Orality and writing in Alexandrian Christianity

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to study the relationship of tension or coexistence between oral and written transmission of knowledge in the Alexandrian sphere of the third and fourth centuries. First of all, a synthesis of the leading role played by writing in early Christianity, which gave rise to the so-called "textual communities", is presented. The question that arises is whether the same can be said of the Christian communities, namely, whether in Alexandria and its area of influence writing took over the leading role from orality. The second part, then, analyses the role of orality in the authors of the Alexandrian tradition, starting from the obligatory Platonic antecedent and focusing on the key texts. The conclusion is that, despite a clear preference for orality, the Fathers did not reject writing, but rather adopted it quickly, with certain precautions and precautions..