An Analysis of Basil's Ad Adolescentes Jennifer Helen Gane

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

An Analysis of Basil's Ad Adolescentes Jennifer Helen Gane Fourth Century Christian Education: An Analysis of Basil’s Ad Adolescentes Jennifer Helen Gane PhD in the School of Historical Studies October 2012 i Abstract This thesis explores Basil’s Ad Adolescentes as the composition of a highly educated bishop who was well grounded in classical paideia, but also deeply influenced by the thoughts and writings of his Christian predecessors. Despite the long-running debate about the appropriateness of a classical education for a Christian, the reality of the Fourth Century meant that officials and clerics alike had been trained by means of traditional literature. In a world where Christianity was no bar to public office, the common educational experience became important since a mutual appreciation of paideia enabled magistrates, bishops and orators to relate to one another regardless of their religious convictions. Consequently, the sons of Christians attended school fully aware of potential career opportunities in the secular sphere, since faith and office appeared no longer at odds. It was in this climate that Basil composed Ad Adolescentes, addressing himself to Christian youths embarking on higher education with a range of possibilities before them. In this thesis Basil’s text is analysed and discussed by a combination of thematic introduction and commentary: the thematic chapters consider the subject, purposes and specific and broader contexts of the Ad Adolescentes and the previous scholarship on the work in this regard; the commentary explicates relevant details in the text and offers close analysis which supports interpretations offered in the introduction. Chapters 1 and 2 consider the views of previous scholars on the text and the educational context relevant to Basil’s audience. The subsequent two chapters address the question of literary influence and the traditional methods employed in the interpretation of classical texts by both Christian and pagan educationalists. The final introductory chapter explores the propaedeutic nature of the text and identifies the manner in which Basil sought to synthesise lessons from traditional literature with homiletic themes, in anticipation of the secular and Christian responsibilities available to his audience. ii Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supervisors, Dr Rowland Smith and Mr Jeremy Paterson, for all their help and encouragement over the years it has taken to complete this thesis. I am also grateful to the staff and postgraduate students in the School of Historical Studies at Newcastle University for their participation in the interdisciplinary research culture which has made the School a supportive and enthusiastic environment in which to work. This thesis would never have been completed without the support of many friends and family members, but I am particularly indebted to Rev. Liz Kent for her hours of encouraging advice and conversation. Without her, not only would the path to PhD no doubt have proved too steep, but also the journey would have been far less pleasant. Finally, my greatest thanks go to my husband, Brad, for his unwavering belief in my abilities, his love and all his support in enabling me to pursue my dream. iii Contents Abstract………………………………………………………………………….... ii List of Abbreviations........................................................................................................ vi Chapter 1. Basil’s biography and education in the fourth century .................................... 1 Basil’s biography .......................................................................................................... 1 The education of the fourth century .............................................................................. 2 The moral education ...................................................................................................... 5 Paideia ........................................................................................................................... 6 Basil’s higher education and subsequent career............................................................ 7 Basil’s writings ............................................................................................................. 9 Thesis outline ................................................................................................................ 9 Other works used in the thesis ............................................................................. 10 Chapter 2. Scholarship and setting of Ad Adolescentes .................................................. 12 Ad Adolescentes .......................................................................................................... 12 Ad Adolescentes in modern scholarship ...................................................................... 12 The audience ............................................................................................................... 15 The motivation ............................................................................................................ 22 Outline summary of Ad Adolescentes ......................................................................... 28 Chapter 3. Pagan and Christian influences ..................................................................... 31 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 31 Influences on Basil ...................................................................................................... 33 Plato ............................................................................................................................ 34 Plutarch ....................................................................................................................... 41 On the education of children: De liberis educandis ............................................. 42 How to Study Poetry: Quomodo adolescens poetas audire debeat ..................... 45 Making progress in virtue: Quomodo quis suos in virtute sentiat profectus ....... 50 Clement of Alexandria, Paedogogus .......................................................................... 52 Principles of Education ........................................................................................ 54 Propaideusis ......................................................................................................... 56 The use of classical literature ............................................................................... 57 Common Images .................................................................................................. 61 The Christian life ................................................................................................. 61 John Chrysostom ......................................................................................................... 66 Pagan examples .................................................................................................... 66 Athlete not ascetic ................................................................................................ 68 Control of passion ................................................................................................ 69 The Theatre .......................................................................................................... 70 Attitude to Rhetoric .............................................................................................. 72 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 74 Chapter 4. Modes of Interpretation ................................................................................. 75 Basil as a product of his time ...................................................................................... 75 Allegory....................................................................................................................... 75 Odysseus ..................................................................................................................... 77 Herakles....................................................................................................................... 85 Analysis of the Versions of the Allegory ............................................................. 87 Chapter 5: Ad Adolescentes as a Propaideusis ................................................................ 99 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 99 Anger ......................................................................................................................... 101 Sermon against those who are prone to anger ........................................................... 103 iv On the words ‘Give Heed to Thyself’ ....................................................................... 107 Chapter 6. Text and Translation of Ad Adolescentes .................................................... 113 Section 1 .................................................................................................................... 113 Section 2 .................................................................................................................... 114 Section 3 .................................................................................................................... 116 Section 4 ...................................................................................................................
