The appearance of Scott Johnson’s The Life and Miracles of Thekla, A Literary Study in the series “Hellenic Studies” marks an important new direction for the publications program of the Center for Hellenic Studies. The field of study represented by this book is Late Antiquity, a vital era of transition from the Classical to the Byzantine and the Modern Greek eras. The world of Late Antiquity, with its vibrant mix of Christian and Classical traditions, shines forth in these pages as a highly experimental and creative phase of Greek civilization writ large. Withstanding the negative prejudices of earlier generations of Classicists, the study of Late Antiquity has by now become one of the most dynamic areas of research and teaching in the field of Classics and in other fields that transcend the ancient world. A case in point is the present book, a literary and historical gold mine that exemplifies the precious contributions of Late Antique studies to Hellenic Studies in general.

Gregory Nagy

Washington, DC

August 2005