Periodic Reporting for period 1 - TRANSFA (Translating the 'Father of Translation'. Linguistic and Cultural Transfers in Byzantium)
Reporting period: 2021-09-01 to 2023-08-31
Hagiography, the literature inspired by the acts, the miracles and the sayings of holy men and women, is a substantial part of the medieval cultural legacy, offering a non-official version of history. These narratives constitute important sources for anthropologists and sociologists and, through their various and constantly revised forms, they can also convey political ideas and offer new ways to understand the transmission of cultural memory.
Latin hagiographical legends that found their way into Greek are fewer than Greek hagiographical texts translated into Latin, and have therefore been overlooked by modern scholars. However, these texts help us to better understand contacts between West and East during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, reversing the traditional perspective represented by the basic flow of translations made from Greek into Latin.
This interdisciplinary project sets out to explain how Greek hagiography translated from Latin functioned as a vector of cultural transfers in Byzantium, by making accessible major unpublished material. It contributes to a better understanding of this process through the examination of the dossier of the Greek versions of the Vita Sancti Hilarionis (hereinafter VH). This Latin hagiographical text was composed by Saint Jerome, considered as the “Father of Translation”, at the end of the 4th century, in Bethlehem. Born around 291, the monk Hilarion is known as the founder of Gazan monasticism. Although the importance of the VH as a major source for the development of Gazan monasticism has often been stressed, very little critical attention has been devoted to its translation into Greek. The Greek dossier of the VH constitutes an extremely rare case of hagiographical translations from Latin into Greek, a phenomenon not as well documented as the opposite flow of translations, from Greek into Latin, as it includes many different Greek versions. The Byzantine rewritings of the Latin legend of Hilarion are an ideal starting point to explain how Byzantium receives and transforms Western cultural objects. As a result, the project focuses on the re-semantisation that the Latin legend of Hilarion undergoes, while being transferred to the Byzantine world.
The project maps out the bilingual Greek-Latin communities in Byzantium that gave rise to the transfer of Latin legends into Greek, focusing on the networks of various actors (interpreters, translators, scribes, audiences etc.) that took part in the fabrication, the circulation and the reception of these texts. Specific attention is paid to the dynamics that gave rise to these Greek-speaking and Latin-speaking diasporas, such as immigration. The mechanisms of interaction between local and foreign populations find an echo in contemporary European societies, drawing on the anthropological concepts of cultural hybridity and acculturation.
Latin hagiographical legends that found their way into Greek are fewer than Greek hagiographical texts translated into Latin, and have therefore been overlooked by modern scholars. However, these texts help us to better understand contacts between West and East during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, reversing the traditional perspective represented by the basic flow of translations made from Greek into Latin.
This interdisciplinary project sets out to explain how Greek hagiography translated from Latin functioned as a vector of cultural transfers in Byzantium, by making accessible major unpublished material. It contributes to a better understanding of this process through the examination of the dossier of the Greek versions of the Vita Sancti Hilarionis (hereinafter VH). This Latin hagiographical text was composed by Saint Jerome, considered as the “Father of Translation”, at the end of the 4th century, in Bethlehem. Born around 291, the monk Hilarion is known as the founder of Gazan monasticism. Although the importance of the VH as a major source for the development of Gazan monasticism has often been stressed, very little critical attention has been devoted to its translation into Greek. The Greek dossier of the VH constitutes an extremely rare case of hagiographical translations from Latin into Greek, a phenomenon not as well documented as the opposite flow of translations, from Greek into Latin, as it includes many different Greek versions. The Byzantine rewritings of the Latin legend of Hilarion are an ideal starting point to explain how Byzantium receives and transforms Western cultural objects. As a result, the project focuses on the re-semantisation that the Latin legend of Hilarion undergoes, while being transferred to the Byzantine world.
The project maps out the bilingual Greek-Latin communities in Byzantium that gave rise to the transfer of Latin legends into Greek, focusing on the networks of various actors (interpreters, translators, scribes, audiences etc.) that took part in the fabrication, the circulation and the reception of these texts. Specific attention is paid to the dynamics that gave rise to these Greek-speaking and Latin-speaking diasporas, such as immigration. The mechanisms of interaction between local and foreign populations find an echo in contemporary European societies, drawing on the anthropological concepts of cultural hybridity and acculturation.
The project makes available to scholars the first critical edition, commentary and translation of a mostly unknown Greek translation of the VH (Life BHG 752), a verbum e verbo translation of the Latin Life into Greek, presumably by an interpreter who mastered much better the Latin language than the Greek. A large part of the critical edition, the translation into French and the commentary of the Life BHG 752 has already been completed (O1).
In the frame of the preparation of the critical edition of the Greek translation of the Vita Hilarionis BHG 752, Dr. Lampadaridi conducted a thorough examination of the textual transmission of the Lives BHG 752 and BHG 753 (WP1). A fine-grained comparative analysis between the literal translation (Life BHG 752) and the free translation (Life BHG 753) sheds light on the authorship and the background of the production and the circulation of these translations. In other words, where, by whom and why was this Latin text translated into Greek? (WP 2 and 3) This study revisits the dynamics of cultural and linguistic exchanges between Latin-speaking West and Greek-speaking East (O3).
