The argument of Psellos' Chronographia / / by Anthony Kaldellis.

• Superior document: Studien und Texte zur Geistesgeschichte des Mittelalters ; Band 68
• VerfasserIn: Kaldellis, Anthony,
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden, The Netherlands ;, Boston ;, Koln : : Brill,, [1999]; ©1999
• Year of Publication: 1999
• Language: English
• Series: Studien und Texte zur Geistesgeschichte des Mittelalters ; Band 68.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource.
• Other title: Preliminary Material /; Acknowledgments /; Introduction /; 1. Êthos and History /; 2. The Delusions of Romanos III /; 3. Egrêgorsis : An Awakening to Human Affairs /; 4. Philosophy and Philology /; 5. A Wicked Doctrine /; 6. Imperial Askêsis /; 7. The Secrets of the Virgin /; 8. An Impious Doctrine /; 9. The Secular Imperium /; 10. The Repudiation of Monasticism /; 11. The Liberation of Philosophy from Christianity /; 12. The Triumph of Nature over Faith /; 13. Virtual Divine Grace /; 14. The Unspeakable Mysteries of Providence /; 15. Providence: Pietism or Prudence? /; 16. The Degeneracy of the Official Religion /; 17. Patron of Blasphemers /; 18. Psellos' Enigmatic Confession of Faith /; 19. Philosophy and Rhetoric /; 20. The True Nature of Rhetoric /; 21. A Rhetorical Performance /; 22. The Redemption of Rhetoric /; 23. Political Philosophy and the Rehabilitation of the Body /; 24. Psellos and Isaac Komnenos /; 25. Philosophy and the Throne /; 26. Who is the Author of the Chronographia ? /; Bibliography /; Index of Passages /; General Index /; Studien und Texte zur Geistesgeschichte des Mittelalters /
• Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references (pages [199]-211) and indexes.
• ISBN: 9004452869
• Hierarchical level: Monograph
• Statement of Responsibility: by Anthony Kaldellis.

This book is a philosophical interpretation of Michael Psellos' Chronographia , an acknowledged masterpiece of Byzantine literature. Anthony Kaldellis argues that although the Chronographia contains a fascinating historical narrative; it is really a disguised philosophical work which, if read carefully, reveals Psellos' revolutionary views on politics and religion. Kaldellis exposes the rhetorical techniques with which Psellos veils his unorthodoxy, and demonstrates that the inner message of the text challenges the Church's supremacy over the intellectual and political life of Byzantium. Psellos consciously articulates a secular vision of Imperial politics, and seeks to liberate philosophy from the constraints of Christian theology. The analysis is lucid and should be accessible to anyone with a general knowledge of Byzantine civilization. It should interest all who study the history of ancient and medieval philosophy.