Sophia Xenophontos - Selected Publications#
1. BOOK: Medicine and Practical Ethics in Galen. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2024 (Open Access).
Being the main output of Xenophontos' current research project funded by the Wellcome Trust (UK), this single-authored monograph is the first to show that antiquity’s most important physician, Galen of Pergamum (2nd-3rd c. CE), was famed in the ancient world for his creative intermingling of medicine with practical ethics. Reviewers at Cambridge University Press have acclaimed the book for its cutting-edge arguments, new thinking, rigour, and innovative approach, anticipating it to be of major importance to the expansion of the range and depth of research in the field. See Reviews at https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/medicine-and-practical-ethics-in-galen/17219E27F69147AAF439E9043F0D5A97#fndtn-information
:a) ‘Xenophontos' book is an exciting addition to the scholarship on Galen. Her exploration of the practical ethics of antiquity's most voluminous writer—particularly his literary, rhetorical, and argumentative strategies—offers new ways of understanding Galen as a moralist. Medicine and Practical Ethics in Galen will be of profound interest both to readers of Galen and to students of imperial philosophy.' Anna Peterson - Pennsylvania State University
b) ‘In this very welcome contribution to Galenic studies Sophia Xenophontos offers a comprehensive and engaging account of the full scope of Galen's involvement with ethical questions, not only in theory but in the lived reality of patient's cases and in the practicality of his activities as physician.' Chiara Thumiger - Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel
2. BOOK: Galen, On Avoiding Distress, On My Own Opinions. Critical Edition by I. Polemis and S. Xenophontos; Translation by S. Xenophontos. Berlin: De Gruyter, Trends in Classics, 2023 (Open Access).
This is the other main output of Xenophontos' Wellcome-funded project. It will become a landmark work for any study on ancient medicine and philosophy by providing a new edition and correspondingly fresh English translation of two of Galen’s most challenging works, both hitherto inadequately edited.
3. BOOK: Georgios Pachymeres, Commentary on Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics: Critical Edition with Introduction and Translation. Edited by S. Xenophontos. Translated by S. Xenophontos and C. Addey. Berlin: De Gruyter, Commentaria in Aristotelem Graeca et Byzantina, 2022 (Open Access).
This is the main output of Xenophontos' previous research project on Aristotle’s reception in Byzantium, funded by the AHRC (UK). It innovates by offering to the academic community the first-ever critical edition and contextualization of a neglected yet important 14th-century commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, thereby revealing fresh perspectives on the overlooked topic of the prominence of Aristotelian philosophy in Byzantine higher learning. Here Xenophontos has revolutionized the view that late Byzantine philosophical commentaries are original works, not compilatory epiphenomena, as long thought by the majority of scholars. The book has been highly acclaimed by a recent book review: https://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2023/2023.10.09
: ‘The volume under review, the seventh to appear in this series, is an excellent work [...]. Xenophontos’ edition of George Pachymeres’ Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics is accompanied by a comprehensive introduction, a precise yet readable translation by Xenophontos and Crystal Addey, and indexes of parallel passages and of Greek terms. Modern readers are well-supported here in their first encounter with this hitherto unknown material. [...]The English translation of the text is among the commendable achievements of the volume as it is both precise and readable. All in all, the volume is well-produced and deserves the attention of scholars and students who are interested in enhancing their understanding of Aristotle’s practical philosophy as well as of those who are interested in familiarizing themselves with Byzantine philosophy.’4. BOOK: Theodore Metochites’ On Morals or Concerning Education: Introduction, Translation, and Notes. Cambridge, Mass.; London: Harvard University Press, Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library, 2020.
This book is a major point of reference in that it is the first English translation of On Morals to be consulted and cited by all scholars of Metochites and late Byzantium. It also includes an insightful analysis of the reception of Greek morality in Byzantium, opening up new horizons for exploring late Byzantine ethics that is still under-explored. This book, together with book no. 3 above, consolidates Xenophontos' role as a world-leading expert in Metochites and the moral philosophy and intellectual history of late Byzantium. Xenophontos is one of the very few scholars with a strong Classics background who engages actively with Byzantine literature in general and the Aristotelian commentary tradition in particular, and the only one globally researching the role of Plutarch in Byzantium’s socio-cultural landscape.
