Hellenistic Literature

Classicists are, perhaps, most familiar with Theocritus’ use of food as a temptation to romance in Idyll XI, where the Cyclops Polyphemus attempts to woo the “whiter-than-cream-cheese” Galatea by enticing her with the finest milk and an endless bounty of cheese. Elsewhere lovers offer their beloveds the ingestible produce of pastoral labor or, sometimes, the means to produce it: milk-bearing goats, oxen, fruits, herds, pastureland, and various other lures. In exchange, the lovers say that the objects of their affection offer certain food-like temptations of their own, a physique “riper than a pear” or skin “the color of honey.” In my paper I posit the existence of a pastoral-erotic food-driven economy in Theocritus’ Idylls, in which tempting foods serve not just as aphrodisiacs but as elements of an exchange between the lover and the beloved. The admirer trades his supply of food and his means of producing it, obvious symbols of pastoral success and the ability to provide sustenance, for the equally (if not more) tempting food-like charms of the admired. By unraveling Theocritus’ stylized erotic food economy, we may further understand the Hellenistic attitudes that created an inextricable link between the seemingly distinct bodily pleasures of eroticism and eating.

Shvatanje da je antička helenistička kultura spoj ili mešavina grčke i "istočne" ili "orijentalne" kulture potiče od nemačkog istoričara Johana Gustava Drojzena (1808-1884). Inspirisan Hegelovom filozofijom, protestantskom teologijom i romantičarskim idejama Herdera, Drojzen je izneo viziju helenističke kulture kao mističkog spoja dve komponente, spoja čijim je nastankom rukovodilo Proviđenje radi ispunjenja velike svetskoistorijske misije. Ta misija bila je pripremanje antičkog sveta za pojavu hrišćanstva. Drojzen je svoja shvatanja o ovom pitanju izrazio putem teoloških kategorija. Njegove razumevanje helenizma i helenističke kulture bilo je predmet opšte kritike još krajem 19. veka i uskoro je potpuno napušteno. Uprkos tome, ideja o helenizmu kao "grčko-orijentalnoj" kulturi nastavlja da postoji u našoj popularnoj svesti, udžbenicima istorije i leksikografskim priručnicima. Ovaj rad ima za cilj da objasni poreklo tog koncepta i ukaže na probleme koje donosi njegovo zadržavanje u nastavi istorije.

Luke-Acts demonstrates a theological concern with Jesus as Redeemer of the outcasts (whether they be within Israel or Gentiles), and a literary concern with Greco-Roman modes of presentation.  In both these respects, Luke-Acts is unique among the rest of the New Testament.  In this paper, I review the specific Greco-Roman literary techniques that Luke-Acts exploits, as well as evidences of its theological concerns.  Ultimately, in this paper I assert that the unique literary concern of Luke-Acts serves its unique theological concern: that is, the texts demonstrate Greco-Roman modes of artistic presentation, especially epic and epic history, in order to make a theological point about the universality of the Gospel message and the endless dominion of Jesus as King, as well as to present Christianity so as to be compelling to Gentiles.

Este livro reúne artigos voltados ao estudo de aspectos da literatura helenística e de sua influência na produção literária posterior, abrangendo variados assuntos, tais como épica, historiografia, mimo, teatro, biografia e filosofia. A publicação dessa coleção de textos desempenha um importante papel na divulgação da produção crítica oriunda da "Quarta Semana de Estudos sobre o Período Helenístico", organizada pelo grupo de pesquisa "Hellenistica" e ocorrida na Universidade de São Paulo entre os dias 17 e 18 de setembro de 2015, por meio de financiamento da Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) e do Departamento de Letras Clássicas e Vernáculas (DLCV - FFLCH - USP).

""En Filipo II y el Arte de la Guerra tendremos la oportunidad de conocer en profundidad a uno de los más grandes reyes de la antigua Macedonia. Gracias a su habilidad como estratega, diplomático, político y soldado, heredó un reino pobre, débil y acosado por innumerables enemigos y lo transformó en el más poderoso de toda Grecia.

