Introduction
Introduction αἱ δὲ βίον σοφίῃσιν ἐκόσμεον. And some gave life the ornament of their wise arts. Orphic Catabasis, P. Bon. 4, fol. 3r, line 7 This book is a study of the professional, literary, political, and… Read more
Chapters
Part I. Isocrates and Aristotle: An Entanglement. 1. The Influence of Rhetorical Education on Aristotelian Ethics: Knowledge, Training, and Performance
Chapter 1. The Influence of Rhetorical Education on Aristotelian Ethics: Knowledge, Training, and Performance The Nicomachean Ethics gives an account of a virtuous agent’s formation and practice. To appreciate this text fully, it is natural to want to know as much as possible about all the theoretical… Read more
Part I. Isocrates and Aristotle: An Entanglement. 2. Plato’s Concession to the Practical Arts in the Phaedrus
Chapter 2. Plato’s Concession to the Practical Arts in the Phaedrus One of the most important threads running through the intellectual history of the fifth and fourth centuries was the multidisciplinary attack on the question of what kind of art or science could hope to master the… Read more
Part I. Isocrates and Aristotle: An Entanglement. 3. Aristotle in the Afternoon: Rhetoric, Exoterica, and the Compromised Philosopher
Chapter 3. Aristotle in the Afternoon: Rhetoric, Exoterica, and the Compromised Philosopher The surviving Aristotelian corpus, which seems largely to preserve the teachings and discussions conducted by Aristotle within his school, contains multitudes enough for Aristotle’s followers and interpreters. It establishes Aristotle, on the one hand, as… Read more
Chapter 3. Greek Heroes and Christian Martyrs: In Defense of the Friends of God and Heroes of the Faith
Chapter 3. Greek Heroes and Christian Martyrs: In Defense of the Friends of God and Heroes of the Faith The account that Theodoret provides concerning the practice of honoring martyrs and their relics occupies a central position in his defense of Christianity. In Dialexis VIII. On the… Read more
Chapter 4. Christianity as the Universal Practical Virtue
Chapter 4. Christianity as the Universal Practical Virtue The presentation of Christianity as a way of life maintains a significant thematic resonance throughout Theodoret’s Therapeutikê. Following the long line of Christian authors who from an early stage offered Christianity as a response to pagan polemic, his motivation… Read more
Chapter 5. Theodoret’s Rhetoric, Style, and Argumentation: Some Literary Considerations
Chapter 5. Theodoret’s Rhetoric, Style, and Argumentation: Some Literary Considerations The Therapeutikê’s literary features are informed by a set of recognizable historical, religious, educational, and cultural concerns, which have yet to be integrated into a coherent account. [1] More specifically, a number… Read more
Conclusion
Conclusion This book has sought to study several aspects of Theodoret’s apologetics. By showing the number of methods that Theodoret employs to engage the larger problems of his period, his dynamism and the urgency of his project have become apparent. Rather than a “stale exercise,” [… Read more
Bibliography
Bibliography Primary Sources Ambjörn, L., trans. 2008. Zacharias of Mytilene. The Life of Severus. Piscataway, NJ. Burguière, P., and P. Évieux, eds. 1985. Cyril of Alexandria. Contra Iulianum. Sources chrétiennes 322. Paris. Canivet, P., ed. 2000–2001. Theodoret… Read more
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments To Farideh and Daryush It is a great pleasure to acknowledge those who have generously afforded me their time and insights during the composition of this study. My gratitude to Prods Oktor Skjærvø, Richard N. Frye, and Ernst Badian for their comments on earlier… Read more