Nonnus of Panopolis ( grc-gre, Νόννος ὁ Πανοπολίτης, ''Nónnos ho Panopolítēs'', 5th century CE) was the most notable
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
epic poet of the
Imperial Roman era. He was a native of
Panopolis (Akhmim) in the
Egyptian
Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt.
Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to:
Nations and ethnic groups
* Egyptians, a national group in North Africa
** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...
Thebaid
The Thebaid or Thebais ( grc-gre, Θηβαΐς, ''Thēbaïs'') was a region in ancient Egypt, comprising the 13 southernmost nomes of Upper Egypt, from Abydos to Aswan.
Pharaonic history
The Thebaid acquired its name from its proximity to ...
and probably lived in the 5th century CE. He is known as the composer of the ''
Dionysiaca
The ''Dionysiaca'' {{IPAc-en, ˌ, d, aɪ, ., ə, ., n, ᵻ, ˈ, z, aɪ, ., ə, ., k, ə ( grc-gre, Διονυσιακά, ''Dionysiaká'') is an ancient Greek epic poem and the principal work of Nonnus. It is an epic in 48 books, the longest survi ...
'', an epic tale of the god
Dionysus
In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Romans ...
, and of the ''Metabole'', a paraphrase of the ''
Gospel of John
The Gospel of John ( grc, Εὐαγγέλιον κατὰ Ἰωάννην, translit=Euangélion katà Iōánnēn) is the fourth of the four canonical gospels. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "sig ...
''. The epic Dionysiaca describes the life of Dionysus, his expedition to India, and his triumphant return. It was written in
Homeric Greek
Homeric Greek is the form of the Greek language that was used by Homer in the ''Iliad'', ''Odyssey'', and Homeric Hymns. It is a literary dialect of Ancient Greek consisting mainly of Ionic, with some Aeolic forms, a few from Arcadocypriot, and ...
and in
dactylic hexameter
Dactylic hexameter (also known as heroic hexameter and the meter of epic) is a form of meter or rhythmic scheme frequently used in Ancient Greek and Latin poetry. The scheme of the hexameter is usually as follows (writing – for a long syllable, ...
, and it consists of 48 books at 20,426 lines.
Life
There is almost no evidence for the life of Nonnus. It is known that he was a native of Panopolis (
Akhmim
Akhmim ( ar, أخميم, ; Akhmimic , ; Sahidic/Bohairic cop, ) is a city in the Sohag Governorate of Upper Egypt. Referred to by the ancient Greeks as Khemmis or Chemmis ( grc, Χέμμις) and Panopolis ( grc, Πανὸς πόλις and Π ...
) in
Upper Egypt
Upper Egypt ( ar, صعيد مصر ', shortened to , , locally: ; ) is the southern portion of Egypt and is composed of the lands on both sides of the Nile that extend upriver from Lower Egypt in the north to Nubia in the south.
In ancient ...
from his naming in manuscripts and the reference in epigram 9.198 of the ''
Palatine Anthology
The ''Palatine Anthology'' (or ''Anthologia Palatina''), sometimes abbreviated ''AP'', is the collection of Greek poems and epigrams discovered in 1606 in the Palatine Library in Heidelberg. It is based on the lost collection of Constantinus Ceph ...
''. Scholars have generally dated him from the end of the 4th to the central years of the 5th century CE. He must have lived after the composition of
Claudian
Claudius Claudianus, known in English as Claudian (; c. 370 – c. 404 AD), was a Latin poet associated with the court of the Roman emperor Honorius at Mediolanum (Milan), and particularly with the general Stilicho. His work, written almost ent ...
's Greek ''Gigantomachy'' (i.e., after 394–397) as he appears to be familiar with that work.
Agathias Scholasticus seems to have followed him, with a mid-6th-century reference to him as a "recent author".
He is sometimes conflated with
St Nonnus
Nonnus ( grc-gre, Νόννος, ''Nónnos'') was legendary 4th- or 5th-century Christian saint, said to have been an Egyptian monk who became a bishop in Syria and was responsible for the conversion of St Pelagia the harlot during one of ...
from the
hagiographies
A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian hagiographies might ...
of
St Pelagia
Pelagia ( grc-gre, Πελαγία), distinguished as Pelagia of Antioch, Pelagia the Penitent, and Pelagia the Harlot, was a Christian saint and hermit in the 4th or 5th century. Her feast day was celebrated on 8 October, originally in common wit ...
and with
Nonnus
Nonnus of Panopolis ( grc-gre, Νόννος ὁ Πανοπολίτης, ''Nónnos ho Panopolítēs'', 5th century CE) was the most notable Greek epic poet of the Imperial Roman era. He was a native of Panopolis (Akhmim) in the Egyptian Theb ...
, the
bishop of Edessa Early bishops
The following list is based on the records of the ''Chronicle of Edessa'' (to ''c''.540) and the ''Chronicle of Zuqnin''.