Recommended publications
  • Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2018
    Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2018 Conforming to General Convention 2018 1 Preface Christians have since ancient times honored men and women whose lives represent heroic commitment to Christ and who have borne witness to their faith even at the cost of their lives. Such witnesses, by the grace of God, live in every age. The criteria used in the selection of those to be commemorated in the Episcopal Church are set out below and represent a growing consensus among provinces of the Anglican Communion also engaged in enriching their calendars. What we celebrate in the lives of the saints is the presence of Christ expressing itself in and through particular lives lived in the midst of specific historical circumstances. In the saints we are not dealing primarily with absolutes of perfection but human lives, in all their diversity, open to the motions of the Holy Spirit. Many a holy life, when carefully examined, will reveal flaws or the bias of a particular moment in history or ecclesial perspective. It should encourage us to realize that the saints, like us, are first and foremost redeemed sinners in whom the risen Christ’s words to St. Paul come to fulfillment, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” The “lesser feasts” provide opportunities for optional observance. They are not intended to replace the fundamental celebration of Sunday and major Holy Days. As the Standing Liturgical Commission and the General Convention add or delete names from the calendar, successive editions of this volume will be published, each edition bearing in the title the date of the General Convention to which it is a response.
    [Show full text]
  • The Rule of St Basil in Latin and English
    The Rule of St Basil in Latin and English The Rule of St Basil in Latin and English A Revised Critical Edition Translated by Anna M. Silvas A Michael Glazier Book LITURGICAL PRESS Collegeville, Minnesota www.litpress.org A Michael Glazier Book published by Liturgical Press Cover design by Jodi Hendrickson. Cover image: Wikipedia. The Latin text of the Regula Basilii is keyed from Basili Regula—A Rufino Latine Versa, ed. Klaus Zelzer, Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum, vol. 86 (Vienna: Hoelder-Pichler-Tempsky, 1986). Used by permission of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. Scripture has been translated by the author directly from Rufinus’s text. © 2013 by Order of Saint Benedict, Collegeville, Minnesota. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, microfilm, micro- fiche, mechanical recording, photocopying, translation, or by any other means, known or yet unknown, for any purpose except brief quotations in reviews, without the previous written permission of Liturgical Press, Saint John’s Abbey, PO Box 7500, Collegeville, Minnesota 56321-7500. Printed in the United States of America. 123456789 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Basil, Saint, Bishop of Caesarea, approximately 329–379. The Rule of St Basil in Latin and English : a revised critical edition / Anna M. Silvas. pages cm “A Michael Glazier book.” Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-0-8146-8212-8 — ISBN 978-0-8146-8237-1 (e-book) 1. Basil, Saint, Bishop of Caesarea, approximately 329–379. Regula. 2. Orthodox Eastern monasticism and religious orders—Rules. I. Silvas, Anna, translator. II. Title. III. Title: Rule of Basil.
