Karin Hult
Professor emerita
Institutionen för språk ochOm Karin Hult
Forskare, lärare, ledamot av Medeltidskommitténs styrgrupp
- Mottagning: Enligt överenskommelse
Forskning
The Metochites Project
https://www.gu.se/en/research/the-metochites-project
I am currently working on an edition of the Semeioseis gnomikai (”Sententious notes”), a collection of 120 essays by the Byzantine statesman and scholar Theodore Metochites, 1270–1332. This is the first critical edition of the text, replacing the 1821 edition by C. G. Müller & Th. Kiessling, which was based on a late and inferior manuscript. The new edition is based on two early 14th-century manuscripts, in Paris and Venice respectively, and a 16th-century copy of the Venice manuscript kept in Escorial, Madrid. The edition is accompanied by an English translation, notes and indexes. This important work of the Palaeologan era has never been translated before, not even into Latin. A complete list of the essays of the Semeioseis gnomikai is found at the bottom of this page. For Metochites’ life and works see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Metochites
The edition will appear in four volumes. The first volume, Theodore Metochites On Ancient Authors and Philosophy (essays 1–26 & 71), appeared in 2002. The second volume, Theodore Metochites On the Human Condition and the Decline of Rome (essays 27–60) will appear in October 2016. The third volume, essays 61–70 & 72–81, is edited by Staffan Wahlgren, Trondheim, and will appear early in 2017.
The project began in 1993 as a collaboration between the University of Gothenburg and the University of Cyprus, Nicosia. It has received funding from the Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation (Riksbankens Jubileumsfond) and the Swedish Research Council.
The pinax (table of contents) of Theodore Metochites’ Semeioseis gnomikai
(translation revised October 2016)
- Proem, where it is also pointed out that it is no longer possible to say anything
- On memory, and that it is necessary
- On the obscurity of the writings of Aristotle
- That everybody suffers from intellectual vanity
- On Aristotle’s intellectual vanity also regarding mathematics
- That all men like what they are accustomed to
- On the respect of all wise men towards Pythagoras, and on mathematics
- That usually all wise men are ironic and witty, especially Plato and Socrates
- That it is impossible to express one’s thoughts
- That all wise men were disrespectful towards their predecessors, and on Plato and Aristotle
- On Aristotle and his fame in natural science and logic
- Further on Aristotle and his natural science and logic
- On Plato and the mathematical part of wisdom, and especially on harmonics
- That the science of mathematics was not fully developed from the beginning
- On Josephus
- On Philo
- That all who were educated in Egypt write in a rather harsh style
- On Synesius
- On Dio
- On Xenophon
- On Aristotle’s Metaphysics and Hermogenes’ book On the Method of Force
- On the lack of dissension in the science of mathematics
- On the uncertainty in natural science
- That Plato always uses the dialogue form because of his war against rhetoric
- That Aristotle decided to study rhetoric because of his opposition to Plato
- That a simple and unadorned language is typical of philosophy
- Lament on human life
- On the saying It is impossible to find anyone living a life free of sorrows, on the changes occurring in life, and on the experiences of the author himself
- On the inconstancy of all things human
- On human beings’ ignorance of what is best
- That those who are in the body do not have a perfect apprehension of reality, and an example of this taken from those who are not completely drunk
- That people take pleasure in that to which they are accustomed over time
- That many people are displeased with any kind of life according to long-standing habit
- That some ignorant and stupid people lead no less pleasant lives than the educated, and think
- That many people, because of self-love, brag vulgarly about their modest achievements
- That some people are grateful even in humble circumstances (with mention of the Emperor)
- Lament on the decline of Rome and the reversal of her great prosperity
- Lament on how badly the people of the Eastern Roman Empire are faring
- Further lament on the same subject, and that one cannot compare the situation there with other parts of the Roman Empire
- Further lament on the same subject, and that monastic life was better there than anywhere else
- That human beings tend to long for the past and to remember it most fondly
- That it is extremely pleasant for human beings to behold Creation
- That it is very pleasant to behold the sky and the heavenly bodies
- That the sea is a very pleasant sight
- That those who combine cheerfulness and solemnity may be compared to the sight of the sea in calm
