2.09 TS – Cultural Cross–References in Late Byzantine Literature

Gemistos Plethon, often regarded as the last great philosopher of Byzantium, redefined classical concepts within his utopian and religious-political vision. Among these, phronesis—traditionally understood in Aristotelian ethics as practical wisdom guiding human action—receives a distinctive reinterpretation. This paper examines Plethon’s use of phronesis across his surviving writings, including the Nomoi, his political Memoranda, and his…

This study traces the diverse trajectories of the reception and interpretation of Maximus the Confessor within the hesychast tradition. It first examines Gregory Palamas’ reading of Chapters on Theology and Economy I.48–49, focusing on the phrase ἀπειράκις ἀπείρως, which received divergent interpretations not only from Palamas’ opponents, such as Akindynos, but also from his followers,…

In my paper I propose to examine the great Byzantine theologian St Maximus Confessor’s appropriation of Hellenic philosophy. As I will demonstrate, Maximus’ philosophical theology reveals a deep and creative engagement with pagan philosophy which sometimes produces surprising results. For example, by transposing Aristotle’s Physics onto the plane of metaphysics, Maximus argues for a temporal…

This paper explores the dense intertextual fabric of John Tzetzes’ twelfth-century iambic poem, ἐκ τῶν τραγίσκων ούκ αμέλγεται γάλα (‘From little he-goats, no milk is drawn’). We argue the poem is a metaliterary palimpsest, where the proverb of the sterile goat becomes a vehicle for complex scholarly commentary, woven from allusions to Classical Greek models….

This paper investigates the presence and influence of Gemistos Plethon in Alexandros Papadiamandis’ novel Η Γυφτοπούλα, focusing on the ways in which Byzantine philosophical thought informs the literary narrative. Although Plethon is mentioned in the text, the precise reasons for his inclusion and the extent of his impact on the novel warrant closer examination. The…

The Komnenian romance novels are often identified as a revival of an ancient genre — the romance novels of the Second Sophistic — and they are usually examined in relation to their ancient models. Hysmine and Hysminias by Eumathios Makrembolites, however, moves beyond imitation, transforming the inherited form into a reflection of Byzantine intellecetual and…