    [Show full text]
  • Pastor's Meanderings 28 -29 December 2019 Feast of The
    PASTOR’S MEANDERINGS 28 -29 DECEMBER 2019 FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS MARY AND JOSEPH REFLECTION FOR THE FEAST The Feast of the Holy Family is experienced by many as slightly intimidating. When the whole Church contemplates the domestic life of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, the shortcomings of our own family life are highlighted. Especially with the rise of martial breakdown and the decline in religious practice, the Holy Family can appear very distant indeed from our – perhaps painfully ‘unholy’ – families. Just look at today’s First Reading and compare your own family life, and the families you know. Are fathers honored by their children? Do mothers have their authority respected? Are parents gladdened and comforted by their children? Is the presence of the elderly warmly welcomed? And how about the virtues listed in the second reading, virtues which doubtless characterized the home of Jesus, Mary and Joseph: can we really say that our families are characterized by patience, forgiveness, humility, gentleness, obedience, mutual submission? If we treat this feast only as an examination of conscience, we might end up simply feeling inadequate. But a proper understanding of our baptism shows that this feast contains a consolation and a promise that lifts us out of our despair. Think about it: we have each been baptized into Christ. We are living members of Christ’s body. By our baptism we have been “called into one body”, not a generic body politic, but precisely the body of Christ. This has immense consequences: it means that, to the extent that we are joined to Christ by faith and love and the sacraments everything He did and suffered counts, mystically, as our very own.
    [Show full text]
  • Using the Theme Throughout the Year 2016 Theme
    Using the Theme Throughout the Year 2016 Theme: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15) Symbol: House Icons: St. Basil’s Family, Presentation of the Theotokos in the Temple, Presentation of the Lord in the Temple Theme Song: “We Will Serve The Lord” http://www.antiochian.org/festivals/cf/theme-song-2016 Lesson Plans: Downloadable lesson plans are provided by AODCE for age levels ranging from preschool to high school: http://www.antiochian.org/festivals/cf/lesson-plans-2016 Reference Books: Making God Real in the Orthodox Christian Home by Fr. Anthony Coniaris A Guide for the Domestic Church available from God With Us Publications Throughout the Church School Year: Use the logo and/or symbol on name tags, room signs, letterhead, bulletin boards, posters, crafts, gifts, and incentives. Craft Kits Related to the Theme: “As for Me and My Household” Craft Kit http://www.orientaltrading.com/as-for-me-and-my-household-craft-kit-a2- 13658361.fltr?prodCatId=550055+1967 “Trust and Obey” Magnet Kit http://www.orientaltrading.com/trust-and-obey-magnet-craft-kit-a2- 13693468.fltr?prodCatId=550055+1967 “All Families Need a Stable Foundation” Sign Craft Kit http://www.orientaltrading.com/stable-foundation-sign-craft-kit-a2- 13663435.fltr?prodCatId=550055+1967 Websites Related to the Theme: http://www.familyshare.com/growth/as-for-me-and-my-house-we-will-serve-the-lord http://ministry-to-children.com/bible-lesson-serve-god-joshua-23-24/ Website Related to the Family: http://www.goarch.org/archdiocese/departments/family/ Other ideas may be found on AODCE’s Social Media Pages: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/aodce/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/orthodoxchristianparenting and https://www.facebook.com/orthodoxchristiansundaychurchschoolteachers WordPress: https://orthodoxchristianparenting.wordpress.com/ https://orthodoxchurchschoolteachers.wordpress.com/ Saints Festival: This is especially good in the month of October as an alternative to Halloween, but it can be held at any time.
    [Show full text]
  • Marathon 2,500 Years Edited by Christopher Carey & Michael Edwards
    MARATHON 2,500 YEARS EDITED BY CHRISTOPHER CAREY & MICHAEL EDWARDS INSTITUTE OF CLASSICAL STUDIES SCHOOL OF ADVANCED STUDY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON MARATHON – 2,500 YEARS BULLETIN OF THE INSTITUTE OF CLASSICAL STUDIES SUPPLEMENT 124 DIRECTOR & GENERAL EDITOR: JOHN NORTH DIRECTOR OF PUBLICATIONS: RICHARD SIMPSON MARATHON – 2,500 YEARS PROCEEDINGS OF THE MARATHON CONFERENCE 2010 EDITED BY CHRISTOPHER CAREY & MICHAEL EDWARDS INSTITUTE OF CLASSICAL STUDIES SCHOOL OF ADVANCED STUDY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON 2013 The cover image shows Persian warriors at Ishtar Gate, from before the fourth century BC. Pergamon Museum/Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin. Photo Mohammed Shamma (2003). Used under CC‐BY terms. All rights reserved. This PDF edition published in 2019 First published in print in 2013 This book is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- NoDerivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0) license. More information regarding CC licenses is available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ Available to download free at http://www.humanities-digital-library.org ISBN: 978-1-905670-81-9 (2019 PDF edition) DOI: 10.14296/1019.9781905670819 ISBN: 978-1-905670-52-9 (2013 paperback edition) ©2013 Institute of Classical Studies, University of London The right of contributors to be identified as the authors of the work published here has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Designed and typeset at the Institute of Classical Studies TABLE OF CONTENTS Introductory note 1 P. J. Rhodes The battle of Marathon and modern scholarship 3 Christopher Pelling Herodotus’ Marathon 23 Peter Krentz Marathon and the development of the exclusive hoplite phalanx 35 Andrej Petrovic The battle of Marathon in pre-Herodotean sources: on Marathon verse-inscriptions (IG I3 503/504; Seg Lvi 430) 45 V.
