Uncharted Territory: Receptions of Philosophy in Apollonius Rhodius' Argonautica

315 Pages·2017·6.22 MB·English

by  Laura Marshall

Uncharted Territory:
Receptions of Philosophy in Apollonius Rhodius’ Argonautica

Dissertation

Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy
in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University

By
Laura Ann Marshall, B.A.
Graduate Program in Greek and Latin

The Ohio State University
2017

Dissertation Committee:
Benjamin Acosta-Hughes, Advisor
Thomas Hawkins
Anthony Kaldellis
Copyrighted by
Laura Ann Marshall
2017
Abstract

The Argonautica of Apollonius Rhodius is often studied in terms of how the author uses
previous literary poets such as Homer. This project asks whether Apollonius Rhodius
also uses philosophical authors in his Argonautica and looks particularly at Empedocles,
Parmenides, Xenophanes, and Plato. In addition to building on references by earlier
scholars such as Malcolm Campbell, I use plagiarism-tracking software (WCopyFind) to
identify places of potential connection and then evaluate the passages in question to see
whether these connections are significant. I conclude that Apollonius does use the works
of Empedocles and Parmenides and perhaps Xenophanes, and he uses Parmenides’ and
Empedocles’ works in ways that indicate he is interested in their ideas as well as vivid
images and rare words. I conclude that although there are good reasons for considering
Plato’s works as a source of interest for Apollonius, Apollonius does not use Plato’s work
in the same significant ways that he uses Empedocles’ and Parmenides’ works. Instead,
Apollonius’ project as a poet-scholar contradicts many of the views on poetry, inspiration
and skill that Plato’s Socrates develops in the Ion. The works of Empedocles and
Parmenides provide an alternative model of poetry that involves thoughtful mixing of
elements from previous poets.

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Dedicated to my mother, Mary Ellen Day Marshall,
who parented with skill, determination, and great love.
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Acknowledgments

First, I would like to thank Benjamin Acosta-Hughes, whose kindness and patience have
helped bring this project to completion. I would also like to thank Tom Hawkins and
Anthony Kaldellis for their advice and guidance on a variety of topics and David Noe for
kindling my initial interest in Classics. Thanks are also due to Erica Kallis and the
graduate students at the Ohio State University Department of Classics (past and present)
for their friendship, and to my siblings Leah, Wesley, Grant, Elena, Stuart, and Cameron
for their support.

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Vita

2003................................................................Redeemer Academy
2009................................................................B.A. Literature, Patrick Henry College
2009 to present ..............................................Graduate Teaching Associate, Department
of Classics, The Ohio State University

Publications

“Tracking Down Love: A New Interpretation of κεχρηµένος in Callimachus 31.3.” Studi
Italiani di Filologia Classica, 2015.2, 227-231.