Dr. Lampadaridi tried to identify effective ways of wide dissemination of the results of her research to broad audience. The new publications stemming from the project are regularly deposited in several repositories. Parts of the project are presented in various scientific events. Two more scientific events addressing broad audience are scheduled at the NHRF, in order to strengthen long-term collaborations between the NHRF and other European research institutions and to promote an international scientific network on Byzantine hagiography (see part B).
Dissemination of the results included various pedagogic activities such as presentations of the project and supervision of MA students. Various communication activities aimed to address a broader audience and improve the project visibility, including online measures (blog posts) and participation to the online EU-funded event "Science is Wonderful" (see part B).
In the frame of the preparation of the critical edition of the Greek translation of the Vita Hilarionis BHG 752, Dr. Lampadaridi conducted a thorough examination of the textual transmission of the Lives BHG 752 and BHG 753 (WP1). A fine-grained comparative analysis between the literal translation (Life BHG 752) and the free translation (Life BHG 753) sheds light on the authorship and the background of the production and the circulation of these translations. In other words, where, by whom and why was this Latin text translated into Greek? (WP 2 and 3) This study revisits the dynamics of cultural and linguistic exchanges between Latin-speaking West and Greek-speaking East (O3).
Dr. Lampadaridi tried to identify effective ways of wide dissemination of the results of her research to broad audience. The new publications stemming from the project are regularly deposited in several repositories. Parts of the project are presented in various scientific events. Two more scientific events addressing broad audience are scheduled at the NHRF, in order to strengthen long-term collaborations between the NHRF and other European research institutions and to promote an international scientific network on Byzantine hagiography (see part B).
Dissemination of the results included various pedagogic activities such as presentations of the project and supervision of MA students. Various communication activities aimed to address a broader audience and improve the project visibility, including online measures (blog posts) and participation to the online EU-funded event "Science is Wonderful" (see part B).
The first critical edition, translation into French and commentary of a mostly unknown Greek translation of the VH (BHG 752) makes accessible to scholars a major document for the study of the translation of Latin texts into Greek in Byzantium. This very rare, almost unique document, allows to take a fresh look into the transfer of Latin literature into Greek in Byzantium and gives rise to further discussion regarding the methods and the background of these translations.
The painstaking analysis of the textual transmission of the Greek translations BHG 752 and 753 allowed Dr. Lampadaridi to reconsider the fabrication of these translations. This study provided new hints on the circulation of these translations and sheds light on new areas of contact between Latin-speaking and Greek-speaking communities in Byzantium, thus contributing to a better knowledge of the "milieux" of interaction between these two languages and cultures.
The comparative study of the literal (BHG 752) and the free translation (BHG 753) allowed Dr. Lampadaridi to conduct original research concerning the practice of rewriting (metaphrasis) in Byzantium. Understanding why the free translation (BHG 753) was more popular than the literal one (BHG 752) offered new elements to the study of the dynamics of linguistic and cultural transfers between Latin-speaking West and Greek-speaking East. Following an interdisciplinary approach, Dr. Lampadaridi focused on the various stages of the byzantine reception of the Latin legend of Hilarion, trying to map out the different aspects of the "resemantisation" of the cultural object : in other terms, who was Hilarion in the Greek sources, how was this figure transformed while travelling from the West to the East? By undertaking a thorough examination of the differences between the two translations, Dr. Lampadaridi drew some preliminary conclusions that will encourage further research, focusing for instance on gender issues, such as the predominance of male figures observed in the free translation of the Latin legend (BHG 753).
The project revisits the importance of the circulation of people, texts and ideas in medieval societies, as well as the role played by diasporas, in terms of cultural hybridity and drawing on the concept of otherness. These "in-between" spaces promote contacts, circulation of texts and ideas by the means of people who act as "cultural mediators". These issues are vital for contemporary European societies.
The painstaking analysis of the textual transmission of the Greek translations BHG 752 and 753 allowed Dr. Lampadaridi to reconsider the fabrication of these translations. This study provided new hints on the circulation of these translations and sheds light on new areas of contact between Latin-speaking and Greek-speaking communities in Byzantium, thus contributing to a better knowledge of the "milieux" of interaction between these two languages and cultures.
The comparative study of the literal (BHG 752) and the free translation (BHG 753) allowed Dr. Lampadaridi to conduct original research concerning the practice of rewriting (metaphrasis) in Byzantium. Understanding why the free translation (BHG 753) was more popular than the literal one (BHG 752) offered new elements to the study of the dynamics of linguistic and cultural transfers between Latin-speaking West and Greek-speaking East. Following an interdisciplinary approach, Dr. Lampadaridi focused on the various stages of the byzantine reception of the Latin legend of Hilarion, trying to map out the different aspects of the "resemantisation" of the cultural object : in other terms, who was Hilarion in the Greek sources, how was this figure transformed while travelling from the West to the East? By undertaking a thorough examination of the differences between the two translations, Dr. Lampadaridi drew some preliminary conclusions that will encourage further research, focusing for instance on gender issues, such as the predominance of male figures observed in the free translation of the Latin legend (BHG 753).
The project revisits the importance of the circulation of people, texts and ideas in medieval societies, as well as the role played by diasporas, in terms of cultural hybridity and drawing on the concept of otherness. These "in-between" spaces promote contacts, circulation of texts and ideas by the means of people who act as "cultural mediators". These issues are vital for contemporary European societies.