Albrecht Dihle - Böcker

Professor Dihle sees the Greek and Latin literature between the 1st century B.C. and the 6th century A.D. as an organic progression. He builds on Schlegel's observation that art, customs and political life in classical antiquity are inextricably entwined and therefore should not be examined separately. Dihle does not simply consider narrowly defined `literature', but all works of cultural socio-historical significance, including Jewish and Christian literature, philosophy and science. Despite this, major authors like Seneca, Tacitus and Plotinus are considered individually. This work is an authoritative yet personal presentation of seven hundred years of literature.

The most up-to-date history of Greek literature from its Homeric origins to the age of Augustus. Greek literary production throughout this period of some eight centuries is embedded in its historical and social context, and Professor Dihle sees this literature as a historical phenomenon, a particular mode of linguistic communication, with its specific forms developing both in an organic way and in response to the changing world around. In this it differs from conventional humanist approaches to Greek and Latin literature which analyse the works as objects of timeless value independent of any historical setting or purpose.This magisterial survey by one of the leading European authorities on classical literature will establish itself, as it already has in Germany, as the standard account of the subject.

The most up-to-date history of Greek literature from its Homeric origins to the age of Augustus. Greek literary production throughout this period of some eight centuries is embedded in its historical and social context, and Professor Dihle sees this literature as a historical phenomenon, a particular mode of linguistic communication, with its specific forms developing both in an organic way and in response to the changing world around. In this it differs from conventional humanist approaches to Greek and Latin literature which analyse the works as objects of timeless value independent of any historical setting or purpose.This magisterial survey by one of the leading European authorities on classical literature will establish itself, as it already has in Germany, as the standard account of the subject.

Professor Dihle sees the Greek and Latin literature between the 1st century B.C. and the 6th century A.D. as an organic progression. He builds on Schlegel's observation that art, customs and political life in classical antiquity are inextricably entwined and therefore should not be examined separately. Dihle does not simply consider narrowly defined `literature', but all works of cultural socio-historical significance, including Jewish and Christian literature, philosophy and science. Despite this, major authors like Seneca, Tacitus and Plotinus are considered individually. This work is an authoritative yet personal presentation of seven hundred years of literature.

In this landmark volume of the Sather Classical Lectures, The Theory of Will in Classical Antiquity, Albrecht Dihle traces how ancient Greek and early Christian thinkers grappled with the problem of human volition. Beginning with cosmological frameworks in Galen and Celsus, Dihle shows how Greek philosophy long resisted formulating a distinct theory of will, preferring to ground human action in knowledge, reason, and harmony with cosmic order. He contrasts this intellectualism with the Biblical and early Christian emphasis on obedience, divine command, and freedom of will, culminating in the pivotal innovations of St. Augustine.Bringing together philosophy, theology, and classical philology, The Theory of Will in Classical Antiquity maps the slow but decisive emergence of will as a concept distinct from reason and desire. Dihle demonstrates how debates among Platonists, Stoics, and early Christian authors shaped Western notions of freedom, responsibility, and moral agency. Richly erudite yet accessible, the book provides an essential genealogy of a category central to medieval and modern thought, showing how Augustine’s theology of will built on—and broke with—classical traditions.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1982.

In this landmark volume of the Sather Classical Lectures, The Theory of Will in Classical Antiquity, Albrecht Dihle traces how ancient Greek and early Christian thinkers grappled with the problem of human volition. Beginning with cosmological frameworks in Galen and Celsus, Dihle shows how Greek philosophy long resisted formulating a distinct theory of will, preferring to ground human action in knowledge, reason, and harmony with cosmic order. He contrasts this intellectualism with the Biblical and early Christian emphasis on obedience, divine command, and freedom of will, culminating in the pivotal innovations of St. Augustine.Bringing together philosophy, theology, and classical philology, The Theory of Will in Classical Antiquity maps the slow but decisive emergence of will as a concept distinct from reason and desire. Dihle demonstrates how debates among Platonists, Stoics, and early Christian authors shaped Western notions of freedom, responsibility, and moral agency. Richly erudite yet accessible, the book provides an essential genealogy of a category central to medieval and modern thought, showing how Augustine’s theology of will built on—and broke with—classical traditions.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1982.

In der Geschichte der Beziehungen der griechisch-römischen Welt zum Osten, insbesondere zu den Ländern am Indischen Ozean, gibt es eine Reihe von Ereignissen, Personen und Dokumenten, die der Forschung teils seit jeher, teils freilich erst nach langem Bemühen der Wissenschaft, chrono­ logische Rätsel aufgeben. Zu den sich hier zeigenden Problemen gehört das Datum des sog. Periplus des Roten Meeres, unserer wichtigsten Quelle für den graeco-ägyptischen Indienhandel der Kaiserzeit, ferner die Frage, wann die aksumitische Kirche gegründet bzw. das Aksumitenreich christianisiert wurde, und endlich die Regierungszeit des großen Kushan-Herrschers Kanishka und das Ende der Partherherrschaft im Indusgebiet. Die Lösung der genannten Probleme ist deshalb von so großer Wichtigkeit, weil ohne ein halbwegs sicheres chronologisches Gerüst unser im Detail gar nicht so spärliches Wissen über die römische Außen- und Handelspolitik, über die Beziehungen der griechisch-römischen Kulturwelt zu den nicht unmittelbar benachbarten Ländern des Ostens und über die Bedeutung jener Länder für das literarisch faßbare Weltbild eines Gebildeten der Kaiserzeit notwen­ digerweise unbefriedigend bleibt. Die Datierung König Kanishkas~ der zu Ehren schon ein Kongreß der Spezialisten abgehalten wurde, sei den Indologen und Iranisten überlassen, die freilich einer Einigung ferner denn je zu sein scheinen. An Hand der Quellen aus dem Mittelmeergebiet im weiteren Sinne läßt sich zu dieser Frage wohl kaum etwas Erhebliches sagen. Die beiden anderen oben auf­ geführten Probleme jedoch betreffen nicht zuletzt die wichtigste Kontakt­ region im Verkehr zwischen Indien und der antiken Welt, nämlich die Küstenzonen des Roten Meeres.