A lo largo de sus páginas podremos conocer la historia del reino Macedonio, desde sus orígenes míticos hasta la formación de un imperio, de la mano del que, a la postre, se convertiría en el padre del mítico Alejandro Magno y en el forjador de un nuevo ejército que cambiaria el devenir de la guerra en la Antigüedad. Filipo II fue el creador de la falange macedonia, formación que se demostraría como inigualable en el campo de batalla y que reportaría incontables victorias sobre poderosos enemigos, como los ilirios, los tesalios, los tracios, los beocios o los atenienses. Pero no sólo eso, logró integrar en el campo de batalla a la infantería y a la caballería para emplearlos en nuevas formaciones tácticas: armó a sus soldados con las míticas sarissas y apreció como pocos las posibilidades militares que la maquinaria de guerra podía proporcionarle, siendo el mecenas de numerosos avances en este campo. Soñó con conquistar el Imperio persa, cuando ya había logrado lo que nadie antes fue capaz: el control de Grecia.

Sólo la muerte le arrebató esa hazaña, pero sentó las bases de lo que más tarde conseguiría su propio hijo. Su figura levantó tanto odios como pasiones; se le conocía como mujeriego y bebedor, pero también por su habilidad para la oratoria, por sus astucia, determinación y valor. Siempre luchó en primera línea junto a sus soldados y nunca permitió que éstos le llamaran rey, sino solo "General".

This course presents a broad survey of historical forces at work over the past 6,000 years, examining the manners in which human societies have organized themselves along categories of race, ethnicity, class, and gender to meet the challenges of the increasing human population and its demands on natural resources: thus, it examines continuity and change in societies over time, in different places, and among various peoples.

Abstract
This article examines the longstanding rivalry of Rome and Parthia, which began as an unintended consequence of Crassus’ decisive defeat at Carrhae in 53 BCE. It synthesizes the accounts and opinions of numerous Graeco-Roman writers from the Augustan Age to late antiquity in order to help illustrate the new and interconnected post-Carrhae world and its legacy. The rivalry of the Romans and Parthians became a primary focus of their foreign policies and drastically expanded their perceptions of the world in which they interacted. Even after the fall of the Parthians to the rebellious Sassanid Persians in the 220s CE, the Romans continued to find their three-century-long rivalry with the Parthians of interest and relevant to the changing world of late antiquity.

Le sort de l’homme après la mort… Voilà donc un sujet sur lequel on s’interroge au moins une fois dans sa vie. Qu’est-ce qui attend l’homme après sa mort ? A-t-on vraiment tout imaginé ? L’homme tente-t-il de se donner bonne conscience ? A-t-on inventé l’histoire d’une vie après la mort dans l’objectif de mieux vivre son deuil avec l’espoir de revoir la personne que l’on a perdue dans un nouvel avenir ? Ou bien a-t-on nié l’existence d’une destination future dans l’espoir d’échapper aux conséquences de nos choix terrestres ?
L’Histoire de l’humanité est liée à la théologie de la même manière que l’histoire de la théologie est liée à celle de l’humanité. Voilà pourquoi certaines idées sont ancrées dans le patrimoine culturel ; et ainsi, que chacun le veuille ou non, il s’y trouve des concepts que la société ne peut effacer.
Voilà pourquoi la question du sort de l’homme après sa mort reste encore et toujours d’actualité. Nous comprenons qu’il est nécessaire de creuser la question, afin de discerner la pensée biblique de la tradition historique, et c’est dans ce brouillard informationnel que nous devons discerner l’esquisse de ce tableau biblique.
La question à laquelle ce travail de recherche veut répondre est celle-ci :
« Après des siècles d’histoire du christianisme, dans un monde en constante évolution, comment devons-nous comprendre la conception de la vie après la mort, suite à tous ces siècles d’histoires et d’influences de la part de l’Eglise sur la culture occidentale ? Que nous dit réellement la Bible finalement, quand nous faisons face à tant d’interprétations autant contradictoires les unes que les autres ? »

