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Dante’s Epistle to Cangrande and its Two Authors: Italian Lecture

CARLO GINZBURG

in Proceedings of the British Academy, Volume 139, 2005 Lectures

This chapter discusses a new interpretation of an epistle to Cangrande della Scala, a lord of Verona. For over a century, the question of whether Dante wrote the epistle or not has been the object of ... More

This chapter discusses a new interpretation of an epistle to Cangrande della Scala, a lord of Verona. For over a century, the question of whether Dante wrote the epistle or not has been the object of a passionate scholarly debate. The new interpretation of the epistle presented in the chapter focuses on the role played by Giovanni Boccaccio in promoting the literary cult of Dante.Less

Taste against Taste in Pope’s Epistle to Burlington

James Noggle

in The Temporality of Taste in Eighteenth-Century British Writing

How could the Epistle to Burlington by Alexander Pope, a traditionalist appalled by modern corruption, have recourse to the concept of taste, the most commercially tainted, modish concept of his day? ... More

How could the Epistle to Burlington by Alexander Pope, a traditionalist appalled by modern corruption, have recourse to the concept of taste, the most commercially tainted, modish concept of his day? The dual temporal character of taste allows Pope to define it to suit his own ideological ends. Pope reconfigures the ‘now’of taste to match a classical past and a vision of a better political and cultural future, recognizing true taste’s evacuation from the degraded modern world. Eccentric and unsustainable in itself, Pope’s version of tasteful immediacy nonetheless establishes what will become a standing option in the aesthetic tradition: a rejection of the present by means of a powerful present feeling, one that gestures towards some other imaginable cultural future.Less

The “Patience” Problem

Bruce Zuckerman

in Job the Silent: A Study in Historical Counterpoint

The book of Job predominantly presents a “patient Job” or “ten hupomonen lob” posing an attitude of unquestioning, unresisting fortitude and endurance in the face of suffering. This chapter notes ... More

The book of Job predominantly presents a “patient Job” or “ten hupomonen lob” posing an attitude of unquestioning, unresisting fortitude and endurance in the face of suffering. This chapter notes that Job is able to hold on to his fortitude beyond the beginning of Chapter 3 where he suddenly converts into the most impatient man causing him to be greatly persecuted. It stresses that the Epistle of James uses the term “heard of the patience of Job” which is different from “you have read about the patience of Job.” Nonetheless, the problem worsens as the oral tradition about the “patience of Job” takes precedence over the Job that eventually loses patience very quickly and how such opposing ideas coexist. Admittedly, the said problem has always been one of the most difficult problems inhibiting the proper interpretation of the book of Job. The chapter suggests that to be successful in resolving such contradictory pictures, it’s best to go back to how Epistle of James spoke of a “patient Job” as known by many and give precedence about the impatient Job that some have heard.Less

Thomas Aquinas on The Natural Law Written on Our Hearts

Eileen C. Sweeney

in Reason, Religion, and Natural Law: From Plato to Spinoza

This chapter shows the origins of diverse views of natural law in Aquinas as modern or anti-modern, secular or Christian in tensions present within Aquinas. Four areas of tension are traced: nature ... More

This chapter shows the origins of diverse views of natural law in Aquinas as modern or anti-modern, secular or Christian in tensions present within Aquinas. Four areas of tension are traced: nature as informed by the biblical story of fall and redemption vs. nature as essence, the origin of natural law principles in nature (especially non-rational nature) vs. reason, the theological context of the “treatise on law” within the Summa theologiae vs. the largely non-theologically based reasoning within the questions on law, and traditionalist vs. modern sounding determinations on particular political questions. Aquinas' natural law position has breadth and nuance but also tensions, giving rise to interpretations emphasizing only some of its parts. The chapter concludes by showing some mixed results of Aquinas' own application of natural law and with some criticisms of those who claim that natural law reliably yields wise, just, and uncontroversial determinations.Less

