Sophia Xenophontos | |
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Occupation(s) | Classicist, author |
Academic background | |
Alma mater | Magdalen College, University of Oxford |
Academic work | |
Discipline | Classicist |
Sub-discipline | Ancient Greek literature,Byzantine literature |
Institutions | Aristotle University of Thessaloniki,University of Glasgow |
Main interests | Plutarch,Galen;reception of ancient Greek literature and thought in Byzantium;Aristotelian commentaries;emotions,practical ethics and psychotherapy in antiquity and the medieval period;textual criticism and translation [1] [2] |
Notable works | Ethical Education in Plutarch:Moralising Agents and Contexts (2016) |
Sophia Xenophontos FHEA,MAE [3] is a Greek-Cypriot classicist and Senior Researcher at the Academy of Athens (Research Centre for Greek and Latin Literature), [4] and formerly an associate professor of Greek at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. [5] She is also affiliate scholar with the University of Glasgow, [6] where she was previously lecturer in Classics and principal investigator and director of the Byzantine Aristotle project [7] [8] funded by the AHRC. [9] Xenophontos is an external collaborator for the Commentaria in Aristotelem Graeca et Byzantina project (under the auspices of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities) and the founder and editor-in-chief of the book series ‘Theorising the Greek and Roman Classics’ (Routledge,UK). [10]
She specializes in the Greek literature of the 1st-2nd century AD,with particular focus on Plutarch. She has made significant contributions to the field,with her novel approaches to Plutarch's Lives and Moralia ,which have been acclaimed by several reviewers. Xenophontos has expanded her scholarly pursuits to include the physician Galen of Pergamum,investigating the interplay between his psychological/moral writings and medical theory and practice. She has received recognition,including a Wellcome Trust University Award. [11] Its main output is the monograph ‘Medicine and Practical Ethics in Galen’ published in 2024 by Cambridge University Press,which was highly praised. [a] Her research on Galen has had an impact beyond academia,featuring in the German Der Spiegel,thus also contributing to popular understandings of ancient psychotherapy and emotions.
Active in the Aristotelian commentary tradition and the study of Byzantine philosophical works,Xenophontos has published critical editions and translations, [13] [14] focusing mainly on Theodore Metochites and George Pachymeres in whom she is considered a leading authority.
Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus, often anglicized as Galen or Galen of Pergamon, was a Roman and Greek physician, surgeon, and philosopher. Considered to be one of the most accomplished of all medical researchers of antiquity, Galen influenced the development of various scientific disciplines, including anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, and neurology, as well as philosophy and logic.
Hippocrates of Kos, also known as Hippocrates II, was a Greek physician and philosopher of the classical period who is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of medicine. He is traditionally referred to as the "Father of Medicine" in recognition of his lasting contributions to the field, such as the use of prognosis and clinical observation, the systematic categorization of diseases, and the formulation of humoral theory. The Hippocratic school of medicine revolutionized ancient Greek medicine, establishing it as a discipline distinct from other fields with which it had traditionally been associated, thus establishing medicine as a profession.
Theodore Metochites was a Byzantine Greek statesman, author, gentleman philosopher, and patron of the arts. From c. 1305 to 1328 he held the position of personal adviser (mesazōn) to emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos.
Virtue ethics is a philosophical approach that treats virtue and character as the primary subjects of ethics, in contrast to other ethical systems that put consequences of voluntary acts, principles or rules of conduct, or obedience to divine authority in the primary role.
Humorism, the humoral theory, or humoralism, was a system of medicine detailing a supposed makeup and workings of the human body, adopted by Ancient Greek and Roman physicians and philosophers.
The Nicomachean Ethics is Aristotle's best-known work on ethics: the science of the good for human life, that which is the goal or end at which all our actions aim. It consists of ten sections, referred to as books, and is closely related to Aristotle's Eudemian Ethics. The work is essential for the interpretation of Aristotelian ethics.
In Ancient Greek philosophy, Phronesis is a type of wisdom or intelligence concerned with practical action. It implies both good judgment and excellence of character and habits. Classical works about this topic are still influential today. In Aristotelian ethics, the concept was distinguished from other words for wisdom and intellectual virtues—such as episteme and sophia—because of its practical character. The traditional Latin translation is prudentia, which is the source of the English word "prudence".
Science in classical antiquity encompasses inquiries into the workings of the world or universe aimed at both practical goals as well as more abstract investigations belonging to natural philosophy. Classical antiquity is traditionally defined as the period between the 8th century BC and the 6th century AD. It is typically limited geographically to the Greco-Roman West, Mediterranean basin, and Ancient Near East, thus excluding traditions of science in the ancient world in regions such as China and the Indian subcontinent.
The Moralia is a group of manuscripts written in Ancient Greek dating from the 10th–13th centuries but traditionally ascribed to the 1st-century scholar Plutarch of Chaeronea. The eclectic collection contains 78 essays and transcribed speeches. They provide insights into Roman and Greek life, but they also include timeless observations. Many generations of Europeans have read or imitated them, including Michel de Montaigne, Renaissance Humanists and Enlightenment philosophers.
In the history of medicine, "Islamic medicine" Also known as "Arabian medicine" is the science of medicine developed in the Middle East, and usually written in Arabic, the lingua franca of Islamic civilization.
