Libanius the Sophist: Rhetoric, Reality, and Religion in the Fourth Century(Cornell Studies in Classical Philology)

Libanius of Antioch was a rhetorician of rare skill and eloquence. So renowned was he in the fourth century that his school of rhetoric in Roman Syria became among the most prestigious in the Eastern Empire. In this book Raffaella Cribiore draws on her unique knowledge of the entire body of Libanius's vast literary output—including 64 orations, 1,544 letters, and exercises for his students—to offer the fullest intellectual portrait yet of this remarkable figure whom John Chrystostom called "the sophist of the city." Libanius (314–ca. 393) lived at a time when Christianity was celebrating its triumph but paganism tried to resist. Although himself a pagan, Libanius cultivated friendships within Antioch's Christian community and taught leaders of the Church including Chrysostom and Basil of Caesarea. Cribiore calls him a "gray pagan" who did not share the fanaticism of the Emperor Julian. Cribiore considers the role that a major intellectual of Libanius's caliber played in this religiously diverse society and culture. When he wrote a letter or delivered an oration, who was he addressing and what did he hope to accomplish? One thing that stands out in Libanius's speeches is the startling amount of invective against his enemies. How common was character assassination of this sort? What was the subtext to these speeches and how would they have been received? Adapted from the Townsend Lectures that Cribiore delivered at Cornell University in 2010, this book brilliantly restores Libanius to his rightful place in the rich and culturally complex world of Late Antiquity.

Table of Contents:
Preface and Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Rhetoric and the Distortion of Reality 2. A Rhetor and his Audience: The Role of Invective 3. A Man and his Gods 4. God and the Gods Conclusion: Julian's School Edict Again Select Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Raffaella Cribiore is Professor of Classics at New York University. She is the author of The School of Libanius in Late Antique Antioch, Gymnastics of the Mind: Greek Education in Hellenistic and Roman Egypt, and Writing, Teachers and Students in Graeco-Roman Egypt and coauthor of Women's Letters from Ancient Egypt 300 BC–AD 800.

Review :
"The present volume—a revised version of the 2010 Townsend Lectures at Cornell University—extends Cribiore's authoritative reevaluation of this major figure by addressing issues well beyond pedagogy. Most notablyshe explores the religious beliefs of this complex characterwho was both an associate of Julian the Apostate and a teacher of Saints Basil and John Chrysostom. As usualCribiorie offers lucidnuanced rhetorical analysis of well-selected textsdisplaying an unsurpassed familiarity with the sophist's vast (and largely untranslated) body of writings. Whether she is relating Libanius's autobiography to the genre of saints' lives or evaluating the role of sexual slander in sophistic oratoryCribiore's clearcareful exposition allows a broad range of readers to benefit from her arguments. (Choice) The strength of this volume is in the portrait that Cribiore paints of Libanius. Providing an in-depth study of a prominent sophist gives us the opportunity to move beyond macroscopic generalizations about the period and away from sweeping characterizations of pagans and Christians as polar opposites. Cribiore paints a vivid, if not flattering, picture of Libanius. - Richard Leo Enos (Rhetoric Review)