Precursors and Emergence

Sergey A. Ivanov and Simon Franklin

in Holy Fools in Byzantium and Beyond

The holy fool has his distant roots both in the Old Testament prophet and in the Cynic philosopher, yet, he fundamentally differs from both. Orthodox students of holy foolery always cite the famous ... More

The holy fool has his distant roots both in the Old Testament prophet and in the Cynic philosopher, yet, he fundamentally differs from both. Orthodox students of holy foolery always cite the famous words from Paul's Epistle to the Corinthians: ‘We are the fools for Christ's sake’ as a theological foundation of the phenomenon, but Paul knew nothing about holy foolery. It is no coincidence that when it really emerged, at the end of the 4th century, the person who purposefully feigned madness was called ‘salos’, a strange new word of non-Greek origin. The holy fool as a literary character appears first in ‘beneficial tales’ in which he primarily played a secondary role.Less

Achilles or Agamemnon? Horace, Epistle 1.2.13: [From Classical Philology 75 (1980) 68–9]

Niall Rudd

in The Common Spring: Essays on Latin and English Poetry

Previously published in Classical Philology 75 (1980) 68-69, this is a note on ‘hunc’ in Epistles 1.2 line 13 arguing that the man of passion must be Achilles, not Agamemnon.

The Geonic Period and the Background of Sa’adyah Gaon’s Activities

Robert Brody

in Sa’adyah Gaon

This chapter discusses the character and achievement of Rabbi Sa'adyah ben Joseph or Sa'adyah Gaon. It looks at Sa'adyah's day, in which the vast majority of Jews viewed themselves as subject to the ... More

This chapter discusses the character and achievement of Rabbi Sa'adyah ben Joseph or Sa'adyah Gaon. It looks at Sa'adyah's day, in which the vast majority of Jews viewed themselves as subject to the authority of two ancient Jewish centres: Palestine and Babylonia. It also mentions spiritual leaders known as geonim that headed the prestigious and internationally renowned academies of Sura and Pumbedita in Babylonia and the central academy in Palestine. The chapter recounts the age of the geonim that was preceded by an even more obscure era, the savora'im. It analyses the famous Epistle of Sherira Gaon that was written in 986, which consists of questions on talmudic and halakhic issues that were sent by Jews from communities around the world to the senior members of the academies headed by the geonim.Less

Truth and Metaphor

Charles P. Bigger

in Between Chora and the Good: Metaphor's Metaphysical Neighborhood

This chapter examines the concept of truth and metaphor in relation to the philosophy of Plato. It explains that the metaphor's phenomenological task and movement from ... More

This chapter examines the concept of truth and metaphor in relation to the philosophy of Plato. It explains that the metaphor's phenomenological task and movement from predication toward an apprehensive of “the thing itself” was started by Plato in the Seventh Epistle. However, this deictic movement was nipped in the bud by the publication of Aristotle's De Categoria, where things and their indicators disappear to leave their linguistic traces.Less

Christ’s Creed

Andrew Radde-Gallwitz

in Gregory of Nyssa's Doctrinal Works: A Literary Study

This chapter examines four works in which Gregory defends himself against charges of heterodoxy in his Trinitarian teaching: the confessions of faith known as Epistles 5 and 24, as well as the ... More

This chapter examines four works in which Gregory defends himself against charges of heterodoxy in his Trinitarian teaching: the confessions of faith known as Epistles 5 and 24, as well as the treatises To Eustathius—On the Holy Trinity and Against the Macedonians—On the Holy Spirit. The chapter first sets the works into the context of Gregory’s activities as an ambassador for the Council of Antioch in 379. Concerned Nicene allies prompted Gregory to write Epistles 5 and 24, and questions about those documents in turn prompted the two treatises examined in this chapter, as well as To Ablabius. Gregory’s reasoning in these works is centered on the interpretation of Matthew 28:19, which Gregory reads as Christ’s creed. In particular, Gregory grounds the unity of the Trinity on the activity of life-giving that comes in baptism from the Father, through the Son, and is perfected in the Holy Spirit.Less

