DOCSLIB.ORG

Hellenism and Greek Philosophy in the Rhetoric of John Chrysostom

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Hellenism and Greek Philosophy in the Rhetoric of John Chrysostom View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Open Research Exeter JOHN CHRYSOSTOM AND THE GREEKS HELLENISM AND GREEK PHILOSOPHY IN THE RHETORIC OF JOHN CHRYSOSTOM BY PASCHALIS GKORTSILAS December 21, 2017 DECLARATION Submitted by PASCHALIS GKORTSILAS to the UNIVERSITY OF EXETER as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Theology and Religion, December 21, 2017. This thesis is available for Library use on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. I certify that all material in this thesis which is not my own work has been identified and that no material has previously been submitted and approved for the award of a degree by this or any other university. SIGNATURE: Paschalis Gkortsilas (signed) Dedicated to the Memory of Γεώργιος, Εµµανουήλ, Πασχάλης, and Μπουµπού ἔνθα τοιοῦτον οὐδέν ἐστιν, ἔνθα ἀπέδρα ὀδύνη, λύπη καὶ στεναγµός John Chrysostom, Homilies on 2 Timothy 1.1 (PG 62:601) Abstract John Chrysostom and the Greeks Hellenism and Greek Philosophy in the Rhetoric of John Chrysostom By Paschalis Gkortsilas The aim of the present study is to examine how Hellenism and Greek philosophy were received and used in arguments in the writings of John Chrysostom. The thesis is divided into five chapters of varying lengths, with the fifth chapter being the conclusion of the thesis. Chapter 1 is divided into two major parts. Part A is the story of certain major scholarly works on the topic of Hellenism and Christianity, particularly in late antiquity. Part B turns to previous scholarship on John Chrysostom and Hellenism specifically. We discuss three particular aspects of John’s reception, rhetoric, philosophy, and religious identity while also looking in interpretations from modern scholarship. This part and the chapter conclude with a general overview of the argument and an identification of research gaps. Chapter 2 is divided into five parts. After a discussion of the identity of those called Greeks in John’s corpus we proceed to analyse his extensive criticism of several aspects of Hellenism: philosophy, religion, public attitudes, and the binding power of tradition. The third part goes into the opposite direction and examines instances of John’s positive references to Hellenes and Greek history. In part four we see the reception moving on from the binary of praise and criticism and we discuss examples of both praise and criticism combined, along with indifferent references to Hellenes and John’s practical suggestions on how the Christians should treat the Greeks. In Chapter 3 we examine John’s embodiments of Hellenism and Christianity respectively through his comparisons of individuals. The first three parts consist of v major comparisons, which are the most frequent ones in terms of the individuals compared, and minor comparisons, which are smaller treatments and usually group individuals together instead of treating them separately. The fourth part is a close analysis of Chrysostom’s Discourse on Babylas, a treatise that includes a major comparison between Babylas and Diogenes but also provides an opportunity for John to launch a full-scale attack against Hellenism. Finally, in Chapter 4 we will be looking into John’s reception of a specific philosophical school: the Cynics. After situating John’s own texts within previous Christian tradition and assessing differences and similarities, we complete the chapter by a comparison between John and the Cynics and their respective conception of a specific philosophical concept, that of autarkeia. vi Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................... v Table of Contents.........................................................................................................viii Acknowledgments..........................................................................................................xi CHAPTER 1. Christianity, John Chrysostom and Hellenism: The Status Quaestionis .................................................................................................................... 13 a. Christianity and Hellenism ................................................................................... 18 i. Nineteenth-twentieth century: Harnack and the response to Harnack ............ 21 ii. Twenty-first century: Hellenism and religious and cultural identity.............. 28 b. John Chrysostom and Hellenism .......................................................................... 38 i. John Chrysostom and the Greek classical tradition: Rhetoric......................... 38 ii. John Chrysostom and the Greek Classical Tradition: John’s Reception of Greek Philosophy and Classical Culture ............................................................ 44 iii. The Question of Religious Identity ............................................................... 56 iv. Overview of the Argument: Research Questions and Future Directions ...... 59 CHAPTER 2. Chrysostom and the Greeks: The Critique of the Past..................... 71 a. Who are the Greeks?............................................................................................. 72 b. Criticism of the Greeks......................................................................................... 75 i. Philosophical criticism .................................................................................... 75 ii. Reconstructing the beliefs of the Greeks: Religious criticism ....................... 