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Search results for alpha,4695 in Adler number:
Headword:
*)axilleu\s
*sta/tios
Adler number: alpha,4695
Translated headword: Achilleus Statios, Achilles Statius, Achilleus Tatios, Achilles Tatius
Vetting Status: high
Translation: Of Alexandria,[1] the writer of the story of Leucippe and Cleitophon and other love stories in eight books. He became at last a Christian and a bishop.[2] He wrote On the [Heavenly] Sphere,[3] Etymologies, and Historical Miscellany, which mentions many great and admirable men. His style in all of these works is similar to [his style in] the love stories.[4]
Greek Original:*)axilleu\s *sta/tios, *)alecandreu\s, o( gra/yas ta\ kata\ *leuki/pphn kai\ *kleitofw=nta, kai\ a)/lla e)rwtika\ e)n bibli/ois h#. ge/gonen e)/sxaton xristiano\s kai\ e)pi/skopos. e)/graye de\ *peri\ sfai/ras kai\ e)tumologi/as, kai\ *(istori/an su/mmikton, pollw=n kai\ mega/lwn kai\ qaumasi/wn a)ndrw=n mnhmoneu/ousan. o( de\ lo/gos au)tou= kata\ pa/nta o(/moios toi=s e)rwtikoi=s.
Notes:
C2/3 CE. See generally OCD(4) p.7, under 'Achilles Tatius(1)'.
A majority of the manuscripts and Byzantine references give Achilleus Tatios as the name of the novelist. Tatios might be a transcription of the Roman name Tatius. On the other hand, considering that Achilles was Alexandrian, Tatios might be a theophoric from the Egyptian god Thoth, Greek Tat. The initial sigma in the Suda's 'Statios' resulted from doubling the final sigma in the preceding word, Achilleus.
[1] Also identified as an Alexandrian by
Eustathius on
Homer's
Odyssey 14.350 (vol. II, p. 73) and
Photius,
Bibliotheca cod. 87 (p. 66a.14). This is perhaps supported by the high degree of topographical realism in a passage in the novel describing Alexandria (5.1-2).
[2] Presumably this means late in his career. In any event, unlikely to be true (OCD).
[3] Extracts from an astronomical treatise have been transmitted along with the text of
Aratus under the name Achilles (E. Maass ed.,
Commentariorum in Aratum reliquiae [Berlin 1898] pp. 27-75, 80-85), whom Firmicus Maternus regarded as "the most sage Achilles" (prudentissimus Achilles, Mathesis 4.10). OCD(4) p.7 lists a separate 'Achilles Tatius(2)'.
[4] The translation of the final sentence is debated. An alternative would be "His style in all his works is similar to [the style in] other writers of love stories," or, even less likely, "His style in every respect [or, "everywhere"] is similar to [the style in] other writers of love stories." The Suda is evaluating the consistency of the novelist's prose style throughout his obviously varied corpus. The translation here concurs with E. Vilborg (Goeteborg 1962) 9 (cf. n.10) and K. Plepelits (Stuttgart 1980) 1; the Budé editor offers an alternative translation (J.-P. Garnaud 1991, vii, n.2).
References:
K. Plepelits, Achilleus Tatios: Leukippe und Kleitophon (Stuttgart: A. Hiersemann 1980), a commentary with introduction and translation in German. See esp. pp. 1-18 on the identity of the author. A shorter treatment of the subject by the same author in English appears as "Achilles Tatius" in G. Schmeling, ed., The Novel in the Ancient World (Leiden: E.J. Brill 1996) pp. 387-416.
On the false appropriation of Achilles into the Christian tradition, see H. Doerrie, "Die Romane und das Christentum," Philologus 93 (1938) pp. 274-275.
Keywords: biography; Christianity; dialects, grammar, and etymology; gender and sexuality; geography; historiography; religion; rhetoric; science and technology
Translated by: Jennifer Benedict on 4 September 2000@20:52:03.
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