On Citing the Sahidic Version of Hebrews: Theoretical Reflections and Examples from Textual Practice

The Sahidic Coptic is one of the earliest and most important versions of the New Testament. Thus, it is essential that its witness be related to the Greek tradition with adequate methodological precision. This article attempts to pave the way for such an undertaking in the Epistle to the Hebrews, a New Testament book which, currently, lacks a major critical edition of its Greek text or an edition of its Sahidic version. Firstly, the present study offers methodological reflections on citing the Sahidic version, with a particular focus on transmissional, editorial, linguistic and translation-technical issues. And secondly, a selection of the most significant variant units in Hebrews is examined with a view to relating the Sahidic evidence to the Greek variant spectrum at each point.

Stworzenie z niczego, czyli słów kilka o monografii Jacka Zielińskiego „Koncepcja creatio ex nihilo w myśli Apologetów greckich II wieku”

The monograph of Jacek Zieliński, The Concept of Creatio ex Nihilo in the Thought of the Greek Apologists of the 2nd century, published by Wroclaw’s Atut in 2013, discusses an important problem of the theory of creation from nothing. It also asks an important question, how far the elements of the concept, articulated in its final form only by Augustine of Hippo can be found in the writings of the Christian apologists of the 2nd century. It is an important question, especially that the Bible in its canonical form, the early extra-biblical Jewish literature or – even more – Greek tradition does not unambiguously advocate the concept creatio ex nihilo. Hence the question how, when and why the concept was articulated, since it played such an important role in the Christian thought of later centuries. In addition, the book of Jacek Zielinski is important in Polish market, because there are only a few serious publications dealing with the issue. The article gives a description and short analysis of the book, pinpointing its strong sights and showing areas, which could be strengthened in this and — hopefully — following publications on creatio ex nihilo by Jacek Zieliński.

'Naming the Baby':

The article focuses on the local music and dance of Zoupanochoria, a cluster of villages lying on the boundaries of the different geographic areas of the Greek parts of Epirus and Macedonia. Identifying music with either side of the boundary results in contestations over locals’ identity and sparks dispute over symbolic belonging to distinct musical traditions and their geographic origin. The research shows that musicians blend elements (tunes, rhythms, instrumentation) of both music traditions. Based on the repertories performed in two community festivities, the article relates their different structure and organization with alternative expressions of belonging and shows the resolution of dispute and discontent that the local dance Lotzia provides. This border situation resonates metaphorically with the Greek tradition to name the newborn baby after one of the grandparents, thus signifying bonds with the family. However, highlighting bonds with a specific part of the family can engender disputes. This metaphor can be applied to many forms of community solidarity-building in Greece and the wider Balkans, as the one examined here.

Plethon wobec tradycji teologicznej Greków

Byzantine philosopher Georgios Gemistos Pletho (1355–1452) is regarded as the first Philhellene who rejected Christianity and attempted to restore the pogan religion of Hellenic gods. In his last work Books of Laws (Νόμων συγγραφή) he presents his own system of theology based on ancient philosophy and Greek mythology. The aim of the paper is to outline some main features of Plethon’s theology and to show the influence of Greek tradition on it.

DINAMIKA PEMIKIRAN KLASIFIKASI ILMU DALAM KHAZANAH INTELEKTUAL ISLAM KLASIK

The idea of science integration which is an important issue of Muslims today demands attention to the study of science classification. This topic is among the least touched in discussions related to Islam and science. This article is the result of a literature review that raises classical Muslim intellectual thoughts related to the classification of science. During the heyday of Islam, this issue received serious attention from many Muslim intellectuals at that time. The important findings from this paper are that: First, the repertoire of thought in the classification of science in Islam shows the great enthusiasm of Muslim scientists in the development of science whose impact can be felt today. Second, although there are various variations in the classification of science, they still provide respect and space for metaphysical or religious sciences. Third, there are two patterns in the classification of science as stated by Muslim scientists, some are strongly influenced by the Greek tradition, and some are based on Islamic treasures. This division in the present context, this idea is similar to the view of Islamization of science and the view of Islamic scholarship.