85 iii. Apologetic battles: the nature of society ..................................................... 101 iv. Apologetic battles: the power of public Christian behaviour ...................... 115 v. Breaking the Habit........................................................................................ 122 vi. Interpreting Chrysostom’s criticism of the Greeks...................................... 125 c. The praise of Hellenism ...................................................................................... 126 d. Further complexity.............................................................................................. 139 i. Praise and Critique of Hellenism combined .................................................. 139 ii. Indifference to Hellenism ............................................................................. 142 iii. How are the Christians supposed to treat the Greeks? ................................ 144 iv. The heritage of Hellenism ........................................................................... 149 e. A man of contradictions...................................................................................... 150 CHAPTER 3. Of what fatherland are you: The dialectics of identity through comparisons................................................................................................................. 152 a. The martyrs in Chrysostom’s rhetoric ................................................................ 153 b. Major Comparisons ............................................................................................ 158 i. Plato, Socrates, Peter, and Paul ..................................................................... 159 viii ii. The beloved disciple, Plato and Pythagoras ................................................. 170 c. Minor comparisons ............................................................................................. 177 i. The Evangelists and the Philosophers ........................................................... 177 ii. The Apostles and the Great Men of Greece ................................................. 181 iii. The flight of the philosophers, the fight over science, and faith against reasonings ......................................................................................................... 182 d. Babylas and the Greeks ...................................................................................... 188 e. Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 208 CHAPTER 4. “Dogs priced at three obols”: The reception of Cynicism in John Chrysostom.................................................................................................................. 211 a. Early Christianity and Cynicism: Views Past and Present ................................. 214 b. Patristic Reception of Cynic Philosophers: Criticism, Praise and Distortion..... 219 i. Diogenes ........................................................................................................ 220 ii. Antisthenes ................................................................................................... 226 iii. Crates........................................................................................................... 228 iv. Ambivalence and Assimilation.................................................................... 230 c. John Chrysostom on the Cynics.......................................................................... 231 i. Criticism against Diogenes (and Crates): Vainglory, perversion, and uselessness ........................................................................................................ 232 ii. Praising Diogenes: A re-evaluation of kingship........................................... 235 iii. Criticism of contemporary Cynics .............................................................. 237 iv.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Library of Libanius':-)
    THE LIBRARY OF LIBANIUS':-) In arecent work Festugiere glanced briefly at the problem of the texts available to Libanius 1). Despite rus careful emphasis upon the provisional nature of this survey, such a statistical presentation of literary borrowings and sources may tempt the unwary into unwarranted conclusions. Care must be taken, as he rightly indicates, not to regard his list as complete in itself, nor yet as consistently representative of Libanius' treatment of his material, still less as representative of other sophists. The incidence of classical citations in such authors depends upon criteria both subjective and objective. A Himerius, with his exaggeratedly florid style, will differ, both in aim and in inspiration, from the more argumentative exposition and more subtle appeal to psychology presented by Libanius. Thus, besides using the corpus of literature which was basic to the Greek educational system - epic, drama, history and oratory, 'f) Textual references are to Libanius ed. Förster, Menander ed. Körte, [0 fragments of tragedy, Nauck, T. G. F. 2, and Iyric, Bergk e. 1) Antioche Paienne et Chrhienne, 216 and 509. A. F. No r man: The Library of Libanius 159 Himerius characteristically displays a degree of proficiency with material from lyric which is most unusual in 4th century writers. In the Libanian corpus itself, different genres require differences of matter and treatment which are to be observed not merely in a comparison of orations, declamations and letters, but in any assessment of the orations themselves 2). The broad outline of Libanius' course is essentially that re­ c'ommended long before by Dio Chrysostom and Quintilian, and even then of tried utility and venerable antiquity 3).
