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Summary:

Libanius (314-393 CE), who was one of the last great publicists and teachers of Greek paganism, has much to tell us about the tumultuous world of the fourth century CE. His works include Orations, the first of which is an autobiography, and Letters. A professing pagan in an aggressively Christian empire, a friend of the emperor Julian and acquaintance of St. Basil, a potent spokesman for private and political causes--Libanius can tell us much about the tumultuous world of the fourth century. Born in Antioch to a wealthy family steeped in the culture and religious traditions of Hellenism, Libanius rose to fame as a teacher of the classics in a period of rapid social change. In his lifetime Libanius was an acknowledged master of the art of letter writing. Today his letters--about 1550 of which survive--offer an enthralling self-portrait of this combative pagan publicist and a vivid picture of the culture and political intrigues of the eastern empire. A. F. Norman selects one eighth of the extant letters, which come from two periods in Libanius's life, 355-365 and 388-393 CE, letters written to Julian, churchmen, civil officials, scholars, and his many influential friends. The Letters are complemented, in this two-volume edition, by Libanius's Autobiography (Oration 1), a revealing narrative that begins as a scholar's account and ends as an old man's private journal. Also available in the Loeb Classical Library is a two-volume edition of Libanius's Orations.

Table of Contents:

• v. I. Autobiography. Letters 1-50
• v. II. Letters 51-193.

Author/Creator:

Libanius , author

Contributors:

Norman, A. F. (Albert Francis) , editor, translator

Languages:

English
Greek, Ancient (to 1453)

Language Notes:

Text in Greek with English translation on facing pages.

Main Work:

Autobiography and selected letters [by Libanius]

Other Related Resources:

Print version: Autobiography and selected letters [Libanius] (Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 1992 — ISBN 9780674995277(v.1); ISBN 9780674994973(v.2))

Related Series:

Loeb classical library; 478-479

Subjects:

Libanius — Translations into English

Orators — Turkey — Antioch — Biography

Orators — Turkey — Antioch — Correspondence

Sophists (Greek philosophy) — Biography

Sophists (Greek philosophy) — Correspondence

Libanius

Orators

Sophists (Greek philosophy)

Turkey — Antioch

Genres:

Biographies

Correspondence

Translations

System Details:

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

General Notes:

Includes bibliography and index.
Description based on print version record.

Physical Description:

1 online resource.

Digital Characteristics:

text file

Call Numbers:

PA4227 .L533 2014

ISBNs:

9780674995277 [Invalid]
9780674994973 [Invalid]

OCLC Numbers:

910938942

Other Control Numbers:

[Unknown Type]: hup0000578