Jerome, Vita Malchi: Introduction, Text, Translation, and Commentary (Oxford Classical Monographs)

This Volume Offers A Full Analysis Of One Of The More Intriguing Works By A Figure Who Is Central To Our Understanding Of Late Antiquity And Early Christianity: The Translator, Exegete, And Controversialist Jerome (ad C. 347-419/20). The Vita Malchi--or, To Use Jerome's Title, The Captive Monk--recounts The Experiences Of Malchus, A Monk Abducted By Nomadic Saracens On The Eastern Fringe Of The Fourth-century Roman Empire ... This Volume's Introduction Provides Background Information On The Author, Jerome, And The Historical And Linguistic Context Of The Life Of Malchus, As Well As Detailed Discussion Of The Work's Style And Its Reception Of Earlier Christian And Classical Literature, Ranging From Its Relationship With Comedy, Epic, And The Ancient Novel To The Apocryphal Apostolic Acts And Martyr Narratives ... The Commentary Explores The Complex Intertextuality Of The Work And Provides Readers With An Understanding Of Its Background, Originality, And Significance; It Elucidates Not Only Literary And Philological Questions But Also Points Of Ethnography And Topography, And Intellectual And Social History--back Cover. Introduction. Structure And Plot ; Date And Circumstances Of Composition ; Dramatic Date ; Historical Value ; Audiences ; Purpose ; Literary Form And Texture ; Style ; State Of Transmission And Scope Of The Textual Work Of The Commentary -- Text -- Translation -- Commentary. Edited By Christa Gray. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes. Text In English And Latin.