- Paperback: 456 pages
- Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (19 Nov 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0521047390
- ISBN-13: 978-0521047395
- Product Dimensions: 1.5 x 2.3 x 0.3 cm
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
55,825 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #19 in Books > Mind, Body & Spirit > Mythology > Antiquities
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Review
'Gabór Betegh has done a brilliant job. His book provides his readers with a Greek text and an intelligent translation that does not hesitate to go its own way … Thanks to Betegh's careful and thorough book, an important text has finally become much more accessible …' Times Literary Supplement
'This is the first book-length study of this text since 1997… Betegh has made a major contribution to understanding both the thought of the Derveni author and the Orphic poem.' Bryn Mawr Classical Review
'This is a remarkable book … the debate Betegh's book stimulates as well as the answers he has given will inevitably lead to greater understanding of this puzzling text.' Rhizai
'The Derveni Papyrus is a rich text and … there is no doubt that it will continue to prove controversial and hard to understand. But Betegh has given us a commentary that matches the text's richness.' The Heythrop Journal
'… his work contributes greatly to unravelling its difficulties.' Common Knowledge
'This is the first book-length study of this text since 1997… Betegh has made a major contribution to understanding both the thought of the Derveni author and the Orphic poem.' Bryn Mawr Classical Review
'This is a remarkable book … the debate Betegh's book stimulates as well as the answers he has given will inevitably lead to greater understanding of this puzzling text.' Rhizai
'The Derveni Papyrus is a rich text and … there is no doubt that it will continue to prove controversial and hard to understand. But Betegh has given us a commentary that matches the text's richness.' The Heythrop Journal
'… his work contributes greatly to unravelling its difficulties.' Common Knowledge
Product Description
This is a comprehensive study of the Derveni Papyrus. The papyrus, found in 1962 near Thessaloniki, is not only one of the oldest surviving Greek papyri but is also considered by scholars as a document of primary importance for a better understanding of the religious and philosophical developments in the fifth and fourth centuries BC. Gábor Betegh aims to reconstruct and systematically analyse the different strata of the text and their interrelation by exploring the archaeological context; the interpretation of rituals in the first columns of the text; the Orphic poem commented on by the author of the papyrus; and the cosmological and theological doctrines which emerge from the Derveni author's exegesis of the poem. Betegh discusses the place of the text in the context of late Presocratic philosophy and offers an important preliminary edition of the text of the papyrus with critical apparatus and English translation.
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1 review
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Filling in the Void
13 Mar 2009
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Betegh has delivered what anyone with interest in the Derveni Papyrus has been in anticipation for: a workable translation and a scholarly in depth explication of the text. Of course everyone is still hoping that, in Betegh's own words, 'Prof. Tsantsanoglou's long-awaited edition becomes available'.
I quit holding my breath for that to happen. Let's face it, Laks and Most's 'Studies on the Derveni Papyrus' only serves to wet one's appetite and Tsantsanoglou has failed to come thru. This is not to say that Betegh's book is just a placation. It is what was needed in light of Tsantsanoglou's disappointment for us all.
Betegh analyzes the text from every angle. He discusses the Orphicism in the papyrus, delves into its relevance to and use of Presocratic philosophy, and more. He places the text in the historical context of Grecian thought in a detailed and analytic way. His scholarship is sound and while he makes certain conclusions from his reading of the text they are all thought thru very carefully and backed up with thorough arguments.
As it stands this is the definitive book on the papyrus that can be had. I'm not so sure that Tsantsanoglou could have anything fresh or illuminating to say about the text in contrast to Betegh's treatment of the papyrus, besides his translation. While Tsantsanoglou's translation could have some implications on what issues are of greater relevance to the text, I just don't think that his publication will be able to overshadow the work that Betegh has laid down as foundational for any future scholarship on the papyrus. Everyone will reference Betegh for his interpretation and analysis of the text; and I have the feeling that Tsantsanoglou will be referenced for his translation solely. (That is if he ever publishes the translation or someone wrests it from his dominating possession and publishing rights. And, I say this despite his contribution to the Laks and Most edition.)
This book is important not only for the tentative and workable translation that Betegh gives, but is of important use for studies in Presocratic philosophy, the grecian mystery religions, and the argument for allegorist interpretations of myth (I found this book to complement Peter Struck's thesis in his book, Birth of the Symbol: Ancient Readers at the Limits of Their Texts). It is essential for the library of those who indulge in religious studies, philosophy, classics, myth, and ancient literature. You need this book, I know I did. It did not disappoint!
I quit holding my breath for that to happen. Let's face it, Laks and Most's 'Studies on the Derveni Papyrus' only serves to wet one's appetite and Tsantsanoglou has failed to come thru. This is not to say that Betegh's book is just a placation. It is what was needed in light of Tsantsanoglou's disappointment for us all.
Betegh analyzes the text from every angle. He discusses the Orphicism in the papyrus, delves into its relevance to and use of Presocratic philosophy, and more. He places the text in the historical context of Grecian thought in a detailed and analytic way. His scholarship is sound and while he makes certain conclusions from his reading of the text they are all thought thru very carefully and backed up with thorough arguments.
As it stands this is the definitive book on the papyrus that can be had. I'm not so sure that Tsantsanoglou could have anything fresh or illuminating to say about the text in contrast to Betegh's treatment of the papyrus, besides his translation. While Tsantsanoglou's translation could have some implications on what issues are of greater relevance to the text, I just don't think that his publication will be able to overshadow the work that Betegh has laid down as foundational for any future scholarship on the papyrus. Everyone will reference Betegh for his interpretation and analysis of the text; and I have the feeling that Tsantsanoglou will be referenced for his translation solely. (That is if he ever publishes the translation or someone wrests it from his dominating possession and publishing rights. And, I say this despite his contribution to the Laks and Most edition.)
This book is important not only for the tentative and workable translation that Betegh gives, but is of important use for studies in Presocratic philosophy, the grecian mystery religions, and the argument for allegorist interpretations of myth (I found this book to complement Peter Struck's thesis in his book, Birth of the Symbol: Ancient Readers at the Limits of Their Texts). It is essential for the library of those who indulge in religious studies, philosophy, classics, myth, and ancient literature. You need this book, I know I did. It did not disappoint!
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