BYZANTINE PHILOLOGY

Byzantine Philology is a course of the "Philology, literatures and history of antiquity" and the "Archaeology" Master's degree in "Science of antiquity: literatures, history and archaeology". The course is also offered as an exam to complement the master's degree course in "History from the Middle Ages to the Contemporary Age".

The students will have acquired:
- knowledge of the content and method of Byzantine literature and philology;
- a knowledge of the Byzantine literary and cultural world in its different periods;
- competence in the critical study of Byzantine texts.

Knowledge of classical Greek, and a preparation, at least elementary, of Greek palaeography is also recommended.

The Byzantine Philology course is dedicated to a hagiographic text, the Life of Gregory Palamas written by Philotheus Kokkinos. The course explores the manuscripts, the editions and the text of the Life.
Topics
1. The manuscripts;
2. The editions;
3. The text and its composition: written and oral sources used by Philotheus, circumstances of its composition, collections of miracles and canonization.

Edition: D. G. Tsamis, Φιλοθέου Κωνσταντινουπόλεως τοῦ Κοκκίνου ἁγιολογικὰ ἔργα, I (Θεσσαλονικεῖς βυζαντινοὶ συγγραφεῖς 4) Thessaloniki 1985, p. 427-591.
Useful translation: N. Russell, Gregory Palamas. The Hesychast Controversy and the Debate with Islam. Documents relating to Gregory Palamas, Liverpool 2020, p. 52-210.
Altro materiale su https://moodle.unive.it/
For a general overview: The Ashgate research companion to Byzantine hagiography, ed. S. Efthymiadis, Furnham-Burlington 2011-14, Volume I, p. 173-195; Volume II, p. 25-60, 103-142, 211-284.

Oral exam 70% + Work on texts during lessons 30%.
Non-attending students are advised to contact the professor for a different program.

Lectures. The presence (constant) for the work on the texts is strongly recommended.

Italian

oral