5. BOOK: Ethical Education in Plutarch: Moralising Αgents and Contexts. Berlin-New York: De Gruyter, Beiträge zur Altertumskunde, 2016.
This book is highly original: it provides the first holistic study of the moral pedagogy in the key philosopher of the Graeco-Roman period (1st-3rd c. CE) Plutarch of Chaeronea, replacing the earlier descriptive or one-sided accounts that had dominated the field. The book has been highly acclaimed in 12 book reviews internationally (e.g. USA, Germany, Belgium, Greece) for its ground-breaking contribution to Graeco-Roman philosophy, history, and culture (e.g. https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110350463/html?lang=en
, under ‘Reviews’) and has been warmly praised by distinguished scholars for providing a new model in Plutarchan studies through its creativity and rigour: E.g. ‘It will transform our understanding of an area acknowledged to be important but never before treated with such subtlety and range…It is a wonderful achievement, which will put Plutarch studies onto a new footing.’ (Prof. Tim Whitmarsh, University of Cambridge). The book also has a Wikipedia page in both English and French, attesting the originality, rigour and impact of Xenophontos' scholarship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethical_Education_in_Plutarch:_Moralising_Agents_and_ContextsIn addition, the book has received over 100 citations by internationally recognised scholars in Plutarch studies: e.g. (1) C. Pelling, “Tragic colouring in Plutarch”, in J. Opsomer, G. Roskam and F.B. Titchener (eds), A versatile gentleman: consistency in Plutarch’s writing, Leuven 2016, 117 n. 14, p. 133 n. 65; (2) J.L. Moles, A Commentary on Plutarch's Brutus, Newcastle Upon Tyne 2017, p. 152.
6. ARTICLE: ‘Psychotherapy and Moralising Rhetoric in Galen’s Newly Discovered Avoiding Distress (Peri alypias)’, Medical History 58.4 (2014) 585-603 (Open Access through Cambridge University Press' website).
This is a pathbreaking article, which constitutes the first rigorous treatment of Galen’s recently-discovered work Avoiding Distress. Xenophontos has introduced the novel claim that Galen’s moral agenda is an essential part of his philosophical discourse, one that situates him firmly within the tradition of practical ethics of the Roman Imperial period. The article is published in one of the most esteemed venues for studies in the history of medicine internationally, the multi-disciplinary journal Medical History published by Cambridge University Press (acceptance rate 10%). The article won a prize from the Wellcome Library Open Access Fund for its originality and creativity (£2054). Xenophontos has been invited to translate it into other European languages for further dissemination; and it has had an impact beyond academia, featuring in the German Der Spiegel just a few months after its publication (http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-130223378.html
), thus also contributing to popular understandings of ancient psychotherapy and emotions. Citations from both within and beyond the field are numerous and reflect recognition by eminent experts in ancient philosophy such as Prof. Chris Gill: e.g: (1) C. Gill, “Galen’s Περὶ Ἀλυπίας as Philosophical Therapy: How Coherent is It?”, in C. Petit (ed.), Galen’s Treatise De indolentia in Context, Leiden: Brill, 2019, 135-154, at 135 n.1, 140 n. 18, 141 n. 21, 147 n. 40. (2) V. Tschuschke, A. von Wyl, et al., “Significance of psychotherapy in schools today: History and outlook on the basis of a recent empirical investigation [Bedeutung der psychotherapeutischen Schulen heute: Geschichte und Ausblick anhand einer empirischen Untersuchung]]”, Psychotherapeut 61, 1.1 (2016) 54-65, p. 54. (3) W. Mayer, “John Chrysostom Moral philosopher and physician of the soul”, in D. Costache and M. Baghos (eds), John Chrysostom: Past, Present, Future. 2017 Sydney.
