XENOPHANES’ EPISTEMOLOGY: EMPIRICIST, GLOBAL SKEPTIC, OR BOTH?

In this paper, I consider two interpretations of Xenophanes’ epistemology – that he is an empiricist and that he is a global skeptic. I argue that two these interpretations are not mutually exclusive, and that Xenophanes should, in fact, be thought of as both an empiricist and a global skeptic

CASA TRANSLATION PRIZE 2023

As an undergraduate at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, I wrote this translation of Catullus’ Carmen 27 for amusement

BLURRING THE BOUNDARIES: EXPLORING THE INTERPLAY OF POETRY AND ART IN MOSCHUS’ EUROPA

Moschus’ Europa demonstrates a sophisticated use of descriptive language that blurs the boundaries between ekphrasis and narrative. In the ekphrasis of Europa’s basket, Moschus brings movement to the static artwork, giving it a more significant role in the overall frame narrative. On the other hand, he freezes scenes in the frame narrative (I focus on the meadow and Zeus as a bull) and, through vivid description, affords the reader the sensation of viewing works of art. By using these techniques, Moschus acknowledges poetry’s artifice and profoundly enriches engagement with the text on aesthetic and interpretive levels

NOTES ON THE TEXT OF SUETONIUS DIVUS IULIUS

The article makes critical comments on and proposes alternative readings to Kaster’s 2016 edition of Suetonius’ Divus Iulius

A CASE OF (GALENIC?) NATURAL ΠΝΕΥΜΑ IN A LATE-ANTIQUE HOMILY OF JOHN CHRYSOSTOM?

The purpose of this article is to investigate evidence for a possible case of (Galenic?) natural πνεῦμα in John Chrysostom’s 39th homily on 1 Corinthians and its significance for tracing the development of a tripartite physiological pneumatology in late antiquity. The article starts with an overview of the contention surrounding natural πνεῦμα in Galen’s thought and the problems of the tripartite physiological pneumatology. Thereafter, the reference in John’s homily is examined in detail, with special reference to John’s own holistic understanding of πνεῦμα in his medical-theological framework. The article ends with some conclusions and proposals for better understanding and approaching natural πνεῦμα and the problems of the tripartite physiological pneumatology

A CLOUDLESS STAR: NOTES ON A LATIN ELEGY BY GERARD MANLEY HOPKINS (1844–1889)

By profession, Gerard Manley Hopkins was a Classicist. From his novitiate to his death, he taught Greek and Latin at Jesuit schools in England, then at University College Dublin. Remarks in his journals and letters make clear his deep and lifelong engagement with Classics, and the influence of classical literature, particularly the work of Pindar and the Pre-Socratic philosophers, on his English poetry has been observed by numerous critics. Subject to less attention are the poems Hopkins composed in Latin, which include verse composition and translations from English. This article considers one such poem, an original Latin elegy composed in 1867, and explores its language, imagery, literary influences, and possible interpretations

PROPHECIES AND PRINCESSES: MOSES IN EGYPT AND ETHIOPIA ACCORDING TO JOSEPHUS

Josephus’ account of Moses’ birth and upbringing in the Jewish Antiquities includes much extra-biblical material, including an extended account of his military campaign in Ethiopia. This material has often been studied as independent episodes, particularly with a view to finding Josephus’ sources. By reading the preliminary stages of Moses’ life together, this article shows that Josephus’ narrative is well-integrated in its themes and structure, as well as revealing the historian’s core concerns about Moses’ perceived ethnicity and capacity to be a loyal member of a foreign court, both reflecting Josephus’ own writing context and immediate audience among the Greek speakers in Flavian Rome

SULLA AND THE ‘PROPHECY’ OF CAESAR’S DESTRUCTION OF THE OPTIMATES (SUET. IUL. 1.3)

The extant life of Julius Caesar by Suetonius begins with the dictator Sulla predicting that Caesar will destroy the Optimates, i.e., undo all that Sulla himself had achieved. In presenting Sulla’s forecast Suetonius uniquely in examples of divinatory material in the Lives appears to be ambiguous as to its divinatory status. This paper examines how Suetonius secures credibility for this piece of ‘prophecy’ and considers the role of Sulla’s words in the economy of the Life

THE PRAYER OF JACOB CHAPTER 1

The primary source that will be used in this translation is The prayer of Jacob chapter 1. The selected text is from Henrichs and Preisendanz 1974:148–149. I will also make reference to the translation of the text in Charlesworth’s Old Testament Greek pseudepigrapha with morphology (1983).1 According to Penner and Heiser (2008), the term pseudepigrapha does not mean ‘false books’ or ‘false writings’, but rather refers to writings that were not written by those whose names appear in them (falsely attributed writings). The Old Testament pseudepigrapha builds on the narratives, themes, and worldview of the canonical books of the Old Testament. This explains why books may be attributed to significant Old Testament figures. This source was selected because it demonstrates dramatically the enduring influence of the Old Testament on Jewish thinking after the exile

ASSESSING THE POSSIBILITIES FOR AN AUGUSTAN REVOLUTION IN AILING DEMOCRACIES IN AFRICA

In the years that ran up to Actium, many in the Roman world became convinced that there was a desperate need for change. The interventions of Sulla and, later, Julius Caesar, had left an indelible mark on the nature of the Roman state. While men like Cicero believed in a return to a strict interpretation of the Roman constitution (or at least the traditions, mos maiorum, which constituted it) and the old Republican laws governing offices and officers, Augustus and his allies saw the only way forward as to reinvent that constitution. In his efforts to reshape and remodel Rome’s operational politics, Augustus could be ruthless. He brooked no opposition and no rival. He used the Senate, army, and other organs of state to achieve the purposes he judged best for the political, social, and economic growth of the res publica. In this, Augustus was what modern economists call a ‘benevolent dictator’. In this essay, I shall appraise the role of Augustus as such a dictator and then consider the scope for such an Augustan office as a solution or a transitional state of affairs for weak democracies or full-blown autocracies in Africa