Plato and Theodoret: The Christian Appropriation of Platonic Philosophy and the Hellenic Intellectual Resistance (Cambridge Classical Studies)
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.76 (697 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0521300657 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 280 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-10-12 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
. Niketas Siniossoglou holds a PhD in Ancient Philosophy from the University of Cambridge
In late antiquity Plato's philosophy became a battlefield between the competing discourses and rival intellectual paradigms represented by Hellenism and Christianity. The volume concludes that the fundamental Hellenic-Christian opposition outweighed any linguistic merging that might have occurred between the two systems, and that this opposition outlived the dominance of Christianity in late antique society and politics.. The outcome is a reconstruction of a vital trial of strength between Neoplatonic hermeneutics and the Christian rhetorical mode of rewriting Plato. The apologetical strategies of appropriation are confronted with the perspective of the intended audience, the Hellenic elite, by means of comparative discourse analysis. Focusing on Theodoret of Cyrrhus' Graecarum Affectionum Curatio, Dr Siniossoglou examines the philosophical, rhetorical and political dimensions of the Neoplatonic-Christian conflict of interpretations over Plato. He shows that the apologist's aim was to procure a radical shift in Hellenic intellectual identity through the appropriation of Platonic concepts and terminology
"Indispensible reading on the religion of late antiquity." according to WJJB. With its admiration of mathematical science, its tolerance of religious diversity, its reverence for bodily health, and its deference to philosophical argument in all things spiritual, Hellenic Neoplatonism constituted the greatest obstacle to Christian hegemony in late Roman antiquity. Three hundr
About the Author Niketas Siniossoglou holds a PhD in Ancient Philosophy from the University of Cambridge.