Byzantine Humanism: The First Phase

398 Pages·2017·21.913 MB·English

by  Paul Lemerle, Helen Lindsay, Ann Moffatt

Byzantine Humanism: The First Phase
Byzantina Australiensia
Editorial Board
Ken Parry (Macquarie University)
Amelia Brown (University of Queensland)
Meaghan McEvoy (Macquarie University)
Eva Anagnostou-Laoutides (Monash University)
Danijel Dzino (Macquarie University)
Wendy Mayer (Australian Lutheran College | University of Divinity)
Roger Scott (University of Melbourne)
Volume 3
The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/byza
Byzantine Humanism:
The First Phase
Notes and Remarks on Education and Culture in
Byzantium from Its Origins to the 10th Century
By
Paul Lemerle
Translated by
Lindsay Helen
Ann Moffatt
LEIDEN | BOSTON
This paperback was published as Volume 3 in the series Byzantina Australiensia, 1986 Presses
Universitaires de France, Australian Association for Byzantine Studies, The Faculty of Arts;
originally published as Le premier humanisme byzantin. Notes et remarques sur enseignement
et culture à Byzance des origines au Xe siècle. 1971 Presses Universitaires de France.
Cover illustration: Fol 98v of Cod. Laur. Plut. IX.28, containing the Christian Topography of
Cosmas Indicopleustes, is reproduced on the cover with the kind permission of the Biblioteca
Laurenziana, Florence.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017939410
issn 0725-3079
isbn 978-09-59-36263-3 (paperback, 2017)
isbn 978-90-04-34459-4 (e-book, 2017)
isbn 0 9593626 3 0 (paperback, 1986)
Copyright 2017 by Koninklijke Brill nv, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Koninklijke Brill nv incorporates the imprints Brill, Brill Hes & De Graaf, Brill Nijhoff,
Brill Rodopi and Hotei Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval
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This book is printed on acid-free paper and produced in a sustainable manner.
Εἰ δὲ καὶ περὶ τῶν ἀντιπόδων ἐπεξεργαστικώτερον θελήσειέ τις ζητῆσαι,
ῥᾳδίως τοὺς γραώδεις μύθους αὐτῶν ἀνακαλύψει.
Cosmas Indicopleustes, I,20.
⸪

Contents
Preface vii
'Ihmslators' note ix
Introduction xi
I The Break in Hellenic Culture in the West 1
Il The Hypothesis of a Link through Syria and the Arabs 17
ill The Fate of Secular Hellenism in Byzantium during the first three
centuries of the Empire 43
IV The Dark Ages: Break or continuity? 81
V Intellectual Ferment, Curiosity and Technical Progress:
The first great figures 121
VI Leo the Philosopher (o r Mathematician) and his Times 171
VIl Photios and Classicism 205
vm Arcthas of Patras 237
IX The Schools from Bardas to Constantine Porphyrogcnnetos 281
X The Encyclopedism of the Tenth Century 309
Conclusion 347
Index 355
Notable Greek Terms 377
list of Manuscripts Cited 381

Preface
I am very happy to see the publication of an English translation of
the book which was published in the French edition in 1971 under the
title Le pl'emiel' humanisme byaantin. Notes et 1'6ma1'QuesB Ul' enseigne
ment et oultUN ~ Byaance des ol'igines au x8 si~ole. A Greek trans
lation was published in Athens in 1981.
The initiative for this English translation has come from Dr Ann
Moffatt of the Australian National University, canberra. Given her
competence in this field and the quality of the work she has pub
lished, I count it an honour that she should devote her attention to
my book.
Translating this work is an onerous and difficult task which Miss
Helen Lindsay has undertaken with courage and tenacity. It has occu
pied some of her days since her retirement after a long career on the
administrative staff of the Australian National University. In
revising their translation the authors have had valuable collaborators
in Mrs Elizabeth Jeffreys of the University of Sydney, Father Ted
Stormon of the Jesuit Theological College in Melbourne and Dr Margaret
carroll of Perth, Western Australia. The result, insofar as I can
judge, is scrupulously faithful and it reads easily. I express my
sincere thanks to Miss Lindsay and Dr Moffatt and their collaborators,
as well as to the Australian National University, which has been
unstinting in its support.
I thank them, moreover, for having incorporated in this English
translation improvements upon the original French edition in two
important respects. For one thing Dr ~ffatt had the happy idea of
adding an English translation of the passages cited in Greek to make
them accessible to all. Secondly the translators have agreed that the
original text should, as far as possible, include quite a number of
additions, especially bibliographical references. These, like the
translations of the Greek, are printed here within square brackets.
I hope. that this translation, which has cost its authors so
much time and trouble, will receive a welcome that justifies their
efforts.
Paul Lemerle
Paris , July 1985
vii