From Mimesis to Myth : Greek Portraits of St. Cyprian in Late Antiquity.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Rambow, George Frederick.

Series:

Christianity in Late Antiquity Series

Christianity in Late Antiquity Series ; v.17

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Christian literature, Early.

Greek literature.

Hagiography.

Mimesis in literature.

Mythology, Classical.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (298 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Berkeley : University of California Press, 2026.

Summary:

From Mimesis to Myth traces the transformation of a Greek account of the life of Cyprian of Carthage into the legendary tale of Cyprian of Antioch as a means of exploring how late antique Christian authors and audiences interpreted the fictional qualities of hagiographic narratives. Through close readings of texts from the fourth and fifth centuries, including works by Gregory of Nazianzus and the Theodosian empress Aelia Eudocia, the book uncovers how Cyprian's legend evolved and how Christian authors embraced and transformed Greek literary traditions. George F. Rambow suggests that Christian writers consciously engaged in mythmaking and crafted a new heroic universe to rival the mythology of pagan antiquity. The book introduces the concept of "noncontractual, protreptic representation" to describe a uniquely Christian adaptation of Aristotelian mimesis, offering a new framework for interpreting fictional hagiographic narratives. Bridging history, religion, classics, and literary theory, Rambow fundamentally reassesses important assumptions in the ongoing debate on late antique narrative traditions.

Contents:

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Contents

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Introduction

1. Tales of Two Cyprians

2. The Emergence of the Tale of Cyprian of Antioch

3. The Construction of the Gregorian Cyprian

4. Theorizing Gregory's Portrait of Cyprian

5. The Mythification of the Tale of Cyprian of Antioch

Conclusion

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

0-520-43102-2

9780520431027

OCLC:

1584614119