    [Show full text]
  • A. Cameron, Procopius and the Sixth Century
    Histos () - REVIEW −DISCUSSION CAMERON AND BEYOND Averil Cameron: Procopius and the Sixth century . Pp. xiii + . Rout- ledge, . £.. Procopius and the Sixth century was first published by Duckworth just over a decade ago. The cover has changed from an equestrian Justinian I to a rather murky photograph of the interior of the church of SS. Sergius and Bacchus, but the contents remain the same. Nevertheless, the republication of this seminal work affords a welcome opportunity for the reappraisal of Cameron’s interpretation in the light of more recent contributions as well as for a more general survey of sixth-century scholarship. The objective of Cameron’s book was deceptively simple: to understand Procopius, who seemed such a puzzle because of the apparently diverse and contrasting nature of his three surviving works: the Wars classicising histori- ography, the Secret History a blistering attack on Justinian and his reign, the Buildings an imperial panegyric, focusing on the emperor’s building activity. Cameron argued that the puzzle was an illusion fostered by persistent mis- conceptions of Procopius as a rational throwback to the classical world, that the Wars has in fact much in common with the other two works and is inti- mately entwined with them and that the primacy accorded the Wars and the bland acceptance of its classicism are equally mistaken. To this end she approached the Secret History and the Buildings before the Wars . In the course of her examination she characterises the Secret History as an ‘angry pamphlet, finished in parts, but without much that was new to contribute to opposition literature over and above its scandal value’; she maintains that the Buildings ‘represents Procopius’ “real” views about em- peror and empire’; and she views the Wars as cast in the tradition of classi- cising historiography but by an author whose talents were limited.
    [Show full text]
  • Ibycus Pmgf 287: Love and Disgrace Ἔρος Αὖτέ Με Κυανέοισιν Ὑπὸ Βλεφάροις Τακέρ' Ὄµ
    IBYCUS PMGF 287: LOVE AND DISGRACE Ἔρος αὖτέ µε κυανέοισιν ὑπὸ βλεφάροις τακέρ’ ὄµµασι δερκόµενος κηλήµασι παντοδαποῖς ἐς ἄπει- ρα δίκτυα Κύπριδος ἐσβάλλει· 5 ἦ µὰν τροµέω νιν ἐπερχόµενον, ὥστε φερέζυγος ἵππος ἀεθλοφόρος ποτὶ γήρᾳ ἀέκων σὺν ὄχεσφι θοοῖς ἐς ἅµιλλαν ἔβα. Judging from the source which has preserved this fragment for us and from its overall structure, which I will analyze below, I believe that these lines of Ibycus constitute in all probability a complete poem1. This provides us the opportunity for a thorough interpretation and evaluation, an opportu- nity which has not, in my opinion, been adequately exploited by scholars so far. The intricacy and dexterity of Ibycus’ poetic art in this particular speci- men of his work has gone largely unnoticed. As will be seen by the ensuing analysis, there is not even a single word in these seven verses which has a superfluous or merely ornamental function; on the contrary, it is carefully chosen, put and invested with a particular significance that contributes ef- fectively to the production of the implicit meaning that the poet imparts to his creation. And this meaning mostly concerns the unavoidable danger of facing disgrace in one’s efforts of erotic conquest. The first remark to be made is that Ibycus’ poem is comprised by two distinct images, which are however implicitly linked2; an initial connection is established by the correlation between the phrase Ἔρος αὖτέ µε and the adjective φερέζυγος: the subjugation of the horse, which comes to represent the poetic persona that Ibycus here adopts, denotes precisely that the speaker is constantly under the influence of Eros, that he finds himself repeatedly falling in love.
    [Show full text]
  • Dio Chrysostom's Charidemus and Aristotle's Eudemus
    Dio Chrysostom’s Charidemus and Aristotle’s Eudemus Katarzyna Jażdżewska IO CHRYSOSTOM’S DIALOGUE Charidemus exhibits a rich intertextual network, and recent scholarship has D explored Dio’s interaction with Plato’s Phaedo, with Hellenistic philosophy (particularly Stoicism and Cynicism), and with consolation, λόγος παραµυθητικός.1 In this note I would like to add to the literary background of the dialogue by arguing that, so far as extant evidence allows us to judge, Dio’s Charidemus seems to have been particularly closely associated with Aristotle’s lost dialogue Eudemus in respect to format, overall character, and themes covered. Aristotle’s Eudemus was a dialogue written to commemorate Eudemus of Cyprus, a deceased friend and a member of the Academy, who died in Syracuse around 354 B.C.E.2 Ps.- Plutarch’s Consolation to Apollonius 115B (= Arist. fr.44) informs us that Aristotle’s work was known under the title Eudemus, or On the soul. We do not know who the interlocutors were; Aristotle may have been one of the speakers.3 From Cicero’s De 1 For Plato see J. Moles, “The Dionian Charidemus,” 187–210, and M. Trapp, “Plato in Dio,” 213–239, in S. Swain (ed.), Dio Chrysostom. Politics, Letters, and Philosophy (Oxford 2000); K. Jażdżewska, “Dio Chrysostom’s Charidemos: A Study,” Eos 101 (2014) 67–81, at 69–76. For consolatory topoi, M. C. Giner Soria, “Acotaciones a un diálogo consolatorio,” Faventia 12–13 (1990) 293–305. For an overview of various influences on the Charidemus, M. Menchelli, Dione di Prusa. Caridemo (Or. XXX) (Naples 1999) 37–75.
