Arne Søby Christensen
Arne Søby Christensen | |
---|---|
Born | 1945 Copenhagen, Denmark |
Nationality | Danish |
Academic work | |
Discipline | History |
Institutions | |
Notable works | Cassiodorus, Jordanes and the History of the Goths |
Arne Søby Christensen (born 1945) is a Danish historian. He is an associate professor in history at the University of Copenhagen.[1]
Biography
Arne Søby Christensen was born in
The basic contention of this book is that nothing in the first third of Jordanes's Getica has anything whatsoever to do with a history of the Goths.
- Arne Søby Christensen[5]
Christensen received his PhD in history from the University of Copenhagen in June 2002. His
An English translation of Christensen's thesis was published in 2002 by Museum Tusculanum Press.[7] Christensen's thesis has generated much interest among scholars.[8] It was praised by Walter Goffart as a useful work.[9] Anthropologist Peter S. Wells considered it a significant contribution to the study of ancient peoples of northern Europe.[10] Ian N. Wood considered it an interesting work, although he thought Christensen went too far in denying Gothic elements in the texts.[11] Sigbjørn Sønnesyn considered Christensen's theories suspiciously similar to circular reasoning.[12] Michael Whitby dismissed Christensen's work as extreme and a mere footnote to what has already been written on the subject.[13] Dick Harrison considered Christensen's book interesting, although he criticized its rejection of archaeological evidence and refusal to respond to the views of dissenting scholars.[14]
Selected works
- Kristenforfølgelserne i Rom indtil år 250, 1977
- Lactantius the Historian. An Analysis of the De Mortibus Persecutorum., 1980
- Cassiodorus, Jordanes and the History of the Goths: Studies in a Migration Myth, 2002
References
- ^ Forening, Den Danske Historiske (2005). "Medvirkende ved dette hæfte". Historisk Tidsskrift (in Danish). 105 (1). Danish Historical Society: 319.
- ^ ISBN 87-90655-18-4.
- S2CID 197837021. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- ^ "Den danske historiske Forenings bestyrelse" (in Danish). Danish Historical Society.
- ^ Christensen 2002, p. 318.
- ^ Christensen 2002, p. 40.
- ^ Christensen 2002.
- ^ Bjørn, Claus (June 6, 2002). "Myten om goterne" [The Myth of the Goths] (in Danish). Kristeligt Dagblad.
- ISBN 0812200284.
I am much indebted to Professor Niels Lund (Copenhagen) for sending me Christensen's work
- JSTOR 24452833.
Christensen concludes that Jordanes's Getica is a fabricated account... Christensen's clear and systematic presentation makes this book a significant contribution to the literature on the formation of the early historical peoples of Europe
- ^ Wood, Ian N. (2003). "Cassiodorus, Jordanes and the History of the Goths" (PDF). Historisk Tidsskrift. 103 (2). Danish Historical Association: 465–484. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
I think that Christensen has been too stringent in denying the existence of Gothic elements in the text...
- S2CID 162534744.
Peter Heather has argued that Jordanes' account of the genealogy of the Amal family may in part be based on a Gothic tradition. This claim is opposed by Christensen with something looking suspiciously like circular argumentation.
- . Retrieved February 27, 2020.
This is surely too extreme... [T]he fact remains that this, even if very clearly presented and argued, is little more than a long footnote to Heather's work; only real enthusiasts will feel the need to consult it.
- ^ Harrison, Dick (2004). "Arne Søby Christensen, Cassiodorus, Jordanes and the History of the Goths" (PDF). Historisk tidskrift (in Swedish). 124 (1). Svenska historiska föreningen: 139–140.
My main objection is Christensen's excessively condescending attitude towards the field of archaeology. An entire field is dismissed in a single footnote... To ignore scholarly opponents is never a healthy strategy, and this unfortunately casts a dark shadow over what is nevertheless a very interesting book.
Bibliography
Christensen, Arne Søby (2002). Cassiodorus, Jordanes and the History of the Goths: Studies in a Migration Myth. Translated by Flegal, Heidi.
External links
- Picture of Arne Søby Christensen