. Thessalonians, Galatians, Romans

George A. Kennedy

in New Testament Interpretation Through Rhetorical Criticism

This chapter starts by looking at 1 Thessalonians from the New Testament of the Bible. Historians believe that Paul the Apostle wrote this letter from Corinth. The book consists of two main parts, ... More

This chapter starts by looking at 1 Thessalonians from the New Testament of the Bible. Historians believe that Paul the Apostle wrote this letter from Corinth. The book consists of two main parts, the first part contains chapters 1–3, which deal with the circumstance and general purpose of the letter and the second part contains chapters 4–5, which provide answers to specific questions. Another effective and powerful letter from Paul the Apostle is Galatians, which is the first of the New Testament books to include a rich and detailed rhetorical analysis. This chapter explores the final and longer epistle “Epistle to the Romans”, which is the sixth book of New Testament.Less

‘Baghdad is to Cities What the Master is to Mankind’: The Rise of Vizier Culture

Samuel England

in Medieval Empires and the Culture of Competition: Literary Duels at Islamic and Christian Courts

Examines the phenomenon of vizier-poets in medieval Baghdad and the ‘Abbasid provinces. Argues that Persian viziers used literary, administrative skill to overshadow royals and the caliph. These ... More

Examines the phenomenon of vizier-poets in medieval Baghdad and the ‘Abbasid provinces. Argues that Persian viziers used literary, administrative skill to overshadow royals and the caliph. These viziers in the imperial provinces supported Arabic literature with great enthusiasm, but also revised the rules of courtly membership and poets’ ritual jousts. Not content to simply patronize authors, they composed their own works. With poetic statements of self-praise, religious dogma, and satire aimed at insufficiently loyal courtiers, they altered the relationship between patron and poet, each of whom was now able to slander the other in verse. Their exchanges of inflammatory compositions became some of the most closely followed events of Abbasid life, drawing the attention of imperial citizens and stationing the viziers themselves as the central, intimidating arbiters of taste. In effect, the vizierial class began to legislate with literature.Less

Grammars and Narratives of Participation in the Rest of the New Testament

Grant Macaskill

in Union with Christ in the New Testament

This chapter examines further cumulative evidence for a theology of union with Christ in the New Testament. First the participatory representation of Jesus’s death using covenant and flood imagery in ... More

This chapter examines further cumulative evidence for a theology of union with Christ in the New Testament. First the participatory representation of Jesus’s death using covenant and flood imagery in 1 Peter is considered, before examining the significance of the expression ‘partakers of the divine nature’ in 2 Peter, usually misunderstood to reflect the assimilation of Greek notions of participation, but grammatically requiring a different interpretation, that of covenant partnership. Sparing but significant participatory elements in James are considered to be consistent with the eschatological themes traced throughout this study. Revelation is then seen to represent believers as martyrs who participate in the victorious death of the Lamb. Finally, the Synoptic Gospels are seen to be marked by an apocalyptic restoration theology; within this, Matthew develops two images that are strikingly oriented towards union: the yoke of Matt 11:25–30 and the Son of Man seated upon the throne in 25:31–46.Less

The Way of Darkness and the Way of Light: The Cross as Boundary Marker in Early Christianity

Travis E. Ables

in The Body of the Cross: Holy Victims and the Invention of the Atonement

This chapter examines the symbol of the cross in second- and third-century texts, engaging heresiological literature to argue that the cross was a polemical symbol with little reference to atonement ... More

