Theory and Didactic in Olympiodorus and the Alexandrian School: A discussion of two new translations

Abstract

This review article considers two recent Italian and English translations of works by Olympiodorus of Alexandria and his immediate successors (sixth century ce). These translations make accessible to a wider audience a number of works that help us understand a transitional period in the history of thought. This review takes a closer look at some of the substantive views expressed by the translators and evaluates editorial and translation choices. We should beware of exaggerating the differences between these sixth-century philosophers, this review argues, while recognizing that there may be considerable distance between what they thought and what the surviving texts show.