Libanius
Libanius
A professor of Greek rhetoric, frequent letter writer and influential social figure, Libanius (AD 314–393) is a key author for anybody interested in late antiquity, ancient rhetoric, ancient epistolography and ancient biography. Nevertheless, he remains understudied because it is such a daunting task to access his large and only partially translated oeuvre. This volume, which is the first comprehensive study of Libanius, offers a critical introduction to the man, his texts, their context and reception. Clear presentations of the orations, progymnasmata, declamations and letters unlock the corpus, and a survey of all available translations is provided. At the same time, the volume explores new interpretative approaches of the texts from a variety of angles. Written by a team of established as well as upcoming experts in the field, it substantially reassesses works such as the Autobiography, the Julianic speeches and letters, and Oration 30 For the Temples.
- The first comprehensive volume on Libanius, discussing all of his texts, their context and their reception
- Enables the reader to begin to tackle Libanius' daunting and often inaccessible corpus, while also suggesting innovative ways in which his works can be read
- Written by the foremost experts in the field
Product details
No date availablePaperback
9781108729932
403 pages
230 × 152 × 20 mm
0.5kg
5 tables
Table of Contents
- Introduction. Libanius at the margins Lieve van Hoof
- 1. Libanius' Life and life Lieve Van Hoof
- 2. The historical context: the rhetorical use of suffering in Libanius' Monodies, Letters and Autobiography Edward Watts
- 3. The rhetorical context: traditions and opportunities Raffaella Cribiore
- 4. Libanius' Orations Pierre-Louis Malosse
- 5. Libanius' Declamations Robert J. Penella
- 6. Libanius' Progymnasmata Craig A. Gibson
- 7. Libanius' Letters Bernadette Cabouret
- 8. The reception of Libanius: from Pagan friend of Julian to (almost) Christian saint and back Heinz-Günther Nesselrath and Lieve Van Hoof
- 9. Emperors and Empire in Libanius Hans-Ulrich Wiemer
- 10. Libanius' networks Scott Bradbury
- 11. Libanius and the literary tradition Heinz-Günther Nesselrath
- 12. Libanius and the 'game' of Hellenism Jan R. Stenger
- 13. Not the last Pagan: Libanius between elite rhetoric and religion Peter Van Nuffelen
- Epilogue. Libanius at the centre
- Appendices. Survey of (translations of) Libanius' works: A. Hypotheseis
- B. Progymnasmata
- C. Declamations
- D. Orations
- E. Letters.
