The project comprised four key work packages. The first work package involved the acquisition, examination, and collation of the relevant codices as well as library research to identify previously unknown manuscript copies of the philosophical and apocalyptic primary sources. Particular attention was given to libraries in Greece, i.e. the Vlatadōn Monastery (Thessaloniki) and the National Library in Greece (Athens). The other work packages were dedicated to each of the three literary genres. The focus of the philosophical cluster rested on the middle Byzantine philosopher John Italos (fl. 1070s). The project resulted in new critical editions of the works that cover his personal eschatology. It is shown that Italos argued in favor of a spiritual resurrection and universal salvation and that his eschatology had significant political implications, as it inhibited the proleptic justification of the reform agenda of the usurper Alexios I Komnēnos. In addition, an annotated bibliography and an entry in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy were produced, which provide state-of-the-art overviews of the scholarship on the medieval philosopher. Research on the apocalyptic sources resulted, among others, in the editio princeps of the so-called Oracle of Corinth, a tenth-century oracle that conveys a thinly veiled invective against the city of Corinth. The Corinthians stand accused of an opulent and immoral lifestyle, which contradicts the biblical maxims of frugality and purity. The text exemplifies how oracular pronouncements were used to evoke an eschatological horizon in order to contest contemporary practices and to promote reform. In addition, a digital edition of a middle Byzantine Pseudo-Danielic prophecy will be published on the project’s webpage. Concerning the historiographical tradition, ByzTime examined the typological strategy of Anna Komnēnē’s Alexiad and Nikētas Chōniatēs’ History. The researcher established that Chōniatēs’ account of the Emperor Andronikos I Komnēnos advances a balanced narrative of the emperor’s messianic ambition and its anti-messianic counterclaim. The historian is shown to have deconstructed the overtly apocalyptic rhetoric of his age and to have urged the responsible use of prophetic material. Such a de-escalating and de-eschatologizing tendency is a hallmark of the historiographical genre.
With regard to the transfer of knowledge, the fellow attended seminars on transferable skills, including XML/TEI text encoding standards, interview skills, and science communication. He was invited to share his experience on research opportunities and funding schemes in a training session for doctoral students. The fellow conducted a sixth-month-long secondment in Thessaloniki, where he conducted extensive manuscript research, delivered a guest lecture, and deepened his collaboration with Greek institutions of higher education. One outcome was that he co-taught a summer school on the interplay of collective identity and visions of salvation in Byzantium at the Princeton Athens Center (Greece). He also taught a graduate course on the Byzantine apocalyptic tradition at the host institution. Project results were disseminated in eleven communications at conferences, lecture series, and in a podcast. ByzTime led to seven publications, which have either been submitted or are at the final preparatory stage. The project was featured in a newsletter article and was accompanied by a website and social media presence.
