På Svenska
På Svenska
in english
In English
Kursportal Moodle
Newmaninstitutet - Högskola för Teologi, Filosofi och Kultur.

Barbara Crostini – English

(In swedish)

Contact

barbara.crostini@newman.se
Phone +46 (0) 76 441 46 67

Presentation

I hold a PhD from Oxford University (1999) and a Docent degree from Uppsala University (2014) in Classical Languages (Greek). I also have qualifications as a university lecturer in Italy from the MUR (Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca) in the fields of Religious History, Book History, and Classical Philology.

Since 2021, I have been employed as a lecturer in Church History, Art History, and Cultural Studies at the Newman Institute, after previously teaching as a part-time lecturer here and at Sankt Ignatios Academy.

Teaching and Assignments

I am the contact person for cultural studies within our curriculum studiorum at the Newman Institute and serve as an examiner in the fields of culture and theology. I teach courses related to church history, art history, and culture, and I also participate in teaching the A-level courses in Religion and Art (Dura Europos) and Religion and Literature (Marilynne Robinson).

In addition, I am the seminar leader for the advanced seminar The Newman Institute Research Seminar in Late Ancient and Byzantine Cultures, held both on-site and digitally. The seminar meets 4–5 times per semester and includes advanced students, doctoral candidates, and experienced researchers who freely discuss the topics presented.

I have previously worked on the editorial staff of Signum and am currently a member of its editorial committee.

Research

My research focuses on ancient and medieval material culture, particularly manuscripts and miniatures, and their significance for history and religion. I am interested in highlighting connections between visual culture and Christian spirituality. I am currently writing a book on theatricality in late antique Syria, with a focus on the Dura Europos paintings and their relation to Jewish theatre (Ezekiel Tragicus).

Bibliography

Syrian Stylites: Rereadings and Recastings of Late Ancient Super-Heroes, with Christian Høgel, Transactions of the Swedish Research Institute in Istanbul (Istanbul: Swedish Research Institute, 2024). LINK to free download: https://srii.org/Documents/Docs/0d15b85f8db4428f8e509ebadfe3daf2.pdf

Devotion Practice and Performative Expression in the Religious Art of Medieval Europe, with Vlad Bedros, monographic special issue of Religions (OA journal) available at: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/religions/special_issues/044YKMM2L5

Crucified Saints from Antiquity to Modernity, co-edited with Anthony John Lappin, Sanctorum Monographs (Rome: Viella, 2022).

Why We Sing: Music, Word and Liturgy in Early Christianity, in honour of NN, co-edited with Carl-Johan Berglund and James Kelhoffer (Berlin: Mohr Siebeck, 2022).

Receptions of the Bible in Byzantium: Texts, Manuscripts, and Their Readers, edited by Barbara Crostini and Reinhart Ceulemans, Studia Byzantina Upsaliensia 20 (Uppsala: Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis, 2021). Available open access at http://uu.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A1472780&dswid=-7042

Greek Monasticism in Southern Italy: the Life of Neilos in Context, edited by Barbara Crostini and Ines Murzaku (London: Routledge, 2017).

 A Book of Psalms from Eleventh-Century Byzantium: the Complex of Texts and Images in Psalter Vat. gr. 752, edited by Barbara Crostini and Glenn Peers, Studi e Testi 504 (Vatican City, 2016).

Articles

2026

  • ‘Paradoxography at Dura? Miracles and Natural Wonders in the Paintings of the Synagogue’, in Monika Amsler, ed., Nature Miracles and Paradoxography in Biblical Reception of the First Centuries CE = Special Issue of Judaica. Neue Digitale Folge 7 (2026), 1–36. doi.org/10.36950/jndf.2026.8 (OA).

