of the blessed bishop and martyr of Christ, Abba Polycarp, the disciple of the apostles, which he suffered on the 29th day of the month of Mechir. In the peace of God. Amen.”
This is the title of the Martyrdom of Polycarp in Coptic as found in Vat. copt. 58, a Bohairic manuscript of the tenth century, emphasising the apostolic connection of the main character. Below can be seen the first page of the work (folio 78r), with the superscript title at the top:
"Generative Authority" | FWF Start Award 2024