The motif of wisdom in the Byzantine ‘Book of Syntipas the Philosopher’

The Book of Syntipas the Philosopher’ (‘BSP’) was translated from Syriac into Greek during the last decades of the 11th century. The prologue implicitly situates this work within didactic court literature. Much of the ‘BSP’ unfolds in a manner common to all Eastern versions, with two distinctive sec...

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Bibliographische Detailangaben
Veröffentlicht in:Das Mittelalter. - Heidelberg : Heidelberg University Publishing, 1996. - 28(2023), 1, Seite 101-117
1. Verfasser: Toth, Ida 1968- (VerfasserIn)
Format: Online-Aufsatz
Sprache:English
Veröffentlicht: 2023-07-06
Zugriff auf das übergeordnete Werk:Das Mittelalter
Umfang:17
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:The Book of Syntipas the Philosopher’ (‘BSP’) was translated from Syriac into Greek during the last decades of the 11th century. The prologue implicitly situates this work within didactic court literature. Much of the ‘BSP’ unfolds in a manner common to all Eastern versions, with two distinctive sections - the Ten Ethical Chapters and the Twenty Questions and Answers on Kingship, Morality, and Fate-being more elaborate than in any other surviving tradition. Their topics additionally emphasise the didactic character of this work by elabo­rating on the importance of philosophical instruction and ethical life. This paper focuses on the motif of wisdom and examines its impact on the architecture, narrative motivation, and character formation of the ‘BSP’. It also considers possible resonances of this topos for Byzantine reading audiences. Keywords: Syntipas; Greek; Byzantine; frame; subplots
Beschreibung:Gesehen am 14.07.2023
Beschreibung:17
ISSN:2196-6869
DOI:10.17885/heiup.mial.2023.1.24770