The Center for Hellenic Studies

philosophy
Hellenic Studies Series

Lovers of the Soul, Lovers of the Body: Philosophical and Religious Perspectives in Late Antiquity

The relationship between the soul and the body was a point of contentious debate among philosophers and theologians in late antiquity. Modern scholarship has inherited this legacy, but split the study of the relation of body and soul between the disciplines of philosophy and religion. Lovers of the Soul, Lovers of the Body integrates, with Plato and Aristotle in the background, philosophical and religious perspectives on the concepts of soul and… Read more

News, Programs & Events News

Performing Wisdom Workshop

for students who want to think and act philosophically Please Note: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the workshop is moving online. Interested students should submit an application as soon as possible and they will receive additional details about the program’s new format. Apply now! Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the program is full. Program dates: July 13-31, 2020 Program… Read more

Hellenic Studies Series

Dialoguing in Late Antiquity

Christians talked, debated, and wrote dialogues in late antiquity and on throughout Byzantium. Some were philosophical, others more literary, theological, or Platonic; Aristotle also came into the picture as time went on. Sometimes the written works claim to be records of actual public debates, and we know that many such debates did take place and continued to do so. Dialoguing in Late Antiquity takes up a challenge laid down by recent scholars… Read more

Hellenic Studies Series

The Theology of Arithmetic: Number Symbolism in Platonism and Early Christianity

In the second century, Valentinians and other gnosticizing Christians used numerical structures and symbols to describe God, interpret the Bible, and frame the universe. In this study of the controversy that resulted, Joel Kalvesmaki shows how earlier neo-Pythagorean and Platonist number symbolism provided the impetus for this theology of arithmetic, and describes the ways in which gnosticizing groups attempted to engage both the Platonist and Christian traditions. He explores the rich variety… Read more