Philostratus

Description

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.

Ewen Bowie was E. P. Warren Praelector in Classics at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, 1965-2007 and has written extensively on the Greek culture of the Roman empire. Jas Elsner teaches classical art at Oxford University and the University of Chicago.

'... [has] sections dedicated to each of Philostratus' writings. These are preceded by three introductory pieces, starting with Jas Elsner's 'A Protean Corpus'. Elsner ... takes a close look at how Philostratus works from within each genre he chooses to appropriate and whose conventions he subtly subverts by turning them 'into the theme of the text'. ... In its emphasis on unity in diversity, this is much more than just another summarising introduction; rather, we are invited to adopt a new, holistic perspective on Philostratus.' Listy Filologicke