The nine essays in this volume, written by an international and interdisciplinary group of younger scholars, explore comparative dimensions of ancient Chinese and Greek literature, illuminating the development of myth, reason, wisdom literature, and scholarship during the first millennium BCE.

Aphorisms-- or philosophical short sayings--appear everywhere, from Confucius to Twitter, the Buddha to the Bible, Heraclitus to Nietzsche. Yet despite this ubiquity, the aphorism is the least studied literary form. What are its origins? How did it develop? How do religious or philosophical movements arise from the enigmatic sayings of charismatic leaders? And why do some of our most celebrated modern philosophers use aphoristic fragments to convey their deepest ideas? In A Theory of the Aphorism, Andrew Hui crisscrosses histories and cultures to answer these questions and more. With clarity and precision, Hui demonstrates how aphorisms-- ranging from China, Greece, and biblical antiquity to the European Renaissance and nineteenth century--encompass sweeping and urgent programs of thought. Constructed as literary fragments, aphorisms open new lines of inquiry and horizons of interpretation. In this way, aphorisms have functioned as ancestors, allies, or antagonists to grand systems of philosophy. Encompassing literature, philology, and philosophy, the history of the book and the history of reading, A Theory of the Aphorism invites us to reflect anew on what it means to think deeply about this pithiest of literary forms.

The fourth in a series that explores cultural and ethical values in Classical Antiquity, this volume examines the negative foils, the anti-values, against which positive value notions are conceptualized and calibrated in Classical Antiquity. Eighteen chapters address this theme from different perspectives a "historical, literary, legal and philosophical. What makes someone into a prototypically a ~bada (TM) citizen? Or an abomination of a scholar? What is the relationship between ugliness and value? How do icons of sexual perversion, monstruous emperors and detestable habits function in philosophical and rhetorical prose? The book illuminates the many rhetorical manifestations of the concept of a ~badnessa (TM) in classical antiquity in a variety of domains.

What does Jesus mean when he says, "A disciple is not above his teacher, but each disciple, after being fully trained, will be like his teacher" (Luke 6:40)? This verse has been quoted, cited, and referenced in vast amounts of Christian education and discipleship literature. Nevertheless, the verse is nearly untouched in exegetical discussions with the exception of source-critical analyses. From this verse arises an undeveloped theme in the Gospel of Luke and the New Testament--the theme of likeness education. Using content analysis methodology, Luke 6:40--one of the keystone passages in Christian education literature--serves as the starting point for mining out the theme of likeness education in the New Testament. This study consists of three concentric areas of investigation: (1) Luke 6:40 and its immediate context, (2) Luke-Acts, and (3) the New Testament corpus.

The Roman poet P. Papinius Statius (ca. 45-96) is the author of two epics (the Thebaid and the unfinished Achilleid) and a large corpus of occasional verse (Silvae). This poetry, long seen as derivative or decadent, is increasingly appreciated for the daring and originality of its responses both to the Greek and Latin literary tradition and to the contemporary Roman world. This volume offers the papers delivered at a symposium on Statius (Amsterdam 2005) by leading scholars in the field from Europe and North America. These papers demonstrate the fascination of Statius' poetry on account of the poet's vast knowledge of Greek and Latin tragedy, his rapid narrative, psychological acumen, brilliant eulogies, and pessimistic views on gods and men. The focus of the collection is on literary technique in the Thebaid, on socio-historical aspects of the Silvae, and on the reception of Statius in European literature and scholarship.

Introduction, text and translation, detailed commentary and indices to "Aeneid" 2 are here offered on a scale not previously attempted and in keeping with the author's previous Virgil commentaries ("Aeneid" 3, 7 and 11); the volume is aimed primarily at scholars, rather than undergraduates.