Courtney J. P. Friesen explores shifting boundaries of ancient religions by way of the reception of a popular tragedy, Euripides’ Bacchae . As a play staging political crises provoked by the arrival of the “foreign” god Dionysus and his ecstatic cult, audiences and readers found resonances with their own cultural moments. This dramatic deity became emblematic of exuberant and liberating spirituality and, at the same time, a symbol of imperial conquest. Thus, readings of the Bacchae frequently foreground conflicts between religious autonomy and political authority, and between ethnic diversity and social cohesion. This cross-disciplinary study traces appropriations and evocations of this drama ranging from the fifth century BCE through Byzantium not only among “pagans” but also Jews and Christians. Writers variously articulated their religious visions over against Dionysus, often while paradoxically adopting the god’s language and symbols. Consequently, imitation and emulation are at times indistinguishable from polemics and subversion.

Ο τόμος αυτός επιχειρεί να προσφέρει ένα έγκυρο βοήθημα για τη μελέτη της αρχαίας ελληνικής γραμματείας κατά τους ελληνιστικούς και αυτοκρατορικούς χρόνους, δηλαδή την περίοδο από τον θάνατο του Μεγάλου Αλεξάνδρου, το 323 π.Χ., έως το τέλος της ρωμαϊκής αυτοκρατορίας που σηματοδοτείται από το διάταγμα του Διοκλητιανού για την τετραρχία (το 293 μ.Χ.) και τη μεταφορά της πρωτεύουσας στην Κωνσταντινούπολη από τον Μεγάλο Κωνσταντίνο (το 330 μ.Χ).
Παρότι και οι δύο αυτές περίοδοι παρουσιάζουν, ως προς τη γραμματειακή παραγωγή τους, αρκετά κοινά χαρακτηριστικά (με βασικότερο την εξάπλωση και την κυριαρχία της ελληνικής παιδείας), εμφανίζουν όμως και σημαντικές διαφορές έτσι ώστε να επιβάλλεται, από μεθοδολογική άποψη, η εξέτασή τους σε δύο διαφορετικές ενότητες.
Στην ενότητα που αφιερώνεται στην ελληνιστική περίοδο εξετάζονται οι σημαντικότεροι εκπρόσωποι της λογοτεχνίας της περιόδου: Καλλίμαχος, Θεόκριτος, Απόλλωνιος ο Ρόδιος, επιγραμματοποιοί, Πολύβιος, όπως επίσης και εκπρόσωποι της επιστημονικής γραμματείας: Θεόφραστος, Ευκλείδης, Αρίσταρχος, και μαθηματικά επιγράμματα. Τα κεφάλαια 1.1. και 1.2.1.-1.2.6. συνέγραψε ο Βασίλειος Βερτουδάκης, ενώ το 1.2.7. η Αθηνά Μπάζου.
Στην ενότητα που αφιερώνεται στην αυτοκρατορική εποχή εξετάζονται οι σημαντικότεροι εκπρόσωποι της λογοτεχνίας της περιόδου: Λουκιανός, Διογένης Λαέρτιος, Δίων από την Προύσα (Χρυσόστομος), Πλούταρχος, Φλάβιος Φιλόστρατος, Αίλιος Αριστείδης, όπως επίσης και εκπρόσωποι της επιστημονικής γραμματείας: Στράβων, Πτολεμαίος, Γαληνός. Τα κεφάλαια 2.1.1., 2.1.3.-2.1.6. και 2.2.1.-2.2.5. συνέγραψε ο Μενέλαος Χριστόπουλος, ενώ τα 2.1.2. και 2.2.6.-2.2.7. η Αθηνά Μπάζου. Τα κεφάλαια 1.3. και 2.3. περιλαμβάνουν Παράρτημα τα αποσπάσματα από τα αρχαία κείμενα που χρησιμοποιήθηκαν.

