Theios Sophistes : essays on Flavius Philostratus' Vita Apollonii /
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Flavius Philostratus' Life of Apollonius of Tyana (Vita Apollonii), written in the first half of the third century CE, is a key text in the cultural, literary and religious history of the Second Sophistic and of Late Antiquity. Its generic and formal diversity, its shifting cultural and historical background, as well as its protean hero, call for a multifaceted and interdisciplinary reading. Theios Sophistès is the first collection of interpretative essays on the Vita Apollonii . Leading scholars in the field and younger critics make for a combination of methodological continuity and innovation. The book is divided into two sections, one focusing on literary and philological discussions and relating the Vita to other ancient texts and genres, and one dealing with religious and philosophical aspects. The wide range of approaches and perspectives does justice to the high level of literary, historical and philosophical-religious sophistication of this text.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [375]-392) and indexes. :
9789047424406 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Philosophy, rhetoric, and sophistry in the high Roman Empire : Maximus of Tyre and twelve other intellectuals /
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How is it possible that modern scholars have labelled Maximus of Tyre, a second-century CE performer of philosophical orations, as a sophist or a 'half-philosopher', while his own self-presentation is that of a genuine philosopher? If we take Maximus' claim to philosophical authority seriously, his case can deepen our understanding of the dynamic nature of Imperial philosophy. Through a discursive analysis of twelve Imperial intellectuals alongside Maximus' dialexeis , the author proposes an interpretative framework to assess the purpose behind the representation of philosophy, rhetoric, and sophistry in Maximus' oeuvre. This is thus as yet the first book-length attempt at situating the historical communication process implicit in the surviving Maximean texts in the concurrent context of the Imperial intellectual world.
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1 online resource (vii, 329 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 295-320) and indexes. :
9789004301535 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Protagoras of Abdera : the man, his measure.
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Protagoras of Abdera, Socrates' older contemporary, is regarded as one of the most prominent representatives of the so-called sophistic movement. Instead of simply accepting the biased reports given by Plato and Aristotle about this sophist, the contributors to this volume review the complicated doxographical situation and make a case for Protagoras as a philosopher in his own right. Two major themes of this volume are Protagoras' relativism and his case for a moral and political ideal, both of which are contrasted with the metaphysical idealism of his future opponents in the Academy and the mundane conventionalism typically associated with the sophists. It turns out that rather than a parasitic force of intellectual subversion, Protagoras may have been a prolific and original thinker aiming at a coherent and comprehensive view of man's place in the world.
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1 online resource (344 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004251243 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The Greek world of Apuleius : Apuleius and the second sophistic /
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The first three chapters of this book elucidate the scholastic goals of both classical cultures during the Roman Imperial period. Apuleius' works share the stage in these chapters with representatives of the second-century Greek cultural paradigm. They define patterns of discourse and fit selected examples of analogous Apuleian strategies into the broader cultural framework. Subsequent chapters focus closely on the complete Apuleian corpus under the general headings of Apuleius in the roles of orator, philosopher and novelist. Two of Apuleius' philosophical works and his novel the Golden Ass provide an unparalleled opportunity to analyze the methods of translation and adaptation employed by the major Latin writer of the second half of the second century.
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1 online resource (x, 276 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 257-263) and indexes. :
9789004330320 :
0169-8958 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.