Basil's Use of Oppian in Homilia in hexaemeron 7: His Source of Zoological Knowledge Reconsidered
In analyzing the discussion of fish in Homilia in hexaemeron 7, this article attempts to shed light on the source that Basil of Caesarea used in his exposition of Gen 1:20. It will first critically review the old (but widely accepted) thesis of Jean Levie that Basil's knowledge of natural histo...
| Subtitles: | "Themenheft: Intertextuality" |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
De Gruyter
2023
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| In: |
Zeitschrift für antikes Christentum
Year: 2023, Volume: 27, Issue: 1, Pages: 147-172 |
| Further subjects: | B
Aelian
B Pliny B Plutarch B Homiliae in hexaemeron B Genesis B Fish B Halieutica B Oppian B Basil of Caesarea B zoology |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | In analyzing the discussion of fish in Homilia in hexaemeron 7, this article attempts to shed light on the source that Basil of Caesarea used in his exposition of Gen 1:20. It will first critically review the old (but widely accepted) thesis of Jean Levie that Basil's knowledge of natural history comes solely from an Aristotelian epitome. In rejecting this view, this paper will argue that Basil's materials, in fact, draw on a more complex tradition than simply being directly extracted from Aristotle's work. In the second part, four sources that are adduced in relation to Homilia in hexaemeron 7, namely Pliny, Aelian, Oppian, and Plutarch will be examined. By analyzing the similarities and differences between Basil and these sources, I will demonstrate that Oppian's Halieutica is the most likely source that Basil consulted and used as a framework for composing the examples of fish in Homilia in hexaemeron 7,3-6, despite the apparent similarities among the four sources. I will also propose ways of interpreting the apparent similarities between Basil and the three other sources. |
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| ISSN: | 1612-961X |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Zeitschrift für antikes Christentum
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1515/zac-2023-0008 |