Jacobite (Syriac) bishops
These bishops belonged to the Syriac Orthodox Church. During the later period there ...
who attended the
Council of Chalcedon
The Council of Chalcedon (; la, Concilium Chalcedonense), ''Synodos tēs Chalkēdonos'' was the fourth ecumenical council of the Christian Church. It was convoked by the Roman emperor Marcian. The council convened in the city of Chalcedon, Bith ...
, both of whom seem to have been roughly contemporary, but these associations are probably mistaken.
The ''Dionysiaca''
Nonnus' principal work is the 48-book
epic ''Dionysiaca'', the longest surviving poem from
classical antiquity
Classical antiquity (also the classical era, classical period or classical age) is the period of cultural history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD centred on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ...
. It has 20,426 lines composed in
Homeric Greek
Homeric Greek is the form of the Greek language that was used by Homer in the ''Iliad'', ''Odyssey'', and Homeric Hymns. It is a literary dialect of Ancient Greek consisting mainly of Ionic, with some Aeolic forms, a few from Arcadocypriot, and ...
and
dactylic hexameter
Dactylic hexameter (also known as heroic hexameter and the meter of epic) is a form of meter or rhythmic scheme frequently used in Ancient Greek and Latin poetry. The scheme of the hexameter is usually as follows (writing – for a long syllable, ...
s, the main subject of which is the life of
Dionysus
In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Romans ...
, his expedition to India, and his triumphant return. The poem is to be dated to the 5th century. It used to be considered of poor literary quality, but a mass of recent writing (most notably in the Budé edition and commentary on the poem in 18 volumes) has demonstrated that it shows consummate literary skill, even if its distinctly baroque extravagance is for a modern reader a taste that has to be acquired. His versification invites attention: writing in hexameters he uses a higher proportion of dactyls and less elision than earlier poets; this plus his subtle use of alliteration and assonance gives his verse a unique musicality. An error to be corrected is that he must have been a pagan when writing the poem: but the treatment of myth as agreeable fiction had been common since the Hellenistic period, and Nonnos ignores pagan ritual, which was the essence of authentic paganism.
The ''Paraphrase of John''
His ''Paraphrase of
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Secon ...
'' (''Metabolḕ toû katà Iōánnēn Euaggelíou'') also survives. Its timing is a debated point: textual analysis seems to suggest that it preceded the ''Dionysiaca'' while some scholars feel it unlikely that a converted Christian would have gone on to devote so much work to the ''Dionysiaca''’s pagan themes.
Works
A complete and updated bibliography of Nonnus scholarship may be found at Hellenistic Bibliography's page at Google Sites.
[.]
Editions and translations of the ''Dionysiaca'' include:
* Bilingual Greek-English edition (initial introduction, some explanatory notes): W. H. D. Rouse (1940), Nonnos, Dionysiaca, With an English Translation by W. H. D. Rouse, Mythological Introduction and Notes by H. J. Rose, Notes on Text Criticism by L. R. Lind, 3 vols., Loeb Classical Library, Cambridge (Ma.)
* Bilingual Greek-French edition (with introduction to the individual books and notes): F. Vian (general ed.) (1976-2006), Nonnos de Panopolis, Les Dionysiaques, 19 volumes, Paris
* Bilingual Greek-Italian edition (with introductions and notes): D. Gigli Piccardi (general ed.) (2003-4), Nonno di Panopoli, Le Dionisiache, BUR, Milano
* Nonno di Panopoli, Le Dionisiache, a cura di D. del Corno, traduzione di M. Maletta, note de F. Tissoni, 2 vols, Milano 1997.
* F. Tissoni, Nonno di Panopoli, I Canti di Penteo (Dionisiache 44–46). Commento, Firenze 1998
Editions and translations of the ''Paraphrase'' include:
* Translation into English: Sherry, L.F., The Hexameter Paraphrase of St. John Attributed to Nonnus of Panopolis: Prolegomenon and Translation (Ph.D. dissertation; Columbia University, 1991).
