The Sentences of Sextus

A collection of ethical aphorisms for centuries by Christians from Britain to Mesopotamia.

Henry Chadwick (Edited by)

9780521541084, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 18 September 2003

208 pages
21.7 x 14 x 1.7 cm, 0.284 kg

Sextus's Sentences are a collection of ethical aphorisms which for centuries were read in Latin, Greek, Syriac and Armenian, by Christians from Britain to Mesopotamia. Who 'Sextus' was, and whether he was a Christian, is not certain; Dr Chadwick discusses the evidence, including some he has discovered himself. But the Sentences, probably written in the second century, were widely read in Jerome's time, and were still treated as authoritative in the Middle Ages. They are an important strand in the history of the development of Christian ethics, and are yet another example of that dialogue between the Greek and the Jewish which so profoundly affected the development of the young religion. Dr Chadwick first provides a critical edition of the Greek and Latin texts. There follow studies of the moral teaching of Sextus, the evidence of Origen, the testimony of Rufinus and Jerome, and the internal evidence provided by the texts.

Note on Sigla Employed
Preface
Part I. Texts: 1. The manuscript tradition and the versions of Sextus
2. The Greek text of Sextus and Rufinus' translation
3. The Greek appendices to Sextus
4. Clitarchus
5. The Pythagorean sentences
Part II. Studies: 6. The moral teaching of Sextus
7. The evidence of Origen
8. Rufinus and Jerome
9. Internal evidence
10. Notes on Sextus 1-451
Bibliography
Index of Greek words in Sextus
Index of names and subjects.

Subject Areas: Religion: general [HRA]