2025

  •  ‘Performing the Bible at Dura: A Panel of Elijah and the Widow of Sarepta as tableau vivant’, in Emotion and Performance in Late Antiquity and Byzantium, ed. Niki Tsironi, special issue, Classics@ 24. https://nrs.harvard.edu/URN-3:HLNC.ESSAY:104135601.
  • ‘Introduction: Cultural Approaches to Elijah’, in From Prophet to Miracle-Working Saint: Dynamic Approaches to Elijah in Late Ancient and Medieval Cultures, ed. Barbara Crostini, Vlad Bedros, Andrei Dumitrescu and Chana Shacham-Rossby, Contexts of Ancient and Medieval Anthropology 12 (Leiden: Brill, 2025), xiii–xxxviii.
  • ‘Celebrating the Wonders of Elijah in the Painting Cycle at Dura Europos: A Test-Case for the Oral-Performativity of Images’, in From Prophet to Miracle-Working Saint: Dynamic Approaches to Elijah in Late Ancient and Medieval Cultures, with Vlad Bedros, Andrei Dumitrescu and Chana Shacham-Rossby, Contexts of Ancient and Medieval Anthropology 12 (Leiden: Brill/Schöning, 2025), 91–118.
  • ‘The Performativity of Psalms in Byzantine Psalter Illumination: Vaticanus graecus 752 and the Sons of Korah’, in David Davage and Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer (eds), Song, Prayer, Scripture. Aspects of the Use of the Book of Psalms from the Hebrew Bible to the 21st Century (London: T&T Clark), 277–297.
  • ‘Il monastero della Theotokos Evergetis di Costantinopoli tra scisma e riforma (seconda metà dell’XI secolo)’, in Profili del secolo XI. Atti della Settimana di Studio (Spoleto, 4–10 aprile 2024) (Spoleto: Pubblicazioni del Centro di Studi sull’Alto Medioevo), 595–640.
  • ‘Looking Back for Hope: Patterns of Salvation and Positive Performance in the Synagogue at Dura Europos (3rd century)’, in Oana-Maria Cojocaru and Ville Vuolanto (eds), Pursuing Hope in the Premodern World, Palgrave Studies in the History of Experience (London: Palgrave), 117–144. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-85406-4_6
  • ‘The Esther Panel in the Dura Europos Synagogue: a Unified Representation of Theatrical Reversals at the Feast of Purim (ca. 240 CE)’, in Kristin Joachimsen and Helge Bezold (eds), The Book of Esther, Themes and Issues in Biblical Studies (Sheffield: Equinox Publishing). https://journal.equinoxpub.com/TIBS/issue/view/2859

2024

  • ‘Il monastero della Theotokos Evergetis di Costantinopoli tra scisma e riforma (seconda metà dell’XI secolo)’, in Profili del secolo XI. Atti della Settimana di Studio (Spoleto, 4-10 aprile 2024) (Spoleto: Pubblicazioni del Centro di Studi sull’Alto Medioevo), pp. 595-640.
  • ‘How Did You Meet Your First Stylite? An Introduction to the Stylite World’, in Barbara Crostini and Christian Høgel (eds), Syrian Stylites: Rereadings and Recastings of Late Ancient Super-Heroes, Transactions of the Swedish Research Institute in Istanbul 26 (Riga: ADVerts), pp. 9-41.  
  • ‘Corpse Bride and Holy Relic: Forgiving Necrophilia in Antonios’s Life of St Symeon Stylite the Elder’, in Barbara Crostini and Christian Høgel (eds), Syrian Stylites: Rereadings and Recastings of Late Ancient Super-Heroes, Transactions of the Swedish Research Institute in Istanbul 26 (Riga: ADVerts), pp. 99-127.
  • ‘The Captions to Vat. gr. 752’, in Research on Psalter Catenae: Current Trends and Future Perspectives, R. Ceulemans and C. Bandt (eds) (Turnhout: Brepols), pp. 247-277 and https://tu.bbaw.de/data_crostini/ .
  • ‘Virgins or Single Mothers? Perpetua, Felicity, and the Montanist Prophetesses’, in Heidrun Mader and Peter Lampe (eds), “Montanism” in the Roman World: the New Prophecy Movement in Historical, Sociological, and Ecclesiological Context (NTOA, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht), pp. 137-161.