7. CHAPTER IN EDITED VOLUME: ‘George Pachymeres’ Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics: A New witness to Philosophical Instruction and Moral Didacticism in Late Byzantium’, in The Reception of Greek Ethics in Late Antiquity and Byzantium. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2021, eds. S. Xenophontos and A. Marmodoro, 226-248.
This chapter constitutes the first, and currently the only, interpretative study of Pachymeres’ Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, for the first time edited and translated by Xenophontos. By analyzing the work’s pedagogical impact, Xenophontos casts new light on the agenda of late Byzantine education, plugging a substantial gap in our understanding of this critical topic. She also develops new thinking on the mechanics of Byzantine education in the light of creative comparisons with modern pedagogical notions and techniques, such as mnemonics and metadidactics, attesting her capacity to pursue interdisciplinary work that lies at the heart of her research.
8. ARTICLE: ‘Exploring Emotions in Late Byzantium: Theodore Metochites on Affectivity’, Byzantion. Revue Internationale des Études Byzantines 91 (2021) 423-463.
This is a ground-breaking article in a high-profile journal of Byzantine Studies. It explores the dynamic display of affective experiences and phenomena in late Byzantium in the light of Theodore Metochites’ extensive corpus. By drawing on themes and concepts from modern emotions theory, Xenophontos has opened the path for further interdisciplinary research into late Byzantine emotions discourse, a subject which is still terra incognita. With this article she forged an international reputation in the study of emotions in late Byzantium.
9. CHAPTER IN EDITED VOLUME: ‘The Byzantine Plutarch: Self-identity and Model in Theodore Metochites’ Essay 71 of the Semeioseis gnomikai’, in The Afterlife of Plutarch. London: Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies Supplement. Institute of Classical Studies (2018), eds. P. Mack and J. North, 23-39.
Being the first powerful account of Plutarch’s influence on Theodore Metochites and of the dynamics between self-identity and model in literary contexts, the chapter has received numerous citations by Classicists and Byzantinists and has become a catalyst for providing a methodological paradigm for Byzantine receptions of Plutarch and the intellectual history of late Byzantium. The chapter appears in a reputable series that publishes top-rated world-wide research in the whole range of Classical Studies.
10. ARTICLE: “Reading Plutarch in nineteenth-century Greece: classical paideia, political emancipation, and national awareness – the case of Adamantios Koraes’’, Classical Receptions Journal 6.1 (2014) 131–157.
This article examines how Adamantios Koraes (1748–1833), an eminent humanist scholar, appropriated his readings of Plutarch in the process of creating the national identity of Modern Greece on the eve of the Greek revolution (1821). It concludes with the pioneering thesis that Plutarch functioned as a symbol of national rebirth. This study is instrumental in developing our knowledge of the importance of Plutarch’s figure and works in the period of the modern Greek Enlightenment. It has had a lasting influence on discussions relating to classical receptions and cultural and social history in this period. It is significantly innovative in showing the intriguing ways in which the ancient Greek legacy played a crucial role in the reformation of the Hellenic nation during the Enlightenment. By also analysing the subtle connections between the ancient author and Koraes’ biographical portrait, the study constitutes a significant expansion of the range and the depth of research in the field of modern Greek history.
The article is published by Classical Receptions Journal, which is currently considered the most rigorously-refereed and highest-level journal for Reception Studies internationally (acceptance rate less than 25%). It has been warmly cited and received numerous citations by key scholars in reception studies such as Prof. Gonda Van Steen, considered an important point of reference for its insightful analysis of how Plutarch’s political agenda influenced Koraes’ modern political philosophy: e.g. (1) G. Van Steen, “Inglorious Barbarians: Court Intrigue and Military Disaster Strike Xerxes, “The Sick Man of Europe”, in R. F. Kennedy (ed), The Brill’s Companion to the Reception of Aeschylus, Leiden: Brill, 2018, 243-69, at 260, 265. (2) M. Hillemann, “Wilhelm Müllers publizistischer Philhellenismus”, in M. Hillemann and T. Roth (eds), Wilhelm Müller und der Philhellenismus. Berlin 2015, 149-178, p. 162, n. 43.
