Philostratus (Greek Culture in the Roman World)

This is the first volume of collected papers to be devoted to the work of Philostratus, the great essayist, biographer and historian of Greek culture in the Roman world, and the most scintillating writer of Greek prose in the third century AD. The papers cover his remarkable range, from hagiographic fiction to historical dialogue, from pictorial description to love letters, and from prescriptions for gymnastics to the lives of the Sophists. The quality of his writing and the concerns within his purview - religion, aesthetics, athletics and education - make Philostratus's writings among the most important documents for understanding Greek culture in the Roman world, and guide us in exploring the maturity of Hellenic cultural identity in the context of the rise of Christianity. Few studies have been devoted to this neglected figure, and this collection will therefore be of great value to scholars and students of imperial Greek literature and art. A Protean Corpus / Jaś Elsner -- Philostratus : The Life Of A Sophist / Ewen Bowie -- Culture And Nature In Philostratus / Simon Swain -- Narrator And Audience In Philostratus's Lives Of The Sophists / Thomas Schmitz -- Philostratus And The Symbolic Roles Of The Sophist And Philosopher / Harry Sidebottom -- The Deaths Of The Sophists : Philostratean Biography And Elite Funerary Customs / Joseph Rife -- Virtual Visions : Phantasia And The Perception Of The Divine In The Life Of Apollonius Of Tyana / Verity Platt -- The Ancestor Of My Wisdom : Pythagoras And Pythagoreanism In The Life Of Apollonius / Jaap-jan Flinterman -- The Odyssey Of Apollonius : An Intertextual Paradigm / Gert-jan Van Dijk -- Performing Heroics : Language, Landscape And Identity In Philostratus's Heroicus / Tim Whitmarsh -- Black Sails To Achilles : The Thessalian Pilgrimage In Philostratus' Heroicus / Ian Rutherford -- Training Athletes And Interpreting The Past In Philostratus's Gymnasticus / Jason König -- Constructing Identity In Philostratus' Love Letters / Simon Goldhill -- Colour In Philostratus' Imagines / Sandrine Dubel -- Absorption And Erudition In Philostratus' Imagines / Zahra Newby -- Philostratus And The Narcissus Of Caravaggio / Stephen Bann. Edited By Ewen Bowie And Jaś Elsner. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 358-388) And Index. A protean corpus / Jaś Elsner Philostratus : the life of a sophist / Ewen Bowie Culture and nature in Philostratus / Simon Swain Narrator and audience in Philostratus's Lives of the sophists / Thomas Schmitz Philostratus and the symbolic roles of the sophist and philosopher / Harry Sidebottom The deaths of the sophists : philostratean biography and elite funerary customs Joseph Rife Virtual visions : phantasia and the perception of the divine in the life of Apollonius of Tyana / Verity Platt The ancestor of my wisdom : Pythagoras and pythagoreanism in the life of Apollonius / Jaap-Jan Flinterman The Odyssey of Apollonius : an intertextual paradigm / Gert-Jan van Dijk Performing heroics : language, landscape and identity in Philostratus's Heroikos / Tim Whitmarsh Black sails to Achilles : the Thessalian pilgrimage in Philostratus' Heroicus / Ian Rutherford Training athletes and interpreting the past in Philostratus's Gymnasticus / Jason König Constructing identity in the love letters of Philostratus / Simon Goldhill Colour in the Imagines of Philostratus / Sandrine Dubel Absorption and erudition in Philostratus's Imagines / Zahra Newby Philostratus and the Narcissus of Caravaggio / Stephen Bann. "This is the first volume of collected papers to be devoted to the work of Philostratus, the great essayist, biographer and historian of Greek culture in the Roman world, and the most scintillating writer of Greek prose in the third century ad. The contributions cover his remarkable range, from hagiographic fiction to historical dialogue, from pictorial description to love letters, and from prescriptions for gymnastics to the lives of the sophists. The quality of his writing and the concerns within his purview - religion, aesthetics, athletics and education - make Philostratus' writings among the most important documents for understanding Greek culture in the Roman world, and guide us in exploring the maturity of Hellenic cultural identity in the context of the rise of Christianity. Few studies have been devoted to this neglected figure, and this collection will therefore be of great value to scholars and students of imperial Greek literature and art."--Contracubierta "This is the first volume of collected papers to be devoted to the work of Philostratus, the great essayist, biographer and historian of Greek culture in the Roman world, and the most scintillating writer of Greek prose in the third century ad. The contributions cover his remarkable range, from hagiographic fiction to historical dialogue, from pictorial description to love letters, and from prescriptions for gymnastics to the lives of the sophists. The quality of his writing and the concerns within his purview - religion, aesthetics, athletics and education - make Philostratus' writings among the most important documents for understanding Greek culture in the Roman world, and guide us in exploring the maturity of Hellenic cultural identity in the context of the rise of Christianity. Few studies have been devoted to this neglected figure, and this collection will therefore be of great value to scholars and students of imperial Greek literature and art."--Jacket The first volume of its kind to be devoted to the works of Philostratus, the great essayist, biographer and historian of Greek culture in the Roman world. The papers contained cover his remarkable range, from hagiographic fiction to historical dialogue, and from prescriptions for gymnastics to the lives of the Sophists. Image3 1 Bowie, Elsner (ed.) 2009 - Philostratus 2 Pages from Philostratus-2_Page_1 2 Pages from Philostratus-2_Page_2 3 32 24 Philostratus -1