2023

  • ‘Gypsum and Mortar: Constructing Byzantine Builders and Craftsmen between Late Antique Practice and Medieval Exegesis’, in Diane Wolfthal (ed.), Towards an Art History of the Working Class = Different Visions, https://differentvisions.org/issue-ten/.
  • ‘1 Kings 18’, The Visual Commentary on Scripture – online exhibition, https://thevcs.org/widow-zarephath.
  • ‘Empowering Breasts: Women, Widows, and Prophetesses with Child’, in Motherhood and Breastfeeding in Late Anti-quity and Byzantium, ed. Aspasia Skouroumouni and Stavroula Constantinou (London: Taylor & Francis), pp. 206-227.
  • ‘Secular/Sacred or Jewish/Christian? Probing Binary Opposites in the Education Excursus of the Life of Patriarch Nikephoros I of Constantinople (BHG 1335)’, in Claudio Schiano and Immacolata Aulisa (eds), Heretic Jews/Judaizing Heretics. The Construction of Christian Orthodoxy and Anti-Jewish Polemics in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages [= Henoch, Historical and Textual Studies on Ancient and Medieval Judaism/Studi storicofilologici su giudaismo e cristianesimo in età antica e medievale 43.2 (2022 [2023])], pp. 443-466.
  • ‘Between the Pillar and the Cross: Stylite Saints in Late Antique Perception’, in Sible de Blauuw, Stephan Mols and Leonard Rutgers (eds), Frontiers. The Transformation and Christianization of the Roman Empire between Centre and Periphery. Proceedings of the 17th International Congress of Christian (CIAC) (Leuven: Peeters), pp. 39-52.

2022

  • ‘Keeping Everyone On Board: Gregory the Great’s “Theory of Iconoclasm”’, European Review, Special Issue: Iconoclasm, ed. Nikita Harwich (OA). https://www.doi.org/10.1017/S1062798722000345
  • ‘The Dura “Baptistery” – a Funerary Space?’, in Carl-Johan Berglund, Barbara Crostini and James Kelhoffer (eds), Why We Sing: Music, Word and Liturgy in Early Christianity, in honour of Anders Ekenberg, Vigiliae christianae Supplements (Leiden: Brill), pp. 337-370.
  • ‘Famous Forgiveness: the Christian Afterlives of King Manasseh’s Prayer’, in Radka Fialová, Jirí Hoblík, and Petr Kitzler (eds), Hellenism, Early Judaism, and Early Christianity. Transmission and Transformation of Ideas, Arbeiten zur Kirchengeschichte 155 (Berlin: De Gruyter), pp. 143-175.
  • ‘Variations on the Theme of Death: Two Byzantine limb-by-limb laments’, in Liz James, Oliver Nicholson and Roger Scott (eds), After the Text: Byzantine Enquiries in Honour of Margaret Mullett (London: Routledge), pp. 19-28.

2021

  • ‘Devotion to Saints as Busts on Pillars: Solving the Enigma of Non-Stylite Stylites in Psalter Vat. gr. 752’, IKON 14, 45–56.
  • ‘The Survival of the Sc/roll Format: Symbolic and Practical Performances’, in Emmanouela Grypeou (ed.), The Scriptural Universe of Late Antiquity, with a postface by Guy G. Stroumsa, Aramaeo-Arabica et Graeca 3 (Cordoba: Editorial Sindéresis), pp. 141-152.
  • ‘Blue Ink in Greek Manuscripts’, in Marco D’Agostino and Luca Pieralli (eds), Φιλόδωρος εὐμενείας. Miscellanea di Studi in ricordo di mons. Paul Canart, Littera antiqua 21 (Città del Vaticano: Scuola di paleografia, diplomatica e archivistica), pp. 163-192.
  • ‘Why the Bible in Byzantium Matters’, with R. Ceulemans, in Barbara Crostini and Reinhart Ceulemans (eds), Receptions of the Bible in Byzantium: Texts, Manuscripts, and Their Readers, Studia Byzantina Upsaliensia 20 (Uppsala: Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis), pp. 1-37.