- That many people long for a life of inactivity
- That most people are eager to be involved in public affairs
- That most things are difficult and painful for those whose life is full of activity, even if they seem prosperous
- That some people turn away from an active life because of small-mindedness, not because of rational decision, and that this certainly is not commendable
- That it is equally possible for those who are doing well in different societies, both in very high positions and in more humble ones, to be content and consider themselves prosperous
- That the body and that which appertains to it is a great hindrance to the soul in its proper intellectual activity
- On the self-love present in all human beings, and that they all strive to appear to be more than they are
- That it is difficult to explain why some people are fortunate in life from beginning to end, whereas others fare conversely
- That people often contradict not only each other but also themselves
- That unerring and unbiased judgements rarely exist in human beings
- That it is always possible, no matter how one is faring, to raise oneself by reasonable mental edification to the level of great success
- That some people feign a philosophical attitude and disdain for those who are fortunate and prosperous in life, because they themselves have failed to obtain some advantage and are envious
- Whether it is better for man to be born or not born, and that it is better to be born
- That people often talk about themselves
- That it is doubtful whether people experience any serenity at all in their thoughts
- That the Sceptics’ opposition to the claim that anything can be understood is not totally without reason, and that Plato and Socrates laid the foundations for the Sceptics opinion
- On those who become engaged in public matters by accident, some because of their meddlesome and base character, some because of ignorance and since they have not foreseen Fate
- On hope, and that this in some way is a most helpful device for men, but that sometimes it is despicable and causes extreme indignation
- That it is most pleasant to people to live among their own and as they are accustomed—if they can live reasonably well and enjoy some respect
- That it often happens that people are made victims of their own judgement and decisions and so perish by their own condemnation
- That some men are quick to trust Providence because of that which seems rightly to befall the good and bad, and, in turn, to distrust Providence when the opposite happens
- That it often happens that ill fortune, no less unexpected than hard to bear, strangely and very swiftly follows upon the greatest accomplishment and success
- That there is no agreement whatsoever among men
- That men are subject to their passions to a high degree, and that they for this reason do not see clearly
- That the mathematical and geometrical kind of philosophy is highly useful in life, and especially for engineering
- On Plutarch
- Reflections on the maxim “live hidden”
- Whether it constitutes an obstacle to the Christian way of life to live in the midst of the many and to be engaged in much worldly business
- That it is easier to keep the rules of the Christian religion if one is not engaged in much worldly business
- That it is possible also for those who are engaged in public activities to live well and in accordance with virtue and the laws of religion
- Whether those who are eager and anxious to lead a virtuous life should marry or not
- That a politician in every way should strive for peace
- That a politician should also prepare for war
- That one should not desist from acting because of mishaps and the fact that one often fares badly
- That most or almost all philosophers have spent their time talking only, and have not been of any use in practical politics
- That almost all Greek philosophers have avoided politics and public matters
- That a king must devote himself mainly to obtaining funds for his administration
- That a king must not devote himself entirely to making money and spend all his efforts on this
- That a politician must devote himself blamelessly to affluence and wealth
- That it is not proper to devote oneself entirely to getting rich
- That nearly all men are conquered by love of wealth
- Reflection on the instability of human affairs, with examples
- Reflection on the use of the rational faculty, with examples
- Reflection on perception and the supremacy of the mind, with examples
- Reflection on an intellectual life, with examples
- Reflection on how created nature suffers reversal in the material world, with examples
- That, as it seems, the monarchical rule of the Emperor Augustus and the great Constantine came into being for the unhindered [expansion] of the Christian faith
