International congress of byzantine studies belgrade, 22 27 august 2016

BYZANTIUM MEETS ANCIENT LITERATURE
Chairs: 
Marina Loukaki, Darko Todorović 
Jovana Šijaković, 
On the Issue of Christian Allegoresis of the 
Odyssey
Valerijs Makarevičs
, 
The Comparative Analysis of Ideas About an Ideal Person 
Represented in the Works of Plato and Grigory Nissky
Yan Zaripov
, 
Plato’s Theory of Tripartite Soul in Speech to Alexios I Komnenos by Theophylact of Ochrid
Vessela Valiavitcharska
, 
Rhetoric and Aristotle’s 
Antistrophos
Ana Elaković Nenadović
, 
The Criticism of Photius on Lycurgus’ and Aeschines’ Oratory
Dragoljub Marjanović
, 
The Term 
τρισκατάρατος
in Byzantine and Serbian Medieval Literature
Dragana Dimitrijević
, 
Cicero in Byzantium: An Example of Roman Antiquarianism
Dmitri Chernoglazov
, 
Rereading Pseudo-Libanios’ Epistolary and Its Interpolated Versions
Georgios Chatzelis
, 
Innovation in the 
Sylloge Tacticorum

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Jovana Šijaković
University of Belgrade, Faculty of Philosophy, Belgrade, Serbia; 
[e-mail]
On the Issue of Christian Allegoresis of the 
Odyssey
According to the widely accepted view, Christian allegoresis of the Odyssey began to take shape 
among the early Christian authors, evolved with time and had a corresponding presence in late Byzantine 
Homeric exegesis. The study that will be presented challenges the understanding of the source material 
which is generally adduced as an argument for these claims and points to other relevant testimonies 
in sources which allow for the conclusion to be drawn about exegesis of this kind as undesirable. One 
of the main problems identified concerns the difference between the use of the Odyssey imagery as 
argumentative and stylistic element of a speech on the one hand and the interpretation of the imagery 
on the other hand. It will be shown that sections of early Christian writings which are cited as evidence 
for the existence of Christian interpretation of the Odyssey do not betray the intent to interpret the 
epic as an allegory for Christian teachings. Gnostic and Neoplatonic practices are taken into account 
as vital for comparison. With this emendation to the early state of affairs, the study sheds new light 
on overlooked traits of Homeric exegesis among XI century Christian scholars who rely heavily on 
Neoplatonic exegesis. Michael Psellos, the main source for these interpretations, speaks openly about 
the conversion of lies in “our truth” through allegory. The meaning linked to the text in this case 
is not attributed to its author or to the source of his inspiration or even to the nature of the text, 
but to the power of rhetoric. After the “Byzantine Platonists” none among the important Homeric 
teachers and exegetes (John Tzetzes, Eustathius of Thessalonica, Matthew of Ephesus) indulges in the 
so-called Christian allegoresis of the Odyssey. Some in this regard misread examples of exegesis are 
discussed, as well as those interpretations which draw on early Christian productive use of Odyssey 
imagery, but deprive it of specifically Christian connotations. Finally, through the analysis of relevant 
attitudes of Byzantine interpreters towards Homer and the Odyssey, with emphasis on the context that 
accompanies their exegetical works, it is explained why in fact the path of Christian allegoresis was not 
the path they would want to take.