Hellenism in Late Antiquity

122 Pages·1990·16.94 MB·English

by  Glen W. Bowersock

JEROME LECTURES, EIGHTEEN
Hellenistn
in Late Antiquity
THOMAS SPENCER JEROME LECTURES
G. W. Bowersock
Ann Arbor
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN PRESS

Copyright © by The University of Michigan 1990
Ali rights reserved
Published in the United States of America by
The University of Michigan Press
Manufactured in the United States of America
1993 1992 1991 1990 4 3 2 l
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bowersock, G. W. (Glen Warren), 1936-
Hellenism in Late Antiquity l G. W. Bowersock.
p. cm.-(Jerome lectures : 18th ser.)
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-472-09418-1 (alk. paper)
l. Hellenism. 2. Christianity-Early church, ca. 30-600.
3. Paganism-Mediterranean Region-History. l. Title. II. Series.
DF240.B69 1990
292'.009182'2-dc20 89-20573
CIP
Acknowledgments
According to the will of Thomas Spencer Jerome, the lectures he endowed are to be
delivered both at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and at the American
Academy in Rome. No lecturer could be assigned more agreeable settings than these.
My fortnight in Ann Arbor in February of 1989 was the purest joy for me, as I
savored the hospitality and learning of one of the great centers of classica! studies in
the world. The department's chairman, Ludwig Koenen, matched in the warmth of
his welcome and the acuity of his observations the kind and perceptive treatment
accorded to me by John H. D'Arms, dean of the Rackham Graduate School, who
issued the originai invitation to deliver the Jerome Lectures. The colleagues and
students of these two scholars enriched my !ife in Ann Arbor beyond measure, and I
think not only of the Department of Classics but equally of the Departments of
History and Near Eastern Studies, and the program in Art and Archaeology. I must
also mention for special thanks David Potter and Dean Homer Rose.
At Rome, in late Aprii and early May of 1989, in the enchanting atmosphere of
the American Academy, I enjoyed the wonderfully stimulating company of many
friends from many countries. The Academy's director, Joseph Connors, was as help
fui and encouraging throughout as Charles Babcock, who attended marvelously to
every detail as professor-in-charge for Classica! Studies. Their staff was a miracle of
unobtrusive efficiency. I was also lucky enough to be at the Academy at the same time
as my friends Herbert Bloch and Pau! Zanker, from whom I never cease to learn and
to draw inspiration.
Finally, I want to express my deep appreciation to Colin Day, director of the
University of Michigan Press, which has been the publisher of the Jerome Lectures
from the start. Dr. Day's steady support and accommodation in leading an inevitably
fretting author to publication has meant more to me than he can realize.
26 June 1989 G. W. B.

Contents
Abbreviations ....................................... ix
Prologue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
I Paganism and Greek Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . l
II The Idolatry of Holiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
III The Syrian Tradition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
IV Dionysus and His World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
V Greek Literature in Egypt ............................ 55
VI Hellenism and Islam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Plates ............................................. 83
Index of Written Sources ............................ 101
Generai Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . l 05

Abbreviations
ADA] Annua/ of the Department of Antiquities of ]ordan
BAR British Archaeological Reports
BASP Bulletin of the American Society of Papyrologists
BCH Bulletin de correspondance hellénique
BMC Cat. Catalogue of the Coins in the British Museum
CIS Corpus Inscriptionum Semiticarum
esco
Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium
FHG Fragmenta Historicorum Graecorum
GRBS Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies
lE] Israel Exploration ]ournal
IG Inscriptiones Graecae
]AOS ]ournal of the American Orientai Society
]HS ]ournal of Hellenic Studies
]RS ]ournal of Roman Studies
PEQ Palestine Exploration Quarterly
PG Patrologia Graeca
REG Revue des études grecques
SEG Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum
SIG3 Sylloge Inscriptionum Graecarum (3d ed.)
SNG, ANS Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Collection of the American
Numismatic Society
ZDMG Zeitschrift der Morgenliindischen Gesellschaft
ZPE Zeitschrift {Ur Papyrologie und Epigraphik