Nonnus of Panopolis in Context: Poetry and Cultural Milieu in Late Antiquity with a Section on Nonnus and the Modern World (Trends in Classics - Supplementary Volumes)

Nonnus of Panopolis (fifth century CE) composed two poems once thought to be incompatible: the __Dionysiaca__, a mythological long epic with a marked interest in astrology, the occult, the paradox and not least the beauty of the female body, and a pious and sublime __Paraphrase of the Gospel of St John.__ Little is known about the man, to whom sundry identities have been attached. The longer work has been misrepresented as a degenerate poem or as a mythological handbook. The Christian poem has been neglected or undervalued. Yet, Nonnus accomplished an ambitious plan, in two parts, aiming at representing world-history. This volume consists mainly of the Proceedings of the First International Conference on Nonnus held in Rethymno, Crete in May 2011. With twentyfour essays, an international team of specialists place Nonnus firmly in his time's context. After an authoritative Introduction by Pierre Chuvin, chapters on Nonnus and the literary past, the visual arts, Late Antique __paideia__, Christianity and his immediate and long-range afterlife (to modern times) offer a wide-ranging and innovative insight into the man and his world. The volume moves on beyond stereotypes to inaugurate a new era of research for Nonnus and Late Antique poetics on the whole. I: Introduction. Revisiting Old Problems : Literature And Religion In The Dionysiaca / Pierre Chuvin -- Ii: Nonnus And The Literary Past. Peitho In Nonnus' Dionysiaca : The Case Of Cadmus And Harmonia / Katerina Carvounis -- Oracles In The Dionysiaca / Jane Lightfoot -- Nonnus And The Orphic Argonautica / Enrico Livrea -- Orpheus And Orphic Hymns In The Dionysiaca / Marta Otlewska-jung -- Ovidian Metamorphosis And Nonnian Poikilon Eidos / Michael Paschalis -- Image-making And The Art Of Paraphrasing : Aspects Of Darkness And Light In The Metabole / Maria Ypsilanti -- Iii: Nonnus And The Visual Arts. Contextualizing Nonnus' Visual World / Gianfranco Agosti -- Personifications At The Service Of Dionysus : The Bacchic Court / Laura Miguélez Cavero -- Iv: Nonnus And Late Antique Paideia. Faith And Fidelity In Biblical Epic : The Methaphrasis Psalmorum, Nonnus, And The Theory Of Translation / Andrew Faulkner -- Nonnus' Mystic Vocabulary Revisited : Mystis In Dionysiaca 9.111-31 / Rosa García-gasco -- Neoplatonic Form And Content In Nonnus : Towards A New Reading Of Nonnian Poetics / David Hernández De La Fuente -- Rhetorical Elements In The Ampelus-episode : Dionysus' Speech To Ampelus (nonn. Dion. 10.196-216) / Nicole Kröll -- Appositives In Nonnus' Hexameter / Enrico Magnelli -- V: Nonnus And Christianity. Judaic Orgies And Christ's Bacchic Deeds : Dionysiac Terminology In Nonnus' Paraphrase Of St. John's Gospel / Filip Doroszewski -- City And Landscape In Nonnus' Paraphrase 12.51-69 : Poetry And Exegesis / Claudia Greco -- A Classical Myth In A Christian World : Nonnus' Ariadne Episode (dion. 47.265-475) / Robert Shorrock -- The Shield Of Salvation : Dionysus' Shield In Nonnus Dionysiaca 25.380-572 -- Konstantinos Spanoudakis -- Vi: The School Of Nonnus. The End Of The Nonnian School / Claudio De Stefani -- Poetic Inspiration In John Of Gaza : Emotional Upheaval And Ecstasy In A Neoplatonic Poet / Daria Gigli Piccardi -- Nonnus In Gaza : The Expansion Of Modern Poetry From Egypt To Palestine In The Early Sixth Century Ce / Delphine Lauritzen -- A Learned Spiritual Ladder? Towards An Interpretation Of George Of Pisidia's Hexameter Poem On Human Life / Mary Whitby -- Vii: Nonnus And The Modern World. Simone Weil, Reader Of The Dionysiaca / Domenico Accorinti -- The Heros' Quest Of Dionysus As Individuation Of An Age Approaching The Dionysiaca Under The Aspect Of Jungian Archetypes And The Monomyth Of Joseph Campbell / Nina Aringer. Edited By Konstantinos Spanoudakis. All But Three Of The Contributions Represent The Proceedings Of The International Conference Entitled, Nonnus Of Panopolis In Context : Poetry And Cultural Milieu In Late Antiquity, Held In Rethymno, Crete, May 13-15, 2011. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [505]-538) And Indexes. In English; With Texts In French And Ancient Greek Texts With English Translation. Preface 5 Abbreviations 13 List of Contributors 15 I: Introduction 21 Revisiting Old Problems: Literature and Religion in the Dionysiaca 23 II: Nonnus and the Literary Past 39 Peitho in Nonnus’ Dionysiaca: the Case of Cadmus and Harmonia 41 Oracles in the Dionysiaca 59 Nonnus and the Orphic Argonautica 75 Orpheus and Orphic Hymns in the Dionysiaca 97 Ovidian Metamorphosis and Nonnian poikilon eidos 117 Image-Making and the Art of Paraphrasing: Aspects of Darkness and Light in the Metabole 143 III: Nonnus and the Visual Arts 159 Contextualizing Nonnus’ Visual World 161 Personifications at the Service of Dionysus: the Bacchic Court 195 IV: Nonnus and Late Antique Paideia 213 Faith and Fidelity in Biblical Epic 215 The Methaphrasis Psalmorum, Nonnus, and the Theory of Translation 215 Nonnus’ Mystic Vocabulary Revisited: Mystis in Dionysiaca 9.111–31 231 Neoplatonic Form and Content in Nonnus: Towards a New Reading of Nonnian Poetics 249 Rhetorical Elements in the Ampelus-episode: Dionysus’ Speech to Ampelus (Nonn. Dion. 10.196–216) 271 Appositives in Nonnus’ Hexameter 285 V: Nonnus and Christianity 305 Judaic Orgies and Christ’s Bacchic Deeds: Dionysiac Terminology in Nonnus’ 307 Paraphrase of St. John’s Gospel 307 City and Landscape in Nonnus’ Paraphrase 12.51–69: Poetry and Exegesis 323 A Classical Myth in a Christian World: Nonnus’ Ariadne Episode (Dion. 47.265–475) 333 The Shield of Salvation: Dionysus’ Shield in Nonnus Dionysiaca 25.380–572 353 VI: The “School” of Nonnus 393 The End of the “Nonnian School” 395 Poetic Inspiration in John of Gaza: Emotional Upheaval and Ecstasy in a Neoplatonic Poet 423 Nonnus in Gaza 441 The Expansion of Modern Poetry from Egypt to Palestine in the Early Sixth Century CE 441 A Learned Spiritual Ladder? 455 Towards an Interpretation of George of Pisidia’s Hexameter Poem On Human Life 455 VII: Nonnus and the Modern World 479 Simone Weil, Reader of the Dionysiaca 481 The Heros’ Quest of Dionysus as Individuation of an Age 507 Approaching the Dionysiaca under the Aspect of Jungian Archetypes and the Monomyth of Joseph Campbell 507 Bibliography 525 List of Figures 559 Index of Greek Words or Phrases 561 Index of Passages 563 General Index 573