    [Show full text]
  • Guast, W. (2017). Accepting the Omen: External Reference in Greek Declamation
    Guast, W. (2017). Accepting the omen: external reference in Greek declamation. Cambridge Classical Journal, 63, 82-102. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1750270517000069 Peer reviewed version Link to published version (if available): 10.1017/S1750270517000069 Link to publication record in Explore Bristol Research PDF-document This is the author accepted manuscript (AAM). The final published version (version of record) is available online via Cambridge University Press at https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/cambridge-classical- journal/article/accepting-the-omen-external-referece-in-greek- declamation/8BA4316403B966605EE9736C2311EAB0 . Please refer to any applicable terms of use of the publisher. University of Bristol - Explore Bristol Research General rights This document is made available in accordance with publisher policies. Please cite only the published version using the reference above. Full terms of use are available: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/red/research-policy/pure/user-guides/ebr-terms/ 1 ACCEPTING THE OMEN: EXTERNAL REFERENCE IN GREEK DECLAMATION William Guast University of Bristol, UK* Abstract: Traditional accounts of Greek declamation paint this important imperial genre as a flight from the alleged impotence of Greek cities under Roman rule into a nostalgic fantasy of the autonomy of the Classical past. But there is clear evidence of declaimers using their works to refer to the world outside the fiction, often to the immediate performance context, and above all to themselves. This paper examines examples from Aelius Aristides, Philostratus’ Lives of the Sophists, and Polemo, and shows that such a practice facilitated vigorous and eloquent communication, while also allowing for any external message to be plausibly denied. Introduction Λολλιανὸς δὲ ὁ Ἐφέσιος προὔστη μὲν τοῦ Ἀθήνησι θρόνου πρῶτος, προὔστη δὲ καὶ τοῦ Ἀθηναίων δήμου στρατηγήσας αὐτοῖς τὴν ἐπὶ τῶν ὅπλων, ἡ δὲ ἀρχὴ αὕτη πάλαι μὲν κατέλεγέ τε καὶ ἐξῆγεν ἐς τὰ πολέμια, νυνὶ δὲ τροφῶν ἐπιμελεῖται καὶ σίτου ἀγορᾶς.
    [Show full text]
  • How to Write History: Thucydides and Herodotus in the Ancient Rhetorical Tradition
    How to write history: Thucydides and Herodotus in the ancient rhetorical tradition A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Scott Kennedy, B.A., B.S. Graduate Program in Greek and Latin The Ohio State University 2018 Dissertation Committee: Anthony Kaldellis, Adviser Benjamin Acosta-Hughes Will Batstone Copyright by Scott Kennedy 2018 Abstract Modern students of Thucydides and Herodotus may find it odd to think of them as rhetoricians. Yet in the ancient world, both historians (and especially Thucydides) played an important role in rhetorical schools. They were among the favorite authors of ancient teachers of rhetoric and served as foundational pillars of the ancient curriculum, providing themes for school exercises and even for such seminal texts as Hermogenes' theoretical treatises on rhetoric. Modern scholars might never read technical rhetorical texts such as Hermogenes. They almost certainly would never turn to Hermogenes and his kind to help them understand Thucydides or Herodotus. But for our ancient intellectual predecessors, such an approach would have been unconscionable, as ancient rhetoric was the theoretical lens with which they understood and appreciated historical writings. In this dissertation, I explore the confluence of rhetoric and historiography in the ancient world through an examination of how Herodotus and Thucydides were used in ancient schools and then by later historians. Chapter 1 and 2 outline how these historians were embedded and encoded within the rhetorical curriculum. In Chapter 1, I examine how Herodotus and Thucydides entered the rhetorical curriculum and how rhetors incorporated them into the rhetorical curriculum through an examination of the surviving progymnasmata, scholia, and pedagogical myths.
