Hellenism in Byzantium: The Transformations of Greek Identity and the Reception of the Classical Tradition

Description

This text was the first systematic study of what it meant to be 'Greek' in late antiquity and Byzantium, an identity that could alternatively become national, religious, philosophical, or cultural. Through close readings of the sources, Professor Kaldellis surveys the space that Hellenism occupied in each period; the broader debates in which it was caught up; and the historical causes of its successive transformations. The first section (100-400) shows how Romanisation and Christianisation led to the abandonment of Hellenism as a national label and its restriction to a negative religious sense and a positive, albeit rarefied, cultural one. The second (1000-1300) shows how Hellenism was revived in Byzantium and contributed to the evolution of its culture. The discussion looks closely at the reception of the classical tradition, which was the reason why Hellenism was always desirable and dangerous in Christian society, and presents a new model for understanding Byzantine civilisation.

Anthony Kaldellis is Professor of Greek and Latin at The Ohio State University. He has published many articles and monographs on late antiquity and Byzantium, and is currently completing a related book on the subject of the Christian Parthenon. His most recent titles are Mothers and Sons, Fathers and Daughters: The Byzantine Family of Michael Psellos (2006) and Procopius of Caesarea: Tyranny, History and Philosophy at the End of Antiquity (2004).

Review of the hardback: 'The study is based on a direct acquaintance with an impressive range of authors from two thousand years of Greek literature. ... I do hope that this discussion will be held in future scholarly literature, and that this book will find many readers: it is directly relevant for any student interested in the lasting legacy of Greek Antiquity.' L'Antiquite Classique 'Kaldellis's book brings many provocative points to an area of Byzantine studies that had stagnated for several decades. The contention that 'Hellenism' in Byzantium was synonymous with 'paganism' has always been unconvincing, but Kaldellis is the fist modern scholar to devote a book-length study to the topic.' The Journal of Speculum