What Is Byzantine Literature?

The chapter raises the question of what is “Byzantine literature” and introduces the contents of the Handbook. In the context of the volume, “Byzantine literature” refers to “Literature in Greek, during the Byzantine period (330 ce–1453 ce),” which, however, raises a series of problems. (1) While “literature,” for a modern audience, signifies primarily fiction and poetry, a wider understanding of the term is needed so as to appreciate the manifold textual and discursive culture of Byzantium as we can recover it from the thousands of manuscripts and inscriptions in which it has been preserved (relevant statistics are also offered). (2) While “Byzantine” has been conventionally used in order to focus on Greek literature (in the predominantly Greek-speaking “Byzantine” Empire), this should not make us forget that Greek was only one among many “Byzantine” languages (e.g., Latin, Coptic, Syriac, Georgian, and Arabic) and that the relation of the Greek tradition with the literary traditions in these other languages is fundamental for understanding Byzantine literature in its totality.

Arabic

The chapter surveys Christian Arabic literature translated into Greek as well as “Eastern” storytelling that was mediated through Arabic and reached the Byzantine Greek tradition through translation. It thus discusses (a) texts written in the context of so-called Melkite communities in the wake of the Islamic conquests as well as, later, in the Byzantine environment of Antioch from 969 to 1084 (e.g., the Life of Ioannes Damaskenos [BHG 884]); and (b) the transmission and translation history of Barlaam and Ioasaph (the life of Buddha), Stephanites and Ichnelates (Kalīla wa Dimna), and Syntipas (The Book of Sindbad), as well as the possible links with Arabic storytelling of Digenis Akrites. It also draws attention to translations made in the courtly environment of the late Byzantine empire of Trebizond.

Potent kings and antisocial heroes: lion symbolism and elite masculinity in ancient Mesopotamia and Greece

In the great kingdoms of ancient Mesopotamia, the king’s power was often evoked by means of lion symbolism. This has led scholars to conclude that lion motifs, and especially that of the lion-slaying hero, in early Greek art and literature were cultural borrowings from the more populous and urbanised civilisations to the east. Yet it is also notable that the Greek tradition, at least from the time of the Homeric poems, tended to problematise the ethics of the leonine man. This article explores the function of lion imagery in narratives of elite masculinity in western Asia and early Greece respectively. It will argue that Greek myth and epic reflect on and problematise any potential equation between lions and kingly prestige, power and masculinity, instead drawing attention to the savagery and social isolation of the lion-like man-of-power, and his difficulty in conforming to the expectations of civilised society.

SIMAETHA GOT IT RIGHT, AFTER ALL: THEOCRITUS, IDYLL 2, A COURTESAN'S PANTRY AND A LOST GREEK TRADITION OF HEXAMETRICAL CURSES

Theocritus divides his second Idyll into two roughly equal sections, each punctuated by ten refrains: in the first half, a courtesan named Simaetha describes an ongoing erotic spell that she and her servant are performing and at the same time she enacts it by reciting a series of short similia-similibus incantations; in the second half, she speaks to Selene in the night sky and tells her the story of her brief affair with and betrayal by a handsome young athlete named Delphis. Literary scholars have written much about this poem, but they are more often concerned with the second, confessional half, with its complicated narrative layers and its charmingly naïve and unreliable narrator. Historians of religion and magic, on the other hand, have focussed most of their energies on the first half of the poem, using as comparanda the much later evidence of Roman-era curse tablets (katadesmoi) and late antique magical papyri to make sense of what Simaetha does and says during her long ritual, an approach that was enshrined by Gow in the middle of the last century, when he argued that, because of the conservative nature of these later magical spells, there was little risk of serious anachronism in using them for comparison.