* Translation in English: Prost, Mark Anthony. Nonnos of Panopolis, The Paraphrase of the Gospel of John. Translated from the Greek by M.A.P. Ventura, CA: The Writing Shop Press, 2006
* The last complete edition of the Greek text: Nonni Panopolitani Paraphrasis S. Evangelii Joannei edidit Augustinus Scheindler, accedit S. Evangelii textus et index verborum, Lipsiae in aedibus Teubneri 1881
A team of (mainly Italian) scholars are now re-editing the text, book by book, with ample introductions and notes. Published so far:
* C. De Stefani (2002), Nonno di Panopoli: Parafrasi del Vangelo di S. Giovanni, Canto I, Bologna
* E. Livrea (2000), Nonno di Panopoli, Parafrasi del Vangelo di S. Giovanni, Canto B, Bologna
* M. Caprara (2006), Nonno di Panopoli, Parafrasi del Vangelo di S. Giovanni, Canto IV, Pisa
* G. Agosti (2003), Nonno di Panopoli, Parafrasi del Vangelo di S. Giovanni, Canto V, Firenze
* R. Franchi (2013), Nonno di Panopoli. Parafrasi del Vangelo di S. Giovanni: canto sesto, Bologna
* K. Spanoudakis (2015), Nonnus of Panopolis. Paraphrase of the Gospel of John XI, Oxford
* C. Greco (2004), Nonno di Panopoli, Parafrasi del Vangelo di S. Giovanni, canto XIII, Alessandria
* E. Livrea (1989), Nonno di Panopoli, Parafrasi del Vangelo di S. Giovanni, Canto XVIII, Napoli
* D. Accorinti (1996), Nonno di Panopoli, Parafrasi del Vangelo di S. Giovanni, Canto XX, Pisa
See also
*
Kalamos and
Karpos
In Greek mythology, Karpos (; Ancient Greek: Καρπός : Karpós; la, Carpus, literally "fruit"), was a youth renowned for his beauty. He is the son of Zephyrus (Ζέφυρος : Zéphyros), the west wind) and Chloris (Χλωρίς : Chlōr ...
Notes
References
Bibliography
* .
Further reading
* Accorinti, Domenico. ed. 2016. ''Brill’s Companion to Nonnus of Panopolis.'' Leiden, The Netherlands, and Boston: Brill.
* Geisz, Camille. 2018. ''A Study of the Narrator in Nonnus of Panopolis’ Dionysiaca. Storytelling in Late Antique Epic.'' Leiden, The Netherlands, and Boston: Brill.
* Hollis, Adrian S. 1994. "Nonnus and Hellenistic Poetry." In ''Studies in the Dionysiaca of Nonnus.'' Edited by
Neil Hopkinson
Neil Hopkinson () was an English Hellenist. Educated at Peterhouse, Cambridge, he served as a fellow and director of studies in Classics at Trinity College, Cambridge from 1983 until his death in 2021. He has been described as "one of the most ...
, 43–62. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Philological Society.
* Matzner, Sebastian. 2008. "Christianizing the Epic—Epicizing Christianity. Nonnus. Paraphrasis and the Old-Saxon Heliand in a Comparative Perspective: A study in the Poetics of Acculturation." ''Millennium'' 5:111–145.
* Miguélez Cavero, Laura. 2008. ''Poems in Context: Poetry in the Egyptian Thebaid 200–600 AD.'' Berlin: De Gruyter.
* Shorrock, Robert. 2005. "Nonnus." In ''A Companion to Ancient Epic.'' Edited by John Miles Fowley, 374–385. Oxford: Blackwell.
* Shorrock, Robert. 2001. ''The Challenge of Epic. Allusive Engagement in the Dionysiaca of Nonnus.'' Leiden: Brill.
* Spanoudakis, Konstantinos. 2007. "Icarius Jesus Christ? Dionysiac Passion and Biblical Narrative in Nonnus’ Icarius Episode (Dion. 47, 1–264)." ''Wiener Studien'' 120:35–92.
* Spanoudakis, Konstantinos, ed. 2014. ''Nonnus of Panopolis in Context: Poetry and Cultural Milieu in Late Antiquity with a Section on Nonnus and the Modern World.'' Berlin and Boston: De Gruyter.
* Vian, Francis. 2005. ''L’épopée posthomérique: Recueil d’études.'' Edited by Domenico Accorinti. Alessandria, Italy: Edizioni dell’Orso.
* Van Opstall, Emilie. 2014. "The Golden Flower of Youth: Baroque Metaphors in Nonnus and Marino." ''Classical Receptions Journal'' 6:446–470.
* Whitby, Mary. 2007. "The Bible Hellenised: Nonnus’ Paraphrase of St John's Gospel and ‘Eudocia’s’ Homeric Centos." In ''Texts and Culture in Late Antiquity: Inheritance, Authority, and Change.'' Edited by J. H. D. Scourfield, 195–231. Swansea, UK: The Classical Press of Wales.
External links
*
Nonnus Bibliography*
ttp://topostext.org/work.php?work_id=529 Online English translation of Dionysiaca, bks 1-48 by W.H.D. Rouse, with place mentions mapped, i
ToposTextR.F. Newbold summarizes his work on ''Dionysiaca''* [https://archive.today/20121221080222/http://nonniana.uksw.edu.pl/?lang=en Studia Nonniana Interretica: News from the world of Nonnian scholarship and an up-to-date bibliography of Polish studies on Nonnus]
Nonnus' paraphrase of the Gospel of John - Metaphrasis Evangelii Ioannei
{{Authority control
Ancient Greek epic poets
5th-century Roman poets
5th-century Byzantine writers
5th-century Egyptian people
5th-century Christians
Dionysus
Roman-era Greeks
Asia in Greek mythology
Year of birth unknown
Year of death unknown