- Brief note that everything concerning the Greeks has been preserved for us in memory and writing, both the greatest things and those worthy of a passing mention
- That it is useful for those who are being educated to retire and desist from action, with examples
- Reflection on the mind and the use of the senses, with examples
- On democracy
- On aristocracy
- On monarchy
- On the constitution of Athens
- On the constitution of Sparta
- That not only the Greeks but also many other peoples practised democracy
- That virtually all peoples in Asia did not practise democracy from the beginning, but were governed by despots
- That Cyrene in Libya was a Greek city from the beginning
- On Carthage and its constitution
- More on Carthage and how the city perished precisely because of its great achievements
- On Rome, and how from small beginnings it became such a strong and great power
- On Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome, and how he was chosen king opportunely at that time
- How Rome, from a humble beginning, after the wars with Pyrrhus and Carthage became a great power, with ambitions nearly of world domination
- That it seems that Rome became the greatest Empire in the world with the help of Divine Providence, in order to aid the spread of the redeeming Christian faith
- On the Scythians
- That it is useful for intellectuals to study history
- On the instability of human affairs and lack of continuity till the end, with examples
- On the Greeks, and that in the beginning they were famous not because of the magnitude of their deeds or fortune, but because of the refinement of their nature and character, and the nobility of their thought
- How opportunely Epaminondas and Pelopidas, two brave men and excellent military commanders, arose in their paternal city at the same time
- Investigation into the instability and changeability of human affairs, and that especially the life of Alcibiades is an illustration of this, and similarly that of Demetrius called Poliorcetes, and further Eumenes
- On the instability of luck, with examples
- Reflection, with examples, on how some people change from great deeds and great fortune to inactivity or doing humbly
- That the loss of what has been carefully acquired is not unpainful or easy
- That there does not exist among human beings any happiness in life that is from beginning to end unmixed with pain, and that one must face reversals of great fortune
- That many people are truly ignorant of how to handle [that which befalls them in] life, with examples
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Theodor Metochites i den yttersta
tiden
Ragnar Hedlund, Samuel Rubenson, David Westberg, Helena Bodin, Ellen Söderblom Saarela, Karin Hult, Johan Mårtelius, Anders Cullhed
Olof Heilo (ed.), Vägar till Bysans - 2019 -
Alexanderromanen
Karin Hult
Alexanderlegenderna i tid och rum. Alexander den stores gränslösa historia / Karin Hult & Gunhild Vidén (red.). - 2018 -
Theodore Metochites on the Human Condition and the Decline of Rome. Semeioseis gnomikai 27–60. Critical edition with introduction, translation, notes, and
indexes
Karin Hult
2016 -
Hunden och lopporna. Uppsatser om
editionsfilologi
Karin Hult, Christina Thomsen Thörnqvist, Gunhild Vidén
2012 -
Traderingen av grekiska texter och grekisk
textkritik
Karin Hult, Staffan Wahlgren
Hunden och lopporna : uppsatser om editionsfilologi / redigerad av Karin Hult, Christina Thomsen Thörnqvist och Gunhild Vidén - 2012 -
Att leva i en stad utan murar: Theodoros Metochites om människans
villkor
Karin Hult
Bysantinska sällskapet. Bulletin - 2005 -
Theodore Metochites as a literary
critic
Karin Hult
Interaction and isolation in late Byzantine culture : papers read at a colloquium held at the Swedish Research Institute in Istanbul, 1-5 December, 1999. Ed. Jan Olof Rosenqvist (Transactions. Swedish Research Institute in Istanbul, 13) - 2004 -
Theodore Metochites on Ancient Authors and Philosophy. Semeioseis gnomikai 1–26 & 71. A Critical Edition with Introduction, Translation, Notes, and Indexes. With a Contribution by Börje
Bydén
Karin Hult, Börje Bydén
2002 -
Inga helgon precis ... Politik, erotik och filosofi i Bysans. Sex föreläsningar vid Göteborgs
universitet
Karin Hult
1999 -
Theodoros Metochites. En lärd statsman i 1300-talets
Bysans
Karin Hult
Dragomanen. Årsskrift utgiven av Svenska Forskningsinstitutet i Istanbul och Föreningen Svenska Istanbulinstitutets Vänner - 1999 -
Om utgivningen av Theodoros Metochites’
Miscellanea
Karin Hult
Bysantinska sällskapet. Bulletin - 1997 -
Kravaller i Gaza. Om biskopen Porphyrios och kristendomens
seger
Karin Hult
Mänsklig mångfald. Humanistisk forskning vid Göteborgs universitet, 6 - 1993 -
Marinus the Samaritan. A study of Damascius Vit. Isid. fr.
141
Karin Hult
Classica et Mediaevalia. Revue danoise de philologie et d’ histoire - 1993 -
Syntactic Variation in Greek of the 5th Century
A.D.
Karin Hult
1990