122-140

• Κωνσταντέλος, Δημήτριος Θ.

The present essay confirms that the Greek classics (philosophy, poetry, history,parimoiai and more) exerced an extensive influence not only on secular and elite theological literature during the Greek middle ages, Known as the Byzantine centuries, but also on hagiology-lives of and homilies on Saints. The author reviews several lives of Saints and homilies from the seventh century on, written by persons such as Theodore Synkellos (7th century), Leo of Synada (10th century), Eustathios of Thessaloniki (12th century), George of Pelagonia (14th century) and other less known personalities, and identifies excerpts, passages, allusions, paraphrases, onomatology, parimoiai that were borrowed from authors of the ancient Greek world. The persistent reference to the mind of the ancient Greek heritage was not an obsession with anachronistic antiquity but a living testimony that those "Byzantine" authors who wrote about Saints found in the Greek classical heritage an identity, a meaning and relevance. Furthermore, the present study demonstrates that not only major theologians and secular writers but also hagiologists, the teachers of the ordinary people relied on their longstanding Greek cultural and intellectual inheritance.

• Philosophy, Ethics and Religion
• Languages and Literature

• Philosophy and religion
• Βυζαντινή φιλολογία

Η παρούσα µελέτη εγράφη το πρώτον εις την αγγλικήν και εδημοσιεύθη εις τον τόµον: Το Hellenikon: Studies in Honor of Speros Vryonis, Jr., Vol. 1, Hellenic Antiquity and Byzantium published by Aristide D. Caratzas, New Rochelle, New York, 1993, pp. 91-116., Περιέχει σημειώσεις