Patristic and Byzantine Greek, University of Notre Dame, June 13–July 21, 2016

Instructor: Charles C. Yost

The Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire holds a crucial place in the history of Greek letters. Not only did Byzantine scribes forge the vital link between antiquity and modernity, but Byzantine mystics, poets, philosophers, and statesmen have left behind a vast and varied corpus of texts expressing the diverse discourses contributing to the formation of Byzantium. In this course, students will engage this corpus through a survey of texts composed in different historical and geographical contexts and encompassing a variety of genres (including historiography, hagiography, mystical literature, and poetry). In this course, students will encounter the writings of John of Damascus, the nun Kassia, St. Basil the Younger’s hagiographer Gregory, Symeon the New Theologian, Michael Psellos, and Anna Komnene. Students will also receive an introduction to Greek paleography.

Prerequisite: At least one year of classical or Koine Greek.

The course meets Monday–Thursday, 2:00–3:40 pm. Course number: CLGR 30199, 60199, 60693

Visiting students welcome. Contact Charles Yost with questions.