Abstract
The latest addition to SBL’s excellent ‘Writings from the Greco-Roman World’ series is, as ever, very fit for its purpose, namely making accessible often overlooked ancient (‘pagan’) texts which engage with or illuminate aspects of the cultural context of their early Christian contemporaries. In this instance, we have a set of Byzantine commentaries on Aphthonius of Antioch’s Progymnasmata or ‘classroom exercises’ in rhetoric (circa 4th century AD), or rather on its chapter on the chreia, an anecdote designed to instruct with reference to the wisdom of a prominent figure such as a philosopher, ruler, or general. In the rhetorical education provided to the male children of the elites at the time, these anecdotes were one part of the budding orator’s, lawyer’s, or politician’s armory, and Aphthonius’ chapter—as other similar works—aimed to instruct him in the use of chreiae as part of a persuasive argument. The Greek text is provided with a facing English translation (the first published for many of these texts) and detailed annotation and analysis, as well as a concise introduction. This volume concludes a series by the same editor now comprising three volumes, all focusing specifically on the chreia in ancient handbooks and their commentator. As far as the content goes, all aspects are very successful: the translation is essential for anyone without Greek interested in these texts, and the introduction and notes provide context and explanation which will be valuable for all but the most specialised of experts in ancient Greek rhetoric. One might wonder how many people not so specialised will ever need to consult these byzantine (sic) and technical texts. More pressingly, one might also wonder (while acknowledging all three volumes’ origins in a scholarly project with long-term funding specifically on the chreia) whether making accessible samples from a wider variety of the different rhetorical exercises typically included in handbooks such as Aphthonius’ Progymnasmata instead of only one might not have served better to further understanding of the education system in late antiquity and Byzantium.