Letters by Aeneas of Gaza

Author(s):  N.N. Bolgov, candidate of Sciences, Prof., Belgorod National Research University, Belgorod, Russia, bolgov@bsu.edu.ru

M.Yu. Lopatina, no, no, Belgorod National Research University, Belgorod, Russia

Issue:  Volume 43, №15

Rubric:  Topical issues of world history

Annotation:  Authors offer a short essay on the life and heritage of Aeneas of Gaza, a former Neoplatonist who became a Christian philosopher (2nd half of the 5th century). This was the first of the famous leaders of the Gas School of Rhetoric, in which Christians were trained. The body of 25 letters by Aeneas of Gaza, written entirely in the spirit of classical ancient tradition, is an important source for studying the cultural continui-ty of Early Byzantine times. 16 letters, the translation of which was done for the first time, are published together with the already known 9 letters that were translated earlier. Letters to friends and acquaintances, indicating how firmly the classical tradition held in rhetorical schools and in the literary language even simple personal letters on various topics. The letters are almost exclusively personal, written in a purely classical ancient tradition (although several of them are addressed to elders) and only occasionally touch on philosophical themes.

Keywords:  Aeneas of Gaza, letters, philosophy, Christianity, Neoplatonism, Gaza

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