Facing the Gods
Epiphany and Representation in Graeco-Roman Art, Literature and Religion
£34.99
Part of Greek Culture in the Roman World
- Author: Verity Platt, Cornell University, New York
- Date Published: August 2016
- availability: Available
- format: Paperback
- isbn: 9781316619193
£
34.99
Paperback
Other available formats:
Hardback
Looking for an inspection copy?
This title is not currently available on inspection
-
This is the first history of epiphany as both a phenomenon and a cultural discourse within the Graeco-Roman world. It explores divine manifestations and their representations both in art and in literary, historical and epigraphic accounts. The cultural analysis of epiphany is set within a historical framework that examines its development from the archaic period to the Roman Empire. In particular, a surprisingly large number of the images that have survived from antiquity are not only religious but epiphanically charged. Verity Platt argues that the enduring potential for divine incursions into mortal experience provides a reliable cognitive structure that supports both ancient religion and mythology. At the same time, Graeco-Roman culture exhibits a sophisticated awareness of the difficulties in apprehending deity and representing divine presence, and of the potential for the manmade sign to lead the worshipper back to an unmediated epiphanic encounter.
Read more- The first book to address the theme of epiphany throughout the whole of classical antiquity
- Explores divine manifestations and their representations not only in art, but also in literary, historical and epigraphic accounts
- Makes a substantial new contribution to the understanding of how the divine and religion were imagined in antiquity
Reviews & endorsements
'Original and important.' The Times Literary Supplement
See more reviews'… a stimulating, wide-ranging work that should be of interest to all those studying the classical world; it will certainly become standard reading for anyone with an interest in Greek religion, Greek and Roman iconography, or the literary and philosophical discourses of the Second Sophistic. Elegantly written and argued.' Jenny Wallensten, Time and Mind
Customer reviews
Not yet reviewed
Be the first to review
Review was not posted due to profanity
×Product details
- Date Published: August 2016
- format: Paperback
- isbn: 9781316619193
- length: 502 pages
- dimensions: 245 x 170 x 28 mm
- weight: 0.88kg
- contains: 53 b/w illus.
- availability: Available
Table of Contents
Introduction
Part I:
1. Framing epiphany in art and text
2. Material epiphany: encountering the divine in cult images
3. Epiphany and authority in Hellenistic Greece
4. The poetics of epiphany in Hellenistic epigram
Part II:
5. Virtual visions: piety and paideia in Second Sophistic literature
6. Dream visions and cult images in Second Sophistic literature
7. The apologetics of representation in Philostratus' Life of Apollonius of Tyana
Part III:
8. Dying to see: epiphanic sarcophagi from Imperial Rome.
Sorry, this resource is locked
Please register or sign in to request access. If you are having problems accessing these resources please email [email protected]
Register Sign in» Proceed
You are now leaving the Cambridge University Press website. Your eBook purchase and download will be completed by our partner www.ebooks.com. Please see the permission section of the www.ebooks.com catalogue page for details of the print & copy limits on our eBooks.
Continue ×Are you sure you want to delete your account?
This cannot be undone.
Thank you for your feedback which will help us improve our service.
If you requested a response, we will make sure to get back to you shortly.
×