    [Show full text]
  • Saints Basil the Great and Gregory of Nazianzus
    Saints Basil the Great and Gregory of Nazianzus SAINT OF THE DAY 02-01-2021 Saints in heaven, friends on earth, both were proclaimed doctors of the Church in 1568 by Saint Pius V: because they shared their lives in Christ, the Church remembers on the same day Saint Basil the Great (c. 329-379) and Saint Gregory of Nazianzus (c. 329-390), who belong to the group of «Cappadocian Fathers», also including Basil's own brother, Saint Gregory of Nyssa. In addition to sharing the same geographic origin, the Cappadocian Fathers distinguished themselves by the ability to communicate their faith to Greek-speaking intellectuals, to whom they demonstrated the perfect compatibility of Christianity with true philosophy. SAN BASIL THE GREAT. His was a family of saints, effectively a small domestic church. His grandfather [Basil the Elder] died a martyr under the persecutions of Diocletian, and became the first saint known to us in Basil's genealogical tree; the Church also venerates his parents, grandmother Macrina the Elder, his sister Macrina the Younger, his brothers the bishops Gregory of Nyssa and Peter of Sebaste. His grandmother Macrina the Elder proved fundamental in Basil's education to the Christian virtues: "In my life I will never forget the vigorous promptings that the speeches and examples of this most pious woman gave to my still tender heart", he wrote. After studying in his native Caesarea in Cappadocia, where his father (a wealthy rhetorician and lawyer) was his first teacher, Basil completed his education in Constantinople and then in Athens, where he was a pupil of the pagan philosopher Himerius, together with Gregory of Nazianzus, with whom he struck a lifelong friendship.
    [Show full text]
  • Attempts at Restoring Pagan Hellenism During the Reign of Emperor Julian the Apostate
    International Journal of Orthodox Theology 5:4 (2014) 177 urn:nbn:de:0276-2014-4082 Marius Telea Attempts at restoring pagan Hellenism during the Reign of Emperor Julian the Apostate. Figures of Christian Martyrs Abstract In the Orthodox Church, martyrdom has always been regarded and understood as being the supreme trial of faith, through which Christians confess their faith in Jesus Christ the Saviour, even at the expense of their life. The violent and atrocious persecutions against Christians lasted almost three centuries, more precisely until 313, when Emperor Constantine the Great granted freedom to the Christian religion through the so-called Edict of Milan. Later, after persecutions ceased, the Marius Telea is PhD., relics of the holy martyrs were taken Associate Professor of History and Spirituality of out of their tombs and place with Byzantium at the Faculty devoutness in open vaults or of Orthodox Theology of reliquaries, and on the tombs of “December 1st 1918” saints and martyrs were built the first University of Alba Iulia, churches called martyria. Here, Romania. 178 Marius Telea Christians began to assemble so as to glorify God and to pray the saint martyrs for intercession before the throne of the Holy Trinity for the salvation of people. Keywords Paganism, Julian the Apostate, Hellenism, Martyrs 1 Introduction The fourth century AD meant the final victory of Christianity over paganism. The Greek-Roman paganism with its gods and culture was drawing to an end. The Christian religion and culture sprang bright and powerful on the ruins of the pagan religion and culture. The temples of Greek and Roman gods were destroyed by Christian missionaries, and Christianity became a state religion.
    [Show full text]
  • Download This PDF File
    Athens between East and West: Athenian Elite Self-Presentation and the Durability of Traditional Cult in Late Antiquity Edward Watts T IS GENERALLY ACCEPTED that the urban centers of the Greek-speaking east more quickly dismantled traditional religious infrastructure and disrupted traditional religious I 1 customs than did cities in the west. The city of Athens, how- ever, has always fit awkwardly in this narrative. Alexandria, long Athens’ rival for cultural supremacy in the Greek world, saw its urban infrastructure violently and effectively Christian- ized in the early 390s by the campaigns and construction projects of the bishop Theophilus.2 Alexandria’s civic and political life arguably followed suit after the violence that accompanied the consolidation of episcopal power by Theo- philus’ successor Cyril and the murder of the philosopher Hypatia in the early 410s.3 Antioch and its hinterland saw its pagan institutions disrupted gradually, first through isolated incidents like the conversion (and ultimate destruction) of the 1 See, among others, C. P. Jones, Between Pagan and Christian (Cambridge [Mass.] 2014) 107–143. 2 J. Hahn, “The Conversion of Cult Statues: The Destruction of the Serapeum 392 A.D. and the Transformation of Alexandria into the ‘Christ- Loving’ City,” in J. Hahn et al. (eds.), From Temple to Church: Destruction and Renewal of Local Cultic Topography in Late Antiquity (Leiden 2008) 335–363. Cf. E. Watts, Riot in Alexandria (Berkeley 2010) 191–205. 3 On Hypatia see C. Haas, Alexandria in Late Antiquity (Baltimore 1997) 295–316; M. Dzielska, Hypatia of Alexandria (Cambridge [Mass.] 1995) 88– 93; E. Watts, Hypatia: The Life and Legend of an Ancient Philosopher (Oxford 2017).