2012-2020

  • ‘Byzantium’, in The Oxford Illustrated History of the Book, ed. by James Raven (Oxford, 2020), pp. 54-83.
  •  ‘The Use of Scripture in Cyril of Jerusalem’s Homily on the Paralytic by the Pool (CPG 3588): Interpreting the Litter of Solomon’, in Healing and Exorcism in Second Temple Judaism and Early Christianity, ed. by Mikael Telbe and Tommy Wasserman (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2019), pp. 241-255.
  • ‘Athanasius’s Letter to Marcellinus as Psalter Preface’, in The Literary Legacy of Byzantium. Editions, Translations, and Studies in Honour of Joseph A. Munitiz, ed. by Bram Roosen and Peter Van Deun, Studies in Byzantine History and Civilization (Turnhout: Brepols, 2019), pp. 145-166.
  • ‘Natural Suffering: Psellos, Viola, and a Christian Ecology of Pain’, in Iconography of Pain, IKON 12, ed. Marina Vicelja (Rijeka: Publications of the Center for Iconographic Studies, 2019), pp. 237-246.
  • ‘A Meeting-Point between East and West: Hesychius of Jerusalem and the Interpretation of the Psalter in Byzantium’, in Patristic Studies in the Twenty-first Century: Proceedings of an International Conference to Mark the 50th Anniversary of the International Association of Patristic Studies, ed. by Carol Harrison, Brouria Bitton-Ashkelony and Theodore de Bruyn (Turnhout: Brepols, 2015), pp. 343–363.
  • ‘Augustine in the Byzantine World to 1453’, in The Oxford Guide to the Historical Reception of Augustine, ed. by Karla Pollman, 3 vols (Oxford, 2013), II, pp. 726–734.
  • ‘The Greek Christian Bible’, in The New Cambridge History of the Bible, vol. 2: From 600 to 1450, ed. by R. Marsden and A. Matter (Cambridge, 2012), pp. 41–55.

Book reviews

  • Literature and Theology (2023): Marilynne Robinson and Theology, ed. Håkan Möller and Ola Sigurdson, Konferenser 105 (Stockholm: Kungl. Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademien, 2021).
  • Caa reviews, http://www.caareviews.org/reviews/3977 (2023): Santa Maria Antiqua: The Sistine Chapel of the Early Middle Ages, ed. by Eileen Rubery, Giulia Bordi and John Osborne (Turnhout: Harvey Miller Publishers, 2021).
  • The Heythrop Journal 62.4 (July 2021), 756-760: The Cambridge Intellectual History of Byzantium, ed. by Anthony Kaldellis and Niketas Siniossoglou (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017).
  • Patristica Nordica Annuaria (2021): S. Ashbrook Harvey, Th. Arentzen, H. Rydell Johnsén, A. Westergren (eds), Wisdom on the Move: Late Antique Traditions in Multicultural Conversation. Essays in Honor of Samuel Rubenson, Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae. Texts and Studies of Early Christian Life and Language 161 (Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2020). 
  • The Heythrop Journal 62.2 (2021), 383-385: Moyer V. Hubbard, Christianity in the Greco-Roman World. A Narrative Introduction (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, 2010). 

Recorded lectures

Articles for Signum. A Catholic perspective on church, culture, and society:

  • ‘Att ge liv – modern och döden’, 7 (2019):36-41.  
  • ‘Ett personligt perspektiv på konfessionella friskolor’, 2 (2020):25-28.  
  • ‘Faktumens olidliga skörhet – Akira Kurosawa och de fyra evangelierna’, 4 (2020):22-26.  
  • ‘Virtuell kroppslighet – virtuell synd – blick och kropp i den virtuella världen’, 5 (2021):36-40.
  • ‘Dante i samtal med oss’, 7 (2021):24-29.
  • Ställda inför ”The Social Dilemma”’, 8 (2021):22-24.  
  • ‘Frihet genom gränser – a propå debatten om könsjustering och könsidentitet oss unga’, 2 (2022):1-2. 
  • ‘Bara en sångtävling? – Bibliska motiv i Eurovision 2022’, 5 (2022):4-6. 
  • ‘Förd ut i öknen’. Review of Marie Tonkin, Marie av Egypten, 2022, 8 (2022):48-50. 
  • ‘Liknelsen om Fadern och de båda sönerna’, 3 (2023):9-12.
  • ‘Marilynne Robinsons teologiska perspektiv’, 4 (2023):39-44. 
  • ‘Läsvanor och utbilningsmål’, 1 (2024):28-33.
  • ‘Bogolouchie på Folkoperan’, 4 (2024):45-47.
  • ‘Bibeln som teodicé’. Review of Marilynne Robinson, Reading Genesis. Virago, 2024, 7 (2024):44-46.