Overview

Composed by Gregory of Nazianus in the fourth century, ""sermons"" four, five, 39, and 43 are remarkable for their large number of classical allusions. They reflect Gregory's determination, shared by many other Christians both before and after him, to preserve the useful aspects of Greek learning for the service of the church in a world where a pagan system of education still held power. Less than two centuries earlier, the work of the unkonwn commentator which is translated here highlights the survival of Greek learning in these same sermons, albeit in an artless and elementary way. In sharp contrast to the style of Gregory, the commentator (thought to have come from the Eastern Mediterranean) used a basic technique of the schools to compose his work. His commentaries are but ""collections and explanations"" of the majority of Gregory's classical references in these sermons. Some of his explanations are inadequate, while others are confused or incorrect. All are nevertheless written in the smae unpretentious, immediately identifiable and confident style. Historically and culturally invaluable, they present us with an insight into one Christian's attitude to the interface between Greek literature and pagan beliefs in an increasingly Christianised world.

Full Product Details

Author:   Pseudo-Nonnus ,  Jennifer Nimmo Smith
Publisher:   Liverpool University Press
Imprint:   Liverpool University Press
Volume:   37
Dimensions:   Width: 14.70cm , Height: 1.20cm , Length: 21.00cm
Weight:   0.266kg
ISBN:  

9780853239178

ISBN 10:   0853239177
Pages:   192
Publication Date:   01 October 2001
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Table of Contents

Abbreviations Acknowledgements Introduction The Pseudo-Nonnus Commentaries: translation and notes Commentary on Sermon 4 Commentary on Sermon 5 Commentary on Sermon 39 Commentary on Sermon 43 Appendices Appendix I Additional stories found in some witnesses at the end of Commentary 5 Appendix 2 Stories listed in order of appearance in the Commentaries Select Bibliography Indices Index of ancient authors, general sources and proverbs Index of etymologies Index of historical figures Index of constellations, mythological deities, heroes and monsters, pagan cults and sacred animals Index of peoples and places Index of principal themes The Topography of the Commentaries Map I The 'World-view' of the Commentaries Map 2 The 'Western Sea' and its environs Map 3 Mainland Greece

Reviews

Everyone interested in the Early Byzantine period will be grateful for Nimmo Smith's efforts to make this information readily available. For historians of theology these Commentaries will be a reminder that the Byzantine world was surely a Christian world, but a Christian world of which mythological tales about Heracles, Zeus, Diogenes or Dionysius were still part and parcel.The Heythrop Journal

Author Information

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Countries Available

All regions