The Cambridge Intellectual History of Byzantium

The first ever authoritative exploration of the life and evolution of ideas in Byzantium from the seventh to the fifteenth century.

Anthony Kaldellis (Edited by), Niketas Siniossoglou (Edited by)

9781107041813, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 23 November 2017

798 pages
23.5 x 16 x 3.8 cm, 1.37 kg

'It brings a great deal of clarity to a murky field, especially for an outsider, and should indeed serve as an excellent platform from which the growing field of Byzantine intellectual history might expand. The volume as a whole feels well thought out and well rounded in its execution. It is a most welcome addition to the corpus of modern Byzantine studies and should remain both a useful reference and an excellent teaching tool for years to come.' Nathan Leidholm, H-Ideas

This volume brings into being the field of Byzantine intellectual history. Shifting focus from the cultural, social, and economic study of Byzantium to the life and evolution of ideas in their context, it provides an authoritative history of intellectual endeavors from Late Antiquity to the fifteenth century. At its heart lie the transmission, transformation, and shifts of Hellenic, Christian, and Byzantine ideas and concepts as exemplified in diverse aspects of intellectual life, from philosophy, theology, and rhetoric to astrology, astronomy, and politics. Case studies introduce the major players in Byzantine intellectual life, and particular emphasis is placed on the reception of ancient thought and its significance for secular as well as religious modes of thinking and acting. New insights are offered regarding controversial, understudied, or promising topics of research, such as philosophy and medical thought in Byzantium, and intellectual exchanges with the Arab world.

Introduction Niketas Siniossoglou and Anthony Kaldellis
Part I. The Transmission of Knowledge: 1. Institutional settings: the court, schools, church, and monasteries Jonathan Harris
2. Byzantine books Inmaculada Pérez Martín
3. Questions and answers Stephanos Efthymiades
4. Classical scholarship: the Byzantine contribution Eleanor Dickey
5. Intellectual exchanges with the Arab world Dimitris Gutas, Anthony Kaldellis and Brian Long
Part II. Sciences of the Word: 6. Rhetoric and rhetorical theory Stratis Papaioannou
7. Byzantine literary criticism and the classical heritage Manolis Bourbouhakis
8. Theories of art Charles Barber
9. Legal thought Bernard Stolte
Part III. Sciences of the World: 10. Conceptions of science in Byzantium Dominic O'Meara
11. Astronomy Anne Tihon
12. Astrology Paul Magdalino
13. Magic and the occult sciences Richard Greenfield
14. Alchemy Gerasimos Merianos
15. Medical thought and practice Timothy S. Miller
Part IV. Philosophy and Theology in Middle Byzantium: 16. Philosophy and 'Byzantine philosophy' Dimitris Gutas and Niketas Siniossoglou
17. The formation of the Patristic Tradition John A. McGuckin
Section 1. Platonic Themes: 18. The Byzantine reception of Neoplatonism Tuomo Lankila
19. Platonism from Maximos the Confessor to the Palaiologan period Andrew Louth
20. Fate, free choice, and divine providence from the Neoplatonists to John of Damascus Ken Parry
Section 2. Aristotelian Themes: 21. Logic in Byzantium Christophe Erismann
22. The presence of Aristotle in Byzantine theology David Bradshaw
23. Reading and commenting on Aristotle Michele Trizio
Section 3. Individuals in Context: 24. Maximos the Confessor Phil Booth
25. John of Damascus' philosophy of the individual and the theology of icons Anna Zhyrkova
26. Michael Psellos David Jenkins
27. Trials of philosophers and theologians under the Komnenoi Michele Trizio
Part V. Philosophy and Theology in Late Byzantium: 28. Theological debates with the West, 1054–1300 Tia Kolbaba
29. The Hesychast controversy Norman Russell
30. Orthodox mystical theology and its intellectual roots Andrew Louth
31. Kabbalah in Byzantium Moshe Idel
32. Aquinas in Byzantium Marcus Plested
33. Theology, philosophy, and politics at Ferrara-Florence Marie-Hélène Blanchet
Part VI. Politics and History: 34. Basileia: the idea of monarchy in Byzantium, 600–1200 Paul Magdalino
35. Historiography as political debate Dimitris Krallis
36. Theories of decline from Metochites to Ibn Khaldun Teresa Shawcross
37. Plethon, Scholarios, and the late Byzantine state of emergency Niketas Siniossoglou
38. The Byzantine legacy in early modern political thought Paschalis M. Kitromilides
Bibliography
Index of names
Subject index.

Subject Areas: Early history: c 500 to c 1450/1500 [HBLC], European history [HBJD]