Ägyptische Erzählungen oder Über die Vorsehung

Synesius of Cyrene (approx. 370-412 AD) can be seen as a representative of the Greek upper classes in the Roman Empire in late antiquity. He studied philosophy in Athens and Alexandria and held important offices, for example as a bishop, in Cyrene, as was the custom for members of the property-owning elite. As an intellectual, he was caught between the competing concepts of Christianity, pagan literary tradition (this could be described as »cultural Hellenism«) and (neo-Platonic) philosophy. His literary works, letters, hymns and tracts show how he was able to deal with this conflict productively. This volume provides the first German translation of a text by Synesius, »The Egyptian Tale,« since 1835 and also makes it accessible through essays on contemporary history, the form of the allegory and on Egyptian elements.