Aristotle first used the term ethics to name a field of study developed by his predecessors Socrates and Plato which is devoted to the attempt to provide a rational response to the question of how humans should best live. Aristotle regarded ethics and politics as two related but separate fields of study, since ethics examines the good of the individual, while politics examines the good of the city-state, which he considered to be the best type of community.
Ancient Greek medicine was a compilation of theories and practices that were constantly expanding through new ideologies and trials. The Greek term for medicine was iatrikē. Many components were considered in ancient Greek medicine, intertwining the spiritual with the physical. Specifically, the ancient Greeks believed health was affected by the humors, geographic location, social class, diet, trauma, beliefs, and mindset. Early on the ancient Greeks believed that illnesses were "divine punishments" and that healing was a "gift from the Gods". As trials continued wherein theories were tested against symptoms and results, the pure spiritual beliefs regarding "punishments" and "gifts" were replaced with a foundation based in the physical, i.e., cause and effect.
Symeon Seth was a Byzantine scientist, translator and official under Emperor Michael VII Doukas. He is often said to have been Jewish, but there is no evidence of this. He wrote four original works in Greek and translated one from Arabic, and offered early proofs that the Earth was round.
Scientific scholarship during the Byzantine Empire played an important role in the transmission of classical knowledge to the Islamic world and to Renaissance Italy, and also in the transmission of Islamic science to Renaissance Italy. Its rich historiographical tradition preserved ancient knowledge upon which splendid art, architecture, literature and technological achievements were built. Byzantines stood behind several technological advancements.
Byzantine rhetoric refers to rhetorical theorizing and production during the time of the Byzantine Empire. Byzantine rhetoric is significant in part because of the sheer volume of rhetorical works produced during this period. Rhetoric was the most important and difficult topic studied in the Byzantine education system, beginning at the Pandidakterion in early fifth century Constantinople, where the school emphasized the study of rhetoric with eight teaching chairs, five in Greek and three in Latin. The hard training of Byzantine rhetoric provided skills and credentials for citizens to attain public office in the imperial service, or posts of authority within the Church.
Commentaries on Plato refers to the great mass of literature produced, especially in the ancient and medieval world, to explain and clarify the works of Plato. Many Platonist philosophers in the centuries following Plato sought to clarify and summarise his thoughts, but it was during the Roman era, that the Neoplatonists, in particular, wrote many commentaries on individual dialogues of Plato, many of which survive to the present day.
Greece played a crucial role in the transmission of classical knowledge to the Islamic world. Its rich historiographical tradition preserved Ancient Greek knowledge upon which Islamic art, architecture, literature, philosophy and technological achievements were built. Ibn Khaldun once noted; The sciences of only one nation, the Greeks, have come down to us, because they were translated through Al-Ma'mun’s efforts. He was successful in this direction because he had many translators at his disposal and spent much money in this connection.
Classical antiquity is the period of cultural history spanning from the 8th century BC to the beginning of the Middle Ages. The major civilizations are those of the Mediterranean region, ancient Greece, ancient Rome, and southwest Asia. Nutrition consisted of simple fresh or preserved whole foods that were either locally grown or transported from neighboring areas during times of crisis. Physicians and philosophers studied the effect of food on the human body and they generally agreed that food was important in preventing illness and restoring health.
Ethical Education in Plutarch: Moralising Agents and Contexts is a 2016 monograph by Greek-Cypriot author and academic Sophia Xenophontos that delves into Plutarch's concept of ethical education. It examines Plutarch's views on sons, daughters, women, and the influence of pedagogical ideas in politics, the military, and the symposium.
Petros Bouras-Vallianatos is a Greek historian of medicine, author, and academic. He is the author of Innovation in Byzantine medicine.
The volume under review, the seventh to appear in this series, is an excellent work that lives up to this double aspiration. Xenophontos' edition of George Pachymeres' Commentary on Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics is accompanied by a comprehensive introduction, a precise yet readable translation by Xenophontos and Crystal Addey, and indexes of parallel passages and of Greek terms. Modern readers are well-supported here in their first encounter with this hitherto unknown material. [...]The English translation of the text is among the commendable achievements of the volume as it is both precise and readable.[5] All in all, the volume is well-produced and deserves the attention of scholars and students who are interested in enhancing their understanding of Aristotle's practical philosophy as well as of those who are interested in familiarizing themselves with Byzantine philosophy.
This new companion to the reception of Plutarch is most welcome. The breadth of coverage in its thirty-seven chapters is unprecedented […] The depth of coverage is likewise unprecedented, for which it is all but required to have such a team of scholars to achieve this.
In general, this is an excellent discussion of Plutarch's views on ethical education, based on a thorough familiarity with both the Corpus Plutarcheum and with existing scholarly literature. The different chapters contain many innovative insights and rest on a varied methodology that does justice to the particular character of the source texts. Furthermore, Xenophontos correctly presents her study as "the first sustained attempt to show that both the Parallel Lives and the Moralia offer comprehensive and intriguingly sophisticated ways of reading and gauging Plutarch's mental mapping on ethical pedagogy" (p. 195). This is definitely one of the greatest merits of the book. It is only fairly recently that the unity of Plutarch's works and the many interconnections between Moralia and Parallel Lives have received more attention, and by adopting this line of approach, Xenophontos sets the standard for further studies in this field.