On Melancholy
by Rufus of Ephesus and contributor Philip J. van der Eijk, Vivian Nutton, Thomas Rutten and Peter-Klaus Schuster
Paperback (Out of print)
(November 2008)
ISBN: 9783161497599
Price: $37.00
On back order
Rufus of Ephesus’ treatise On Melancholy represents perhaps the most influential medical monograph from the late first century AD, since his notion of melancholy links two diverse aspects: black bile as a cause for madness and depression and as a sign of intellectual genius. Rufus combines concepts of melancholy developed in the Aristotelian philosophy with concepts of famous physicians such as Hippocrates and Diocles. His ideas strongly influenced subsequent generations of physicians, and especially Galen, and dominated discourses on the topic during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Moreover, the reception of Rufus’ concepts was not limited to the Western world; in medieval Muslim culture, in particular, his work enjoyed great fame and favor, and many intellectuals read it eagerly.In this volume, the Greek, Latin and Arabic fragments of this work, lost in the original, have been collected for the first time. Arabic sources in particular yield hitherto unknown fragments, thus allowing for new interpretations of this work. The English introduction, translation and commentary reconstruct the main arguments of this important treatise, enabling the interested scholar to obtain easy access to it. Leading scholars contributed interpretative essays which investigate Rufus and his ideas about melancholy in antiquity, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the early modern period from different vantage points, including history, philosophy, literature, art history and psychiatry.
Rufus of Ephesus’ treatise On Melancholy represents perhaps the most influential medical monograph from the late first century AD, since his notion of melancholy links two diverse aspects: black bile as a cause for madness and depression and as a sign of intellectual genius. Rufus combines concepts of melancholy developed in the Aristotelian philosophy with concepts of famous physicians such as Hippocrates and Diocles. His ideas strongly influenced subsequent generations of physicians, and especially Galen, and dominated discourses on the topic during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Moreover, the reception of Rufus’ concