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Greek Literature and Society in Late Antiquity
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Greek Literature and Society in Late Antiquity

A special issue of Literature (ISSN 2410-9789).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 10200

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. David Hernández de la Fuente

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Classics, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: late antique Greek and early Byzantine literature (Nonnus, Nonnian School); religion and Greek mythology (especially oracles, Dionysus and Pythagoreanism); classical tradition and history of Platonism (laws and Neoplatonism)

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

I hope that you are doing well. I am writing to you still in this pandemic situation and hope to be able to reestablish our research contact in themes of late antique Greek literature. I am pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue of Literature, a new open access international journal which is gaining attention.

The aim of this Special Issue is precisely that of promoting our research area and to offer some thoughts on its latest trends. Greek literature in late antiquity, both prose and poetry, has been traditionally neglected in the field of classics; luckily, and thanks to the outstanding work of scholars such as yourself, this situation is swiftly changing. As you well know this is a particularly booming area in recent years, but much work still has to be done in order to spread its importance. There is, for example, an increasing number of collective monographs on this issue, the majority stemming from international congresses; however, there are not so many monographic issues of journals devoted to late antique Greek literature. 

Thus, this Special Issue aims to fill the gap in this regard and add a series of valuable and open access scholarly contributions to our field. Our general purpose is to address some new perspectives of research in the field of Greek literature in late antiquity, with particular reference to the social reflections of literature in its context. In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  1. Greek literature in interaction with the social context of the Eastern Roman Empire.
  2. Greek literature in the dynamics between the Eastern capital and the provincial cities.
  3. Greek literature between Christian themes and traditional pagan or mythological themes.
  4. Greek literature in relation to the late antique schools of rhetoric.
  5. Greek literature in relation to the late antique schools of  philosophy.
  6. Greek literature in the political and courtly context of the Eastern Empire.
  7. Greek literature in the context of the Eastern Church or in relation with theology.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. David Hernández de la Fuente
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Literature is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • late antique Greek poetry
  • late antique Greek prose
  • late antique Greek rhetoric and literature
  • late antique Greek philosophy and literature
  • Greek literature and society in late antiquity

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 436 KiB  
Article
Συνουσία in Late Antique Neoplatonic Schools: A Concept between Social History, History of Education and History of Philosophy
by Marco Alviz Fernández and David Hernández de la Fuente
Literature 2024, 4(1), 45-61; https://doi.org/10.3390/literature4010004 - 21 Feb 2024
Viewed by 637
Abstract
It is well studied that some Pythagorean principles lied at the foundations of the Late Antique Neoplatonic School. The main reason for that conclusion to be drawn is the two biographies of the Samian sage written by the Neoplatonic philosophers Porphyry of Tyre [...] Read more.
It is well studied that some Pythagorean principles lied at the foundations of the Late Antique Neoplatonic School. The main reason for that conclusion to be drawn is the two biographies of the Samian sage written by the Neoplatonic philosophers Porphyry of Tyre and Iamblichus of Chalcis. Accordingly, the archetypical image of Pythagoras became a major ideal for which every pagan philosopher aimed in Late Antiquity. Henceforth, masters and their disciple circles comprised a micro-society which can reasonably be analyzed as a whole. Suffice it to say that they were small and cohesive charismatic communities whose isolation from the outside world aroused a living harmony from which emerged long-standing emotional bonds. Consequently, the Pythagorically rooted κοινός βίος (Iambl. Vit. Pyth. 6.29: τὸ λεγόμενον κοινοβίους) can easily be ascertained in the biographical literature around the philosophical schools from Plotinus to Damascius (cf. Porph. Vit. Plot. 18.6-14; Procl. In Resp. passim). It is a way of life in common which was also known at the old Athenian Academy (according to Plato’s only explicit reference to Pythagoras (Resp. 600a-b: Πυθαγόρειον τρόπον τοῦ βίου) and has sometimes been defined even as “coenobitic”, in analogy with other contemporary phenomena. But from our point of view, it can be better understood through an analysis of the concept of συνουσία—that is, the meetings of philosophers with their companions (ἑταῖροι) in a specific place which turned into a sort of spiritual household. With this contribution, we aim at focusing on the redefinition of the Neoplatonic συνουσίαι as a legacy of the Platonic notion of συνουσία, stemming from Pythagorean κοινόβιοι. To sum up, we will revise this issue and the state of the art, with the redefinition of Late Antique συνουσία as a terminus technicus in the biographic literature around the Neoplatonic Schools, aiming at opening new paths for the understanding of the Pythagorean–Platonic heritage in Late Antiquity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Greek Literature and Society in Late Antiquity)
17 pages, 1054 KiB  
Article
Greek Literature and Christian Doctrine in Early Christianity: A Difficult Co-Existence
by Roberta Franchi
Literature 2023, 3(3), 296-312; https://doi.org/10.3390/literature3030020 - 05 Jul 2023
Viewed by 1860
Abstract
This paper traces the complex relationship between classical literature and Christian doctrine in the first four centuries. In the earliest period of Christianity, we can identify two attitudes of Christians towards Greek literature: the hostile attitude shown by Tatian, Theophilus, and Tertullian, and [...] Read more.
This paper traces the complex relationship between classical literature and Christian doctrine in the first four centuries. In the earliest period of Christianity, we can identify two attitudes of Christians towards Greek literature: the hostile attitude shown by Tatian, Theophilus, and Tertullian, and the openness to Greek culture and philosophy demonstrated by Justin the Martyr, Athenagoras of Athens, and Minucius Felix. A notable change happened in the Alexandrian milieu when Clement of Alexandria and Origen started considering Greek classics the embodiment of an authentic Christian spirit. In keeping with Origen, Basil of Caesarea realized a good synthesis between Greek thought and Christian faith. Noting germs of divine revelation in ancient Greek thought, Christian authors took the tools of Greco-Roman criticism and ancient philosophy to develop their doctrine. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Greek Literature and Society in Late Antiquity)
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42 pages, 813 KiB  
Article
The Codex Visionum and the Uses of Greek Christian Poetry
by Laura Miguélez-Cavero
Literature 2023, 3(2), 159-200; https://doi.org/10.3390/literature3020013 - 23 Mar 2023
Viewed by 2566
Abstract
A systematic socio-cultural study of the uses of Christian poetry in the late antique Greek-speaking Mediterranean is still lacking. Most literary overviews restrict themselves to an overview of the extant texts and some programmatic reflections in the poetry by Gregory of Nazianzus. This [...] Read more.
A systematic socio-cultural study of the uses of Christian poetry in the late antique Greek-speaking Mediterranean is still lacking. Most literary overviews restrict themselves to an overview of the extant texts and some programmatic reflections in the poetry by Gregory of Nazianzus. This paper seeks to address this matter by a combined reading of the best-known poetic forms (including the programmatic reflections by Gregory) and the poems copied in the Codex Visionum (now in the Bodmer Collection). Since the edition of the latter was completed in 1999, they have often featured in studies on the origin of monasticism and are well known in papyrological circles, but have received insufficient attention from literature and cultural historians. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Greek Literature and Society in Late Antiquity)
9 pages, 335 KiB  
Article
Io as Isis: A Lycophronean Myth in Nonnus
by Arianna Magnolo
Literature 2022, 2(4), 374-382; https://doi.org/10.3390/literature2040031 - 09 Dec 2022
Viewed by 1282
Abstract
This article aims to examine one of the myths belonging to the first part of Nonnus’ Dionysiaca, i.e., that of Io. Starting from the philological analysis of the passages dealing with this myth and adopting an intertextual approach, I will argue that [...] Read more.
This article aims to examine one of the myths belonging to the first part of Nonnus’ Dionysiaca, i.e., that of Io. Starting from the philological analysis of the passages dealing with this myth and adopting an intertextual approach, I will argue that the Panopolitan assimilates Io to Isis following Lycophron, one of the authors employed as a model in his poem. Finally, I will also explain the meaning of this choice inside Nonnus’ work, taking into account its historical context. Nonnus wants to emphasize the role of Dionysus’ lineage in the civilization process, giving it an historical relevance. Therefore, the allusion to Lycophron assimilates Cadmus (Dionysus’ grandfather) to Alexander the Great, who is celebrated as a peacemaker in the Alexandra. Furthermore, Cadmus and his offspring can be connected to the Romans, who, at the time of Nonnus, played the same role in the rising Byzantine empire. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Greek Literature and Society in Late Antiquity)
13 pages, 363 KiB  
Article
The Body among Neoplatonists and Christians at the End of the Fourth Century: Synesius of Cyrene’s and Eunapius of Sardis’ Perspective
by Sergi Grau
Literature 2022, 2(4), 361-373; https://doi.org/10.3390/literature2040030 - 06 Dec 2022
Viewed by 1471
Abstract
This brief study addresses the controversial issue of the relationship with the body, with the flesh, on the part of pagan and Christian thinkers at a particularly important point in their evolution, in the late fourth and early fifth centuries, a time in [...] Read more.
This brief study addresses the controversial issue of the relationship with the body, with the flesh, on the part of pagan and Christian thinkers at a particularly important point in their evolution, in the late fourth and early fifth centuries, a time in which Neoplatonic thinkers had to defend their doctrinal positions against the increasingly hegemonic position of the triumphant Christianity. In this sense, it is particularly interesting to approach the perspective of two authors who are not strictly speaking philosophers: in particular, Synesius of Cyrene, a thinker in the Neoplatonic tradition who became a Christian bishop, complemented also by some interesting reflections by Eunapius of Sardis, historian and biographer of Neoplatonic philosophers. In the light of this analysis, it becomes clear that the discussion on the value of the body and carnality is an essential point of doctrinal discrepancy in this period and, contrary to what sometimes appears, the discrepancy also pertains to the formation of the intellectual, and Christianity clearly appears as a doctrine obsessed with the flesh to the detriment of the soul. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Greek Literature and Society in Late Antiquity)
10 pages, 337 KiB  
Article
Tiresome or Pamphleteering? The Use of Periautologia in Libanius of Antioch’s To Those Who Called Him Tiresome (Or. 2)
by Alberto Jesús Quiroga-Puertas
Literature 2022, 2(4), 342-351; https://doi.org/10.3390/literature2040028 - 02 Dec 2022
Viewed by 1053
Abstract
The study of periautologia (“self-praise”) in Ancient Greek literature has been somehow overlooked even though its presence is felt in numerous works. The absence of the analysis of periautologia is even more remarkable in the case of the works composed by the sophist [...] Read more.
The study of periautologia (“self-praise”) in Ancient Greek literature has been somehow overlooked even though its presence is felt in numerous works. The absence of the analysis of periautologia is even more remarkable in the case of the works composed by the sophist Libanius of Antioch given the autobiographical nature of most of his speeches. Thus, in this paper I surveyed the use and the purposes of periautologia in one of his speeches—Or. 2, To those who called him tiresome—in order to ascertain which rhetorical and literary strategies were deployed by Libanius. The sophist’s concern with losing his influence in the cultural and political milieu of the end of the fourth century AD contributes to explain the frequent use of periautological passages in his Or. 2. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Greek Literature and Society in Late Antiquity)
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