Overview

"In 2005 a French doctoral student discovered the long-lost treatise, De indolentia (Περὶ ἀλυπησίας/ἀλυπίας) or On the Avoidance of Distress in a monastic library in Thessalonica. De indolentia is a letter from Galen to an unspecified addressee in which he describes how he responded to the fire that destroyed much of his library and medicines in 192 CE. The manuscript, catalogued in the Vlatadon monastery as codex 14, is of unspeakable value to scholars of antiquity. Vivian Nutton characterizes the discovery as ""one of the most spectacular finds ever of ancient literature."" Scholarly consensus has established 192-193 CE as the most probable date of composition that,according to Galen, belonged to a group of writings he classified as moral philosophy. De indolentia provides important evidence for second-century literary culture covering a range of topics in this area of study, including Galen's aptitude for distinguishing genuine from false texts, his nuanced lexical debates with other physicians, and his prolific scholarly activity. The treatise also offers information about ancient library culture. Too often neglected in comparative studies of Early Christian literature, Galen's writings, particularly on moral philosophy, treat many of the same topics. Of particular interest to scholars of early Christian texts, De indolentia specifically addresses second-century use of parchment codices to preserve valuable texts, preserves some standard epistolary elements in the absence of others, has both private and publication aims in mind, and denotes a 'hermeneutics of self-interpretation' as crucial for understanding the text. This volume includes a brand new English translation of the text, a collation of all discrepancies among the leading critical editions of the Greek text, and essays by eminent Classicists and scholars in the field of early Christianity on different aspects of this fascinating new text."

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9783161532153

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Reviews

...Rothschild and Thompson are to be commended for commissioning articles on such a wide variety of topics. Their volume is essential reading for anyone interested in Galen's On Freedom from Distress and merits a place in any Classics library. --David H. Kaufman, Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 2015.07.22

.. .Rothschild and Thompson are to be commended for commissioning articles on such a wide variety of topics. Their volume is essential reading for anyone interested in Galen's On Freedom from Distress and merits a place in any Classics library. --David H. Kaufman, Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 2015.07.22

Author Information

Born 1964; 1986 BA University of California, Berkeley; 1992 MTS Harvard University; 2003 PhD University of Chicago; 2006 postdoctoral fellow Alexander von Humboldt Foundation at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München; currently Professor of Scripture, Department of Theology, Lewis University (USA) and Professor Extraordinary, Department Ancient Studies at Stellenbosch University (South Africa). 1998 BA from Oklahoma Christian University; 2002 MA from Harding School of Theology; 2002 MDiv from Harding School of Theology; 2007 MA from the University of Chicago; currently PhD (Candidate), University of Chicago.

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