    [Show full text]
  • Can We Hear the Spoken Words of Gregory of Nazianzus?
    72 Scrinium 13 (2017) 72-83 Daunton-fear Journal of Patrology and Critical Hagiography www.brill.com/scri Can We Hear the Spoken Words of Gregory of Nazianzus? Andrew Daunton-Fear Bristol, UK [email protected] Summary St. Gregory of Nazianzus, of great repute in the Orthodox Church as a theologian, was also an outstanding preacher whose style was honed by some of the greatest teachers of rhetoric of his day. We have scripts of forty-four of his homilies (orations), issued to posterity from his retirement. Their often complex style and thought has led some scholars to deduce that he heavily reworked them and to question whether we can any longer hear what he actually said. Yet his powerful employment of rhetorical figures, particularly in his festal orations, but also elsewhere, and his frequent use of direct speech to individuals, groups, or his whole audience, suggest that here at least we can hear his actual spoken words. Keywords Gregory of Nazianzus – preacher – orations – rhetoric – sophists – figures of thought – figures of speech – direct speech Saint Gregory of Nazianzus (c. 329-c. 390), one of the ‘Cappadocian Fathers’, was accorded the title ‘the Theologian’ by the eastern church for his classic exposition of the doctrine of the Trinity. He was also an outstanding preacher. Born into a Christian family in Cappadocia, he received a fine classical educa- tion. At Athens he was taught rhetoric by the Christian Prohaeresius and the pagan Himerius,1 leading exponents of the Second Sophistic. This training, 1 Socrates, H.E. 4.26.6; Sokrates.
    [Show full text]
  • The Library •-- ! of Photius % Volume I
    y t? TRANSLATIONS OF 1 CHRISTIAN LITERATURE a i THE LIBRARY •-- ! OF PHOTIUS % VOLUME I. ^r J, H. FREESE i i i i ! i , rt^Mj^iyij|j(|ij j ! |.|| M|i |U|i|y eS-'^-v'im..*!., TRANSLATIONS OF CHRISTIAN LITERATURE General Editors : W. J. SPARROW SIMPSON, D.D., W. K. LOWTHER CLARKE, B.D. SERIES I GREEK TEXTS PHOTIUS VOL. I. TRM51AnO¥^ OF CFM^TIM LITERATirRE . $EBIES I GREEK TEXT5 ( \ THE LIBRAKY OF PHOTIUS VOLUMEI i Sy JHFREESE. SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE. London The Macmillan Corapanuipanu .l^evv\ork J 1920 \s^o^^ Printed in Great Britain by Richard Clay ^^ Sons, Limited, brunswick st., stamford st., s.e. i, and bungay, suffolk / 920 / PREFACE It is proposed to issue the present translation of the Biblio- theca in will of Photius five volumes ; a sixth contain an account of his life and works, a Bibliography, and a General Index to the whole. A translator of the Bihliotheca has apparently an open field. So far as can be ascertained, no complete version exists in English or any other modern language, although there are English translations or editions of some of the longer extracts [e.g, Ctesias' Indica), of some of the literary criticisms,^ of selected codices (chiefly on profane authors) in Italian by G. Compagnoni,^ a well-known Milanese literary man and states- man (1754-1834), and of the whole in Latin by the learned in Jesuit Andreas Schott^ Migne's Patrologia Graeca (vol. ciii.). * The text is unfortunately in many places unsatisfactory, and no critical edition has been attempted for nearly a hundred years — since 1824, the date of Immanuel Bekker's edition.
    [Show full text]