Meditatio mortis meditating on death, philosophy and gender in late antique hagioraphy
According to Socrates, as he is described in Plato’s Phaedo, the definition of a true philosopher is a wise man who is continuously practicing dying and being dead. Already in this life, the philosopher tries to free his soul from the body in order to acquire true knowledge as the soul is...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | deu |
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Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, Belgrade
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Filozofija i Društvo |
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| Online Access: | http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0353-5738/2021/0353-57382102177M.pdf |
| Summary: | According to Socrates, as he is described in Plato’s Phaedo, the definition
of a true philosopher is a wise man who is continuously practicing dying and
being dead. Already in this life, the philosopher tries to free his soul
from the body in order to acquire true knowledge as the soul is
progressively becoming detached from the body. Centuries after it was
written, Plato’s Phaedo continued to play a role for some early Christian
authors, and this article focuses on three instances where Christian women
mirror Socrates and/or his definition of philosophy. We find these instances
in hagiographical literature from the fourth and fifth centuries at
different locations in the Roman Empire - in the Lives of Macrina, Marcella
and Syncletica. These texts are all to varying degrees impacted by Platonic
philosophy and by the ideal of the male philosopher Socrates. As women
mastering philosophy, they widened common cultural expectations for women,
revealing how Christian authors in certain contexts ascribed authority to
female figures. |
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| ISSN: | 0353-5738 2334-8577 |