    [Show full text]
  • 'Pythagorean' Kingship Treatises
    Meeting Different Needs The Implied Readers ofthe ‘Pythagorean’ Kingship Treatises Michael Trapp To cite this version: Michael Trapp. Meeting Different Needs The Implied Readers of the ‘Pythagorean’ Kingship Treatises. KTÈMA Civilisations de l’Orient, de la Grèce et de Rome antiques, Université de Strasbourg, 2020, Les traités néopythagoriciens Sur la royauté, 45, pp.143-160. halshs-03071732 HAL Id: halshs-03071732 https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-03071732 Submitted on 16 Dec 2020 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. KTÈMA KTÈMA KTÈMA CIVILISATIONS DE L’ORIENT, DE LA GRÈCE ET DE ROME ANTIQUES CIVILISATIONS DE L’ORIENT, DE LA GRÈCE ET DE ROME ANTIQUES KTÈMA est une revue annuelle de recherche consacrée à l’histoire, l’archéologie et la littérature de la Grèce, de Rome, de l’Égypte et du Les traités néopythagoriciens Sur la royauté Proche-Orient antiques. Fondée en 1976 par Edmond Frézouls et Anne Gangloff Introduction ..............................................................................................................................5
    [Show full text]
  • Continuity and Tradition: the Prominent Role of Cyrillian Christology In
    Jacopo Gnisci Jacopo Gnisci CONTINUITY AND TRADITION: THE PROMINENT ROLE OF CYRILLIAN CHRISTOLOGY IN FIFTEENTH AND SIXTEENTH CENTURY ETHIOPIA The Ethiopian Tewahedo Church is one of the oldest in the world. Its clergy maintains that Christianity arrived in the country during the first century AD (Yesehaq 1997: 13), as a result of the conversion of the Ethiopian Eunuch, narrated in the Acts of the Apostles (8:26-39). For most scholars, however, the history of Christianity in the region begins with the conversion of the Aksumite ruler Ezana, approximately during the first half of the fourth century AD.1 For historical and geographical reasons, throughout most of its long history the Ethiopian Church has shared strong ties with Egypt and, in particular, with the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. For instance, a conspicuous part of its literary corpus, both canonical and apocryphal, is drawn from Coptic sources (Cerulli 1961 67:70). Its liturgy and theology were also profoundly affected by the developments that took place in Alexandria (Mercer 1970).2 Furthermore, the writings of one of the most influential Alexandrian theologians, Cyril of Alexandria (c. 378-444), played a particularly significant role in shaping Ethiopian theology .3 The purpose of this paper is to highlight the enduring importance and influence of Cyril's thought on certain aspects of Ethiopian Christology from the early developments of Christianity in the country to the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Its aim, therefore, is not to offer a detailed examination of Cyril’s work, or more generally of Ethiopian Christology. Rather, its purpose is to emphasize a substantial continuity in the traditional understanding of the nature of Christ amongst Christian 1 For a more detailed introduction to the history of Ethiopian Christianity, see Kaplan (1982); Munro-Hay (2003).
