Profile

Philip Burton is a specialist on the relationship between early Christianity and the wider world of Graeco-Roman literature and thought. In his first book, *The Old Latin Gospels* (OUP, 2000), he examined the textual history and language of the earliest Latin translations of the Four Gospels, exploring particularly their translation technique and their value as a source for post-classical, non-literary Latin. His most recent book, *Language in the Confessions of Augustine* (OUP, 2007), brings together insights from linguistics and ancient theories of language. Since 2002 he has been involved in two AHRC-funded projects to produce a definitive edition of the Old Latin manuscript traditions and early citations John (visit www.itsee.bham.ac.uk for more information). He has also published on the Gothic version of the Bible and its value as a linguistic document. He is currently working also on the reception of classical antiquity and early Christianity in modern culture.

Research Interests

• The Old Latin texts of John
• The development of Christian Latin discourse
• Ancient and modern descriptions of Latin
• Reception of classical antiquity and early Christianity

Postgraduate Supervision

• Greek and Latin linguistics
• Latin Christianity
• New Testament studies
• Reception

Recent Publications

Language in the Confessions of Augustine. OUP, 2007

The Confession of Augustine (translation). Everyman, 2001

The Old Latin Gospels. A study of their texts and language. OUP, 2000

Revisiting the Christian Latin Sondersprache Hypothesis, in H. Houghton and D. Parker (edd). Texts and Studies, 2008

The Values of a Classical Education. Satirical Elements in the Claudius novels of Robert Graves. Journal of English Studies, 1995