This chapter examines the symbol of the cross in second- and third-century texts, engaging heresiological literature to argue that the cross was a polemical symbol with little reference to atonement concerns in this era. It argues that the cross was instead a boundary marker of social differentiation. It marked out the emerging mainstream church from two groups: Judaism and gnosticism. Early Christian writers adopted apocalyptic language to reinforce the distinctiveness of protoorthodox Christian identity. Combined with apotropaic elements in early liturgical traditions, this language of darkness and light demonized Christianity’s polemical opponents. Major interlocutors include the Epistle of Barnabas, Justin Martyr, the Apostolic Tradition, the Gospel of Philip, and Irenaeus of Lyons.Less

The Gospel According to the Foreskin

A. W. Strouse

in Form and Foreskin: Medieval Narratives of Circumcision

This chapter explicates Paul’s theory of circumcision as epitomized in his formulation in Romans 2 of “circumcision of the heart.” In the wake of early Christianity’s circumcision controversy, Paul ... More

This chapter explicates Paul’s theory of circumcision as epitomized in his formulation in Romans 2 of “circumcision of the heart.” In the wake of early Christianity’s circumcision controversy, Paul read circumcision allegorically, providing a framework for the deployment of un/circumcision in medieval literature. The chapter also discusses Peter and his vision of the sheet led down from heaven in Acts 10 and 11 as an early deployment of circumcision allegory.Less

The Muqarnas Dome: Its Origin and Meaning

Yasser Tabbaa

in The Production of Meaning in Islamic Architecture and Ornament

One of the earliest historical studies of muqarnas vaulting, this article locates the development of the muqarnas dome in Baghdad and its spread in the 12th century to Syria and North Africa. It ... More

One of the earliest historical studies of muqarnas vaulting, this article locates the development of the muqarnas dome in Baghdad and its spread in the 12th century to Syria and North Africa. It offers an interpretation of this fragmented dome in relation to contemporaneous Occasionalist theology.Less

Literary Interludes

Hamid Dabashi

in The Last Muslim Intellectual: The Life and Legacy of Jalal Al-e Ahmad

I concluded the last chapter by suggesting that Al-e Ahmad’s turn to a renewed reading of Islam in Gharbzadegi and On the Services and Treasons of Intellectuals might be interpreted as his ... More

I concluded the last chapter by suggesting that Al-e Ahmad’s turn to a renewed reading of Islam in Gharbzadegi and On the Services and Treasons of Intellectuals might be interpreted as his preliminary steps towards a kind of liberation theology, the full contours of which he could not see for he was unaware of similar events in Latin America led by theologian like Gustavo Gutiérrez and others. These ground-breaking events were happening almost simultaneously with the publication of Al-e Ahmad’s Gharbzadegi. But his own mind being overly fixated on Europe, and his main interlocutors at Tehran University too Eurocentric even to be aware of such monumental developments, he never unpacked this crucial potential in his critical thinking. That aspect of Al-e Ahmad’s project thus remained dormant until the Islamist takeover of his legacy would take it in a direction that would legitimise their tyranny and discredit Al-e Ahmad. A major task of this book is to retrieve that moment in Al-e Ahmad’s thinking and push it in a direction he could not see or even anticipate. In this chapter I turn to his literary work.Less

Text and Audience: Activating and Obstructing Expectations

L. Stephanie Cobb

in Divine Deliverance: Pain and Painlessness in Early Christian Martyr Texts

Chapter Two explores the ways martyr texts carefully describe the physical assaults on the martyrs’ bodies—thereby activating the audience’s expectations for pain—but then immediately thwart that ... More

Chapter Two explores the ways martyr texts carefully describe the physical assaults on the martyrs’ bodies—thereby activating the audience’s expectations for pain—but then immediately thwart that expectation by insisting the Christian martyrs were insensitive to pain. In addition, the texts include stories in which the tools of torture refuse to participate in the persecution of Christians, and stories in which the persecutors are unable to obtain their desired goals. Martyr texts also upend audience expectations by cursorily reporting the execution of the martyr or by obscuring the audience’s sightlines at the moment of death. This chapter, therefore, examines narrative techniques that engage listeners and then direct them toward particular—perhaps surprising—(re-)interpretations of events.Less