The Art of Biography in Antiquity: A Review
This review article discusses Tomas Hägg’s final book, The Art of Biography in Antiquity, completed just before his death from cancer in 2011. Following on from his important The Novel in Antiquity (1983), this beautifully produced and comprehensive book seeks to introduce examples of Greek and Roman...
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| Contributors: | |
| Format: | Electronic Review |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2015
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| In: |
Journal for the study of the New Testament
Year: 2015, Volume: 37, Issue: 4, Pages: 474-479 |
| Review of: | The art of biography in antiquity (Cambridge [u.a.] : Cambridge Univ. Press, 2012) (Burridge, Richard A.)
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| Further subjects: | B
sayings
B Book review B Non-canonical Gospels B Review Article B Plutarch B Greek and Roman biography B Gospels B Genre |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | This review article discusses Tomas Hägg’s final book, The Art of Biography in Antiquity, completed just before his death from cancer in 2011. Following on from his important The Novel in Antiquity (1983), this beautifully produced and comprehensive book seeks to introduce examples of Greek and Roman biography from 400 bc to ad 300, looking at its origins, Hellenistic examples, popular heroes, the gospels, Roman political biography, ethical biography (Plutarch) and later accounts of philosophers and holy men. While the book’s easy style is appreciated for the general reader, Hägg’s decision not to provide any theory of biography or its genre, or any overall historical thread unfortunately weakens its usefulness for more experienced readers. His decision to include the gospels makes it interesting for New Testament scholars, and this review responds to his criticisms of proponents of the biographical genre of the gospels such as Burridge and Frickenschmidt. |
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| ISSN: | 1745-5294 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal for the study of the New Testament
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/0142064X15581754 |