Chapter III (55)

How Roman Arms Came to Conquer the Successors of Alexander (55)

How Much More Successful Was the Roman Legion than the Macedonian Phalanx? (57)

The Best Soldiers versus the Best Formation (59)

Why the Greeks Were Shocked after Rome’s Domination of Macedon (60)

Final Thoughts on the Impact of Alexander on Polybius’ Work (63)

Il volume propone un quadro sintetico ma aggiornato delle forme del potere nel mondo greco tra iv e i secolo a.C., fra la tirannide e la nuova concezione di regalità introdotta da Alessandro Magno. La chiave di lettura è la reazione polemica o, spesso, intrisa d’ironia, satira e parodia, che queste suscitarono nella pubblicistica – coeva e non – e tra i sudditi. A tal proposito vengono individuati e discussi alcuni casi di studio particolarmente significativi: re munifici e tiranni spietati, regine virtuose e sovrane viziose riprendono vita in queste pagine, mostrando, tra scurrilità e raffinatezza, sbeffeggio e mito, la persistente attualità del loro volto.

The article analyses one of the hexametric poems copied on a second century AD papyrus, possibly from Hermupolis, P.Lit.Goodspeed 2: a Hellenistic hymn to Aphrodite celebrated as a patroness of the sea and of wedded love. This portrayal of the goddess perfectly fits with Ptolemaic royal propaganda in III BC. The address to a "Ptolemai[c] Arsinoe" (II 5) reveals that here the goddess is worshipped as a divine image of a queen Arsinoe, most probably Arsinoe II Philadelphos, who had strong links with key-figures of the Ptolemaic navy. The hymn is compared with contemporary Alexandrian poetry, like the epigrams of the Milan papyrus P.Mil.Vogl. VIII 309. Some hypotheses are also presented about the context for the composition and the performance of the hymn (a Cypriot cult of Arsinoe Philadelphos?).

Possiamo davvero dire che Doroteo di Sidone sia il primo "orarista della storia"? La ricerca di esempi di carta oraria propriamente detta, o almeno di riferimenti alla pratica oraria nel ricco materiale che ci è pervenuto dall'epoca ellenistica, a partire dal Carmen, ha prodotto scarsi e discutibili risultati, che hanno alimentato diverse ipotesi e opposte conclusioni tra gli studiosi, con vivaci polemiche ancora in corso. Questa comunicazione cerca di fare ordine nella spinosa questione.

(from the Introduction)
Intending only to research medieval conceptions of hell, author Alan Bernstein wanted to investigate postmortem retribution in the ancient world for historical context. This investigation turned into an entire book of its own. In The Formation of Hell, Bernstein seeks to explain how the idea of hell achieved a prominent place in people’s minds. He explicitly states that he intends to accomplish this without any prior concern for whether hell actually exists or any preceding judgement as to the nature or value of hell.  In the end, Bernstein provides a superb example of historical investigation and rigorous scholarship. Though there are certain theological and metaphysical implications omitted from the book, the author successfully demonstrates that the notion of hell originally arose late in Judaism out of a need to explain the injustices in the world and became a rhetorical device designed to elicit conformity to religious and cultural mores.

Neste trabalho são abordadas questões relacionadas com a mentalidade espartana, tal como as suas origens e questões políticas, económicas, culturais e sociais tendo por base  a análise de obras da época que, apesar de escassas, nos dão um retrato parcial.  Para tal recorre-se à literatura, tratados políticos e à poesia Helénica.
Faz-se referência à Hélade – Antologia da Cultura Grega da autoria de Maria Helena da Rocha Pereira, que compila os textos /testemunhos, devidamente traduzidos, de Tirteu entre outros, permitindo conhecer “os nomes fundadores da cultura ocidental, da Ilíada e Odisseia a Plutarco e Díofano, passando (...) por Hesíodo, Heraclito, Ésquilo, Sófocles e Eurípedes.”A partir desta obra é possível analisar, através de Tirteu - poeta lírico grego do século VII a.C - uma das principais caraterísticas que se salienta na sociedade, o treino militar.
Para além da obra acima citada e descrita explorou-se a biografia de Licurgo na obra Vidas Paralelas de Plutarco.