Longing for Perfection in Late Antiquity:Studies on Joueys Between Ideal and Reality in Pagan and Christian Literature (Ancient Philosophy & Religion, 11)

by: Johan Leemans (Editor),Geert Roskam (Editor),Peter Van Deun (Editor)&0more

Publisher: Brill Academic Pub

Publication Date: 2023/11/22

Language: English

Print Length: 531 pages

ISBN-10: 9004681124

ISBN-13: 9789004681125

Book Description

How on earth can humans be perfect? The striving for perfection has always occupied a central place in ancient Greek culture. This dynamics urged the Greeks on to surpass themselves in different fields, from sculpture and architecture over athletics to philosophy. In this volume, an inteational group of scholars examines how the ideal of perfection was conceived and pursued in Late Antiquity, both within philosophical circles and Christianity. Their studies yield a fascinating panorama of various attempts to bridge the unbridgeable and assimilate our frail, imperfect human nature as far as possible to divine perfection.

About the Author

How on earth can humans be perfect? The striving for perfection has always occupied a central place in ancient Greek culture. This dynamics urged the Greeks on to surpass themselves in different fields, from sculpture and architecture over athletics to philosophy. In this volume, an inteational group of scholars examines how the ideal of perfection was conceived and pursued in Late Antiquity, both within philosophical circles and Christianity. Their studies yield a fascinating panorama of various attempts to bridge the unbridgeable and assimilate our frail, imperfect human nature as far as possible to divine perfection.