Nonnus of Panopolis (fifth century CE) composed two poems once thought to be incompatible: the Dionysiaca, a mythological long epic with a marked interest in astrology, the occult, the paradox and not least the beauty of the female body, and a pious and sublime Paraphrase of the Gospel of St John. Little is known about the man, to whom sundry identities have been attached. The longer work has been misrepresented as a degenerate poem or as a mythological handbook. The Christian poem has been neglected or undervalued. Yet, Nonnus accomplished an ambitious plan, in two parts, aiming at representing world-history. This volume consists mainly of the Proceedings of the First International Conference on Nonnus held in Rethymno, Crete in May 2011. With twentyfour essays, an international team of specialists place Nonnus firmly in his time's context. After an authoritative Introduction by Pierre Chuvin, chapters on Nonnus and the literary past, the visual arts, Late Antique paideia, Christianity and his immediate and long-range afterlife (to modern times) offer a wide-ranging and innovative insight into the man and his world. The volume moves on beyond stereotypes to inaugurate a new era of research for Nonnus and Late Antique poetics on the whole.

Nonnus, a 5th-century poet from Panopolis (Egypt), composed the Dionysiaca, a mythological epic in 48 books, as well as a paraphrase of the Gospel of St John. He has long been a neglected and misrepresented figure. These 24 essays by an international team of experts place the poet in his time's educational, philosophical, religious and cultural context. The book inaugurates a new era of research for Nonnus and Late Antique poetics on the whole Nonnus, a 5th-century poet from Panopolis (Egypt), composed the Dionysiaca, a mythological epic in 48 books, as well as a paraphrase of the Gospel of St John. He has long been a neglected and misrepresented figure. In this book, 24 essays by a team of experts place the poet in his time's educational, philosophical, religious and cultural context. Nonnus, a 5th-century poet from Panopolis (Egypt), composed the Dionysiaca, a mythological epic in 48 books, as well as a paraphrase of the Gospel of St John. This book includes 24 essays by an international team of experts place the poet in his time's educational, philosophical, religious and cultural context.