    [Show full text]
  • The Nature of Hellenistic Domestic Sculpture in Its Cultural and Spatial Contexts
    THE NATURE OF HELLENISTIC DOMESTIC SCULPTURE IN ITS CULTURAL AND SPATIAL CONTEXTS DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for The Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Craig I. Hardiman, B.Comm., B.A., M.A. ***** The Ohio State University 2005 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Dr. Mark D. Fullerton, Advisor Dr. Timothy J. McNiven _______________________________ Advisor Dr. Stephen V. Tracy Graduate Program in the History of Art Copyright by Craig I. Hardiman 2005 ABSTRACT This dissertation marks the first synthetic and contextual analysis of domestic sculpture for the whole of the Hellenistic period (323 BCE – 31 BCE). Prior to this study, Hellenistic domestic sculpture had been examined from a broadly literary perspective or had been the focus of smaller regional or site-specific studies. Rather than taking any one approach, this dissertation examines both the literary testimonia and the material record in order to develop as full a picture as possible for the location, function and meaning(s) of these pieces. The study begins with a reconsideration of the literary evidence. The testimonia deal chiefly with the residences of the Hellenistic kings and their conspicuous displays of wealth in the most public rooms in the home, namely courtyards and dining rooms. Following this, the material evidence from the Greek mainland and Asia Minor is considered. The general evidence supports the literary testimonia’s location for these sculptures. In addition, several individual examples offer insights into the sophistication of domestic decorative programs among the Greeks, something usually associated with the Romans.
    [Show full text]
  • The Rhetoric of Corruption in Late Antiquity
    UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE The Rhetoric of Corruption in Late Antiquity A Dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Classics by Tim W. Watson June 2010 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Michele R. Salzman, Chairperson Dr. Harold A. Drake Dr. Thomas N. Sizgorich Copyright by Tim W. Watson 2010 The Dissertation of Tim W. Watson is approved: ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Committee Chairperson University of California, Riverside ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In accordance with that filial piety so central to the epistolary persona of Q. Aurelius Symmachus, I would like to thank first and foremost my parents, Lee and Virginia Watson, without whom there would be quite literally nothing, followed closely by my grandmother, Virginia Galbraith, whose support both emotionally and financially has been invaluable. Within the academy, my greatest debt is naturally to my advisor, Michele Salzman, a doctissima patrona of infinite patience and firm guidance, to whom I came with the mind of a child and departed with the intellect of an adult. Hal Drake I owe for his kind words, his critical eye, and his welcome humor. In Tom Sizgorich I found a friend and colleague whose friendship did not diminish even after he assumed his additional role as mentor. Outside the field, I owe a special debt to Dale Kent, who ushered me through my beginning quarter of graduate school with great encouragement and first stirred my fascination with patronage. Lastly, I would like to express my gratitude to the two organizations who have funded the years of my study, the Department of History at the University of California, Riverside and the Department of Classics at the University of California, Irvine.
    [Show full text]
  • A History of Cynicism
    A HISTORY OF CYNICISM Downloaded from https://www.holybooks.com Downloaded from https://www.holybooks.com A HISTORY OF CYNICISM From Diogenes to the 6th Century A.D. by DONALD R. DUDLEY F,llow of St. John's College, Cambrid1e Htmy Fellow at Yale University firl mll METHUEN & CO. LTD. LONDON 36 Essex Street, Strand, W.C.2 Downloaded from https://www.holybooks.com First published in 1937 PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN Downloaded from https://www.holybooks.com PREFACE THE research of which this book is the outcome was mainly carried out at St. John's College, Cambridge, Yale University, and Edinburgh University. In the help so generously given to my work I have been no less fortunate than in the scenes in which it was pursued. I am much indebted for criticism and advice to Professor M. Rostovtseff and Professor E. R. Goodonough of Yale, to Professor A. E. Taylor of Edinburgh, to Professor F. M. Cornford of Cambridge, to Professor J. L. Stocks of Liverpool, and to Dr. W. H. Semple of Reading. I should also like to thank the electors of the Henry Fund for enabling me to visit the United States, and the College Council of St. John's for electing me to a Research Fellowship. Finally, to• the unfailing interest, advice and encouragement of Mr. M. P. Charlesworth of St. John's I owe an especial debt which I can hardly hope to repay. These acknowledgements do not exhaust the list of my obligations ; but I hope that other kindnesses have been acknowledged either in the text or privately.
