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Biography, Historiography, and Modes of Philosophizing
The Tradition of Collective Biography in Early Modern Europe
Series: - The Renaissance Society of America, Volume: 7
Author:
By way of essays and a selection of primary sources in parallel text, Biography, Historiography, and Modes of Philosophizing provides an introduction to a vast, significant, but neglected corpus of early modern literature: collective biography. It focuses especially on the various related strands of political, philosophical, and intellectual and cultural biography as well as on the intersection between biography, historiography, and philosophy. Individual texts from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century are presented as examples of how the ancient collective biographical tradition â as represented above all by Plutarch, Suetonius, Diogenes Laertius, and Jerome â was received and transformed in the Renaissance and beyond in accordance with the needs of humanism, religious controversy, politics, and the development of modern philosophy and science.
Patrick Baker, Ph.D. (2009) teaches medieval and early modern history at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. He is the author of Italian Renaissance Humanism in the Mirror (Cambridge, 2015) and co-editor of Portraying the Prince in the Renaissance (De Gruyter, 2016).
âThe various parts of the volume offer interesting insights into the role and functions of biographical writing during the early modern period. Scholars interested in the historiography of philosophy, the classical tradition, or early modern history can learn about a facet of early modern thought and writing that is often overlooked.â
Sabrina Ebbersmeyer, University of Copenhagen. In: Journal of the History of Philosophy, Vol. 56, No 1 (January 2018), pp. 176-177.
Sabrina Ebbersmeyer, University of Copenhagen. In: Journal of the History of Philosophy, Vol. 56, No 1 (January 2018), pp. 176-177.
The publication of this volume was made possible through the support of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, using funds provided to Collaborative Research Center 644 "Transformations of Antiquity" (SFB644).
List of Illustrations
List of Contributors
Acknowledgements
Patrick Baker
Introduction
I. The History of Philosophy and the persona of the Philosopher
Manuela Kahle
Spoliating Diogenes Laertius: Giannozzo Manettiâs Use(s) of the Lives of the Philosophers
Giannozzo Manetti
De illustribus longaevis, âSocratesâ
On Famous Men of Great Age, âLife of Socratesâ
Giannozzo Manetti
Vita Socratis (excerpt)
Life of Socrates (excerpt)
II. Encyclopedic, Historical, and Moral Biography
Marianne Pade
Lives Transformed: John Whethamstedeâs Use of Plutarchâs Lives
John Wethamstede
Granarium, pars prima, âPaulusâ
Granarium, Part One, âPaulusâ
III. Bio-Bibliography and Cultural History (I): The History of a Cultural Movement
Patrick Baker
Collective Biography as Historiography: The De viris illustribus of Bartolomeo Facio
Bartolomeo Facio
De viris illustribus, âDe poetisâ et âDe oratoribusâ
On Famous Men, âPoetsâ and âOratorsâ
IV. Bio-Bibliography and Cultural History (II): Nationalism and Apologetics
Johannes Helmrath
Perception of the Middle Ages and Self-Perception in German Humanism: Johannes Trithemius and the Cathalogus illustrium virorum Germaniam ⦠exornantium
Johannes Trithemius
Cathalogus illustrium virorum Germaniam suis ingeniis et lucubrationibus omnifariam exornantium (excerpts)
Catalogue of the Illustrious Men Who Have Adorned Germany in Every Way with Their Talents and Tireless Studies (excerpts)
V. Philosophical and Religious Didacticism
Asaph Ben-Tov
Philipp Melanchthonâs De Aristotele (1544): Biography as a Pedagogical Argument
Philipp Melanchthon
Oratio de Aristotele
On Aristotle
VI. Philosophizing and the persona of the Philosopher
Michael Weichenhan
Biography as a Medium of Philosophy and the History of Philosophy: Pierre Gassendi
Pierre Gassendi
De vita et moribus Epicuri, Epistola dedicatoria
On the Life and Character of Epicurus, Dedicatory Letter
VII. Philosophical Biography and the History of Philosophy
Leo Catana
From persona to systema: Heumannâs Dethronement of Porphyryâs Life of Plotinus and the Biographical Model for Writing the History of Philosophy
Leo Catana (translator and editor) and Tue Søvsø (editor)
Christoph August Heumann âDas Leben Plotini vom Porphyrio beschriebenâ
âThe Life of Plotinus Described by Porphyryâ
Index
List of Illustrations
List of Contributors
Acknowledgements
Patrick Baker
Introduction
I. The History of Philosophy and the persona of the Philosopher
Manuela Kahle
Spoliating Diogenes Laertius: Giannozzo Manettiâs Use(s) of the Lives of the Philosophers
Giannozzo Manetti
De illustribus longaevis, âSocratesâ
On Famous Men of Great Age, âLife of Socratesâ
Giannozzo Manetti
Vita Socratis (excerpt)
Life of Socrates (excerpt)
II. Encyclopedic, Historical, and Moral Biography
Marianne Pade
Lives Transformed: John Whethamstedeâs Use of Plutarchâs Lives
John Wethamstede
Granarium, pars prima, âPaulusâ
Granarium, Part One, âPaulusâ
III. Bio-Bibliography and Cultural History (I): The History of a Cultural Movement
Patrick Baker
Collective Biography as Historiography: The De viris illustribus of Bartolomeo Facio
Bartolomeo Facio
De viris illustribus, âDe poetisâ et âDe oratoribusâ
On Famous Men, âPoetsâ and âOratorsâ
IV. Bio-Bibliography and Cultural History (II): Nationalism and Apologetics
Johannes Helmrath
Perception of the Middle Ages and Self-Perception in German Humanism: Johannes Trithemius and the Cathalogus illustrium virorum Germaniam ⦠exornantium
Johannes Trithemius
Cathalogus illustrium virorum Germaniam suis ingeniis et lucubrationibus omnifariam exornantium (excerpts)
Catalogue of the Illustrious Men Who Have Adorned Germany in Every Way with Their Talents and Tireless Studies (excerpts)
V. Philosophical and Religious Didacticism
Asaph Ben-Tov
Philipp Melanchthonâs De Aristotele (1544): Biography as a Pedagogical Argument
Philipp Melanchthon
Oratio de Aristotele
On Aristotle
VI. Philosophizing and the persona of the Philosopher
Michael Weichenhan
Biography as a Medium of Philosophy and the History of Philosophy: Pierre Gassendi
Pierre Gassendi
De vita et moribus Epicuri, Epistola dedicatoria
On the Life and Character of Epicurus, Dedicatory Letter
VII. Philosophical Biography and the History of Philosophy
Leo Catana
From persona to systema: Heumannâs Dethronement of Porphyryâs Life of Plotinus and the Biographical Model for Writing the History of Philosophy
Leo Catana (translator and editor) and Tue Søvsø (editor)
Christoph August Heumann âDas Leben Plotini vom Porphyrio beschriebenâ
âThe Life of Plotinus Described by Porphyryâ
Index
Specialists and post-graduate students in the fields of early modern history, philosophy, and the classical tradition are the primary audience. The translated primary sources also lend themselves to undergraduate teaching.