Fields of Study

Major Field: Greek and Latin

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Table of Contents

Abstract...............................................................................................................................ii
Acknowledgments..............................................................................................................iv
Vita......................................................................................................................................v
List of Tables.....................................................................................................................xi
List of Figures...................................................................................................................xii
Chapter 1: Questions and Methodology.............................................................................1
Background on Apollonius as Scholar and Reader.......................................................10
A New Tool: WCopyFind.............................................................................................17
Step 1: prepare the texts.............................................................................................22
Step 2: run the analysis..............................................................................................24
Step 3: use the TLG to determine word rarity and significance................................35
Step 4: Campbell’s work as a test case......................................................................36
Limitations....................................................................................................................38
Chapter 2: Empedocles.....................................................................................................45
1. Empedocles G20 (B2) and Arg. 1.1291, 4.656, 4.140..............................................48
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2. Empedocles G22 (B110) and Arg. 2.1275, 3.765.....................................................53
3. Empedocles G25 (B115) and Arg. 1.647-8, 4.1744-5, 4.587, 1.773.........................54
4. Empedocles G36 (B12) and Arg. 4.1307-8...............................................................68
5. Empedocles G44 (B20) and Arg. 4.1291..................................................................71
6. Empedocles G45 (B21) and Arg. 4.31, 4.1737.........................................................72
7. Empedocles G46 (B22), G41 (B17), the Strasbourg Papyrus and Arg. 1.496-8.......74
8. Empedocles G41 (B17) and Arg. 1.773, 2.685, 2.389..............................................86
9. Empedocles G47 (B23) and Arg. 1.52, 4.933, 2.27..................................................87
10. Empedocles G51 (B35) and Arg. 2.656, 3.177, 4.646, 3.759.................................95
11. Empedocles G55 (B27) and G56 (B28) and Arg. 3.135-8....................................101
12. Empedocles G57 (B29) and Arg. 1.1264-1270, 4.779..........................................105
13. Empedocles G76 (B48) and Arg. 3.1021 and 4.1170............................................110
14. Empedocles G79 (B43) and Arg. 4.1604..............................................................111
15. Empedocles G93 (B52) and Arg. 4.535-6.............................................................112
16. Empedocles G115 (B98) and Arg. 2.980..............................................................114
17. Empedocles G125 (B62) and Arg. 3.1-3, 4.672, 1423..........................................116
18. Empedocles G127 (B100) and Arg. 3.1204, 4.871, 1545.....................................125
19. Empedocles G182 (B121), G50 (B26) and Arg. 3.1275.......................................128
20. Empedocles G185 (B124) and Arg. 4.446............................................................131
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21. Empedocles G197 (B136.2) and Arg. 3.297-8......................................................133
22. Empedocles G198 (B137) and Arg. 4.875............................................................136
23. Empedocles’ Elements: G26, G46, G41 (B6, B22, B17) and Arg. 3.207-8, 163-6
.....................................................................................................................................138
24. Empedocles G199 (B138) and Arg. 3.1015 (Dubious).........................................140
25. Empedocles G173.3 (B111.3) and Arg. 3.892 (Unconvincing)............................142
Conclusions.................................................................................................................143
Chapter 3: Parmenides....................................................................................................149
Gates of Night and Daughters of Helios: Parmenides G10 (B1) and Arg. 4.603-630 152
Skillfully: Parmenides G10.16 (B1.16) and Arg. 1.1021, 1.1336, 2.1134, 3.83.........157
There is a Path: Parmenides G11.4 (B2.4), 15.9 (G6.9) and Arg. 2.353, 3.160..........162
Backward-turning: Parmenides G15.9 (B6.9) and Arg. 3.1157, 4.643.......................167
Helplessness: Parmenides G15.7 (B6.7) and Arg. 1.638, 286-89, 2.860-863.............172
Homer, Parmenides, and Apollonius...........................................................................183
Conclusions.................................................................................................................187
Chapter 4: Xenophanes...................................................................................................193
Xenophanes’ Life and Legacy.....................................................................................194
Lasting Songs: Xenophanes G17 (B6) and Arg. 1.25.................................................201
At the Feet: Xenophanes G52 (B28) and Arg. 1.694, 2.61.........................................205
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Other Possibilities.......................................................................................................207
The Form of the God(s)...............................................................................................211
Theology and Progress................................................................................................213
Conclusions.................................................................................................................221
Chapter 5: The Possibility of Plato.................................................................................223
The Plane Tree(s): Phaedrus 230b and Arg. 2.733.....................................................236
Swan Songs: Phaedo 84e-85a and Arg. 4.1301..........................................................241
Tyrants, Kings, and Leaders........................................................................................245
Conclusions.................................................................................................................248
Chapter 6: Mixing Metaphors: Apollonius, Early Philosophy, and Poetry....................250
Ways of Reading Apollonius......................................................................................250
1. The Word Miner Theory......................................................................................251
2. The Variety Theory.............................................................................................254
3. The Esoteric Theory............................................................................................259
4. The Didactic Poet Theory....................................................................................260
5. The Realism Theory............................................................................................263
6. The Primordial Theory........................................................................................268
7. The Hexameter Theory........................................................................................270
8. The Cultural Continuity Theory..........................................................................271
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