    [Show full text]
  • Charisma, Medieval and Modern
    Charisma, Medieval and Modern Edited by Peter Iver Kaufman and Gary Dickson Printed Edition of the Special Issue Published in Religions www.mdpi.com/journal/religions Peter Iver Kaufman and Gary Dickson (Eds.) Charisma, Medieval and Modern This book is a reprint of the special issue that appeared in the online open access journal Religions (ISSN 2077-1444) in 2012 (available at: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/religions/special_issues/charisma_medieval). Guest Editors Peter Iver Kaufman Jepson School, University of Richmond Richmond, VA, USA Gary Dickson School of History, Classics, and Archaeology, University of Edinburgh Edinburgh, EH, Scotland, UK Editorial Office MDPI AG Klybeckstrasse 64 Basel, Switzerland Publisher Shu-Kun Lin Production Editor Jeremiah R. Zhang 1. Edition 2014 0'3,%DVHO%HLMLQJ ISBN 978-3-03842-007-1 © 2014 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. All articles in this volume are Open Access distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/), which allows users to download, copy and build upon published articles even for commercial purposes, as long as the author and publisher are properly credited, which ensures maximum dissemination and a wider impact of our publications. However, the dissemination and distribution of copies of this book as a whole is restricted to MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. III Table of Contents List of Contributors ............................................................................................................... V Preface
    [Show full text]
  • The North American Patristics Society
    NORTH AMERICAN PATRISTICS SOCIETY ANNUAL MEETING PROGRAM May 21-23, 2009 Holiday Inn Mart Plaza Chicago, Illinois North American Patristics Society Past Presidents of the Society Officers of the Society o 1972 Bruce M. Metzger (†) o 1973 Robert D. Sider Paul M. Blowers, President o 1974 Maurice Cunningham (†) Virginia Burrus, Vice President o 1975 Robert M. Grant Brian Matz, Secretary-Treasurer o 1976 William R. Schoedel o 1977 Joseph M.-F. Marique, S.J. (†) o 1978 John Meyendorff (†) Other Elected Members of the Board of Directors o 1979 Thomas P. Halton Christopher Beeley o 1980/81 William R. Schoedel Jeffrey Bingham o 1981-83 Dennis E. Groh Elizabeth Digeser o 1983-85 David Balás, O.Cist. Blake Leyerle o 1985/86 Robert L. Wilken David G. Hunter (Immediate Past President) o 1986-88 Sidney H. Griffith o 1988/89 Elizabeth Clark o 1989/90 Charles Kannengiesser Nominations Committee o 1990-92 Everett Ferguson o 1992/93 J. Patout Burns Kate Cooper, Chair o 1993/94 Frederick W. Norris Richard Layton o 1994-96 Joseph F. Kelly William Harmless o 1996/97 Patricia Cox Miller o 1997/98 Brian E. Daley, S.J. o 1998-2000 Susan Ashbrook Harvey Journal of Early Christian Studies o 2000/01 Joseph T. Lienhard, S.J. David Brakke, Editor o 2001/02 J. Rebecca Lyman Bradley Storin, Editorial Assistant o 2002-04 William Tabbernee Richard Layton, Book Review Editor o 2004/05 James E. Goehring o 2005/06 Maureen A. Tilley o 2006-08 David G. Hunter Patristic Monograph Series, Catholic University of America Press o 2008/09 Paul M.
    [Show full text]
  • Metempsychosis (Tanasukh) in Mulla Sadra's Thought*
    METEMPSYCHOSIS (TANASUKH) IN MULLA SADRA'S THOUGHT* Shigeru KAMADA** I The idea of metempsychosis (tanasukh)(1) with its complicated manifesta- tions appeared in the various aspects of Islamic thought and gave rise to heated controversies on its position in the Islamic framework among Muslim scholars. The idea can be divided into two types.(2) The first is that on its separation from a body one's soul takes a different form by its new at- tachment to another body of a higher or a lower species according to one's conduct in the life just ended. This type is found in Indian and Greek thought, which may be termed as metempsychosis in a general sense. The second is that the divine soul permeates through and indwells in all or particular existents in the physical world, which may be termed as metempsychosis in a special sense. The latter type of the metempsychosis often finds its expression in extreme Shi'te thought (ghulat) and Islamic mysticism, the manner in which it appears is that the Imam inherits a spark of the divine light (nur ilahi) through his preceding prophets or Imams from the first prophet Adam, or embodies Divinity through the incarnation (hulul) of the divine spirit in him.(3) The idea of incarnation gave birth to a series of incarnationists condemned among Islamic mystics.(4) The main purpose of this paper is to clarify Mulla Sadra's concept of metempsychosis. Mulla Sadra (d. 1050/1640) was a mystic philosopher in Safavid Iran.(5) First we would like to survey the common understanding of metempsychosis in Islam before our reading of Mulla Sadra's text.
    [Show full text]