Project description
Interpretations of Heraclitus during Late Antiquity
Heraclitus’ name was still well-known in Rome, Alexandria, and Baghdad during the Late Antique period. However, further evidence is required to elucidate his story. The MSCA-funded BridgHe project will gather Late Antique references to Heraclitus, encompassing translations of texts in various languages (primarily Greek and Arabic) and commentary on their significance. The primary objective of this project is to analyse how diverse authors have expounded upon Heraclitus' views and sayings. Additionally, it aims to assess the notable patterns of continuity and change apparent in the interpretations of Heraclitus during the Late Antique period. BridgHe challenges the conventional approach to the study of Heraclitus by considering related Greek philosophy, Christian and Islamic works, along with Gnostic writings and translation texts.
Objective
The chief objective of the project is to produce the first complete collection of the Late Antique testimonies concerning the early Greek philosopher Heraclitus. This source collection will include an English translation of the texts in the various relevant languages (mainly Greek and Arabic, but also Latin, Coptic, and Syriac) and a running commentary of the testimonies, highlighting both the philological and the philosophical importance of the Late Antique afterlife of Heraclitus. The project will thus also provide the very first in-depth study of the reception of the thought and the tenets of Heraclitus in this fundamental period.
The name of Heraclitus was still resonating in third century Rome, fifth century Alexandria, and ninth century Baghdad, but no one has put together the existing evidence to tell that story yet. The main philosophical and exegetical objective of the project thus consists not only in the analysis of the various ways in which different authors have expounded the views and the sayings of Heraclitus, but also in the assessment of the remarkable patterns of continuity and change that characterise the Heraclitean interpretations in the broad chronological span of Late Antiquity.
The figure of Heraclitus lies, indeed, at the intersection of historical periods and exegetical traditions that tend to be considered separately. My project aims to challenge this approach by showing that the literary and philosophical production pertaining to research fields such as Greek Philosophy, Christianity, and Islam has to be jointly taken into account if we want to understand both the interpretative history and the theoretical relevance of the tenets of Heraclitus. For this reason, the project includes not only the Greek reception of Heraclitus but also domains neglected by scholarly research such as the Gnostic writings of the Nag Hammadi library and the texts produced in the framework of the translation movement from Greek into Syriac and Arabic.
Fields of science
Keywords
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Main Programme
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-GF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global FellowshipsCoordinator
35122 Padova
Italy