The Prologues on Easter of Theophilus of Alexandria and [Cyril]

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Alden A. Mosshammer (Emeritus Professor of History, Emeritus Professor of History, University of California)

The Prologues on Easter of Theophilus of Alexandria and [Cyril]

Alden A. Mosshammer (Emeritus Professor of History, Emeritus Professor of History, University of California)

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English

Oxford University Press
12 October 2017

The Early Church; Church history; History of science; Time (chronology), time systems & standards

Series: Oxford Early Christian Texts

The Letter and Prologue on Easter of Theophilus of Alexandria (385-412), the 95-year list of Paschal data compiled by Cyril (412-444), and the Prologue or Praefatio to that list written in Latin about 482 in the persona of Cyril are among the foundational documents for our knowledge of the Alexandrian Easter cycle. That cycle, through the Latin versions of Dionysius Exiguus, Bede, and others was the standard method for determining the date of Easter in the western churches until the end of the sixteenth century. There has been no modern critical edition of either Prologue since those of Bruno Krusch in 1880. This new edition of the texts is based on Alden A. Mosshammer's discovery or rediscovery of manuscript witnesses unknown to Krusch and overlooked by more recent scholars who have engaged these texts.

The historical introduction summarizes current knowledge about the history of Easter calculations in early Christian communities, including a new hypothesis attributing the Alexandrian cycle in its final form to the mathematician and astronomer Theon of Alexandria working in the 370's. Although both texts have already been translated into English, Mosshammer's new translations are based on his new reconstruction of the texts. The commentaries address many issues currently under debate in historical scholarship, such as the origin of 21 March as the conventional date of the vernal equinox. The newly reconstructed text of the Prologue attributed to Cyril and Mosshammer's extensive commentary make that difficult text intelligible for the first time.

Edited by: Alden A. Mosshammer (Emeritus Professor of History Emeritus Professor of History University of California)
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 240mm, Width: 173mm, Spine: 18mm
Weight: 448g
ISBN: 9780198792574
ISBN 10: 0198792573
Series: Oxford Early Christian Texts
Pages: 208
Publication Date: 12 October 2017
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

1: Historical Introduction 2: Editions and Manuscripts 3: The Letter and Prologue of Theophilus of Alexandria 4: Commentary on the Letter and Prologue of Theophilus of Alexandria 5: The Letter of Cyril to Theodosius II and the Prologue attributed to Cyril 6: Commentary on the Letter of Cyril and the Prologue attributed to Cyril 7: The Anonymous Text Ratio Solis uel Lunae Appendix 1: The 95-Year Easter Table of Cyril Appendix 2: The Roman 84-Year Cycle References

Alden Mosshammer is Emeritus Professor of History at the University of California, San Diego. He has also taught at The Mercersburg Academy, Kenyon College, and Swarthmore College. He earned a BA in Classics and Philosophy at Amherst College and a Phd in Classics at Brown University. Professor Mosshammer has taught all periods of the ancient history of the Mediterranean world, as well as courses in Greek, Latin, Early Christianity, and comparative religion. He is especially well known for his work on Chronicles, Chronology, and Computus. His previous publications include The Easter Computus and the Origins of the Christian Era (OUP, 2008).

Reviews for The Prologues on Easter of Theophilus of Alexandria and [Cyril]

Mosshammer has rendered an invaluable service to members of both the scholarly and the faith communities who wish to understand how such events could take place. His book will be a prize possession in every research library. * Kratsu Banev, Journal Of Ecclesiastical History * Mosshammer shows familiarity with all the relevant older and more recent literature and nowhere shrinks away from highly technical and much debated calendrical issues, such as the correspondence between Roman and Egyptian calendars for determining the dates of the vernal equinox. This makes this book and other publications by Mosshammer indispensable tools for every scholar interested in the calculation of the Easter date in early Christianity, more specifically the development of the Alexandrian Easter cycles. * Gerard Rouwhorst, Faculty of Catholic Theology, University of Tilburg, Tilburg, The Netherlands, Vigiliae Christianae *