A professing pagan in an aggressively Christian empire, a friend of the emperor Julian and acquaintance of St. Basil, a potent spokesman for private and political causes-Libanius can tell us much about the tumultuous world of the fourth century.
Born in Antioch to a wealthy family steeped in the culture and religious traditions of Hellenism, Libanius rose to fame as a teacher of the classics in a period of rapid social change. In his lifetime Libanius was an acknowledged master of the art of letter writing. Today his letters-about 1550 of which survive-offer an enthralling self-portrait of this combative pagan publicist and a vivid picture of the culture and political intrigues of the eastern empire. A. F. Norman selects one eighth of the extant letters, which come from two periods in Libanius's life, 355–365 and 388–393 CE, letters written to Julian, churchmen, civil officials, scholars, and his many influential friends. The Letters are complemented, in this two-volume edition, by Libanius's Autobiography (Oration 1), a revealing narrative that begins as a scholar's account and ends as an old man's private journal.
Also available in the Loeb Classical Library is a two-volume edition of Libanius's Orations.
By:
Libanius Edited and translated by:
A. F. Norman Imprint: Harvard Uni.Press Academi Country of Publication: United States Volume: v. 479 Dimensions:
Height: 162mm,
Width: 108mm,
Spine: 25mm
Weight: 318g ISBN:9780674995284 ISBN 10: 0674995287 Series:Loeb Classical Library Pages: 492 Publication Date:01 January 1992 Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
,
A / AS level
,
Further / Higher Education
Format:Hardback Publisher's Status: Active
Reviews for Autobiography and Selected Letters, Volume II: Letters 51–193
Norman’s command of his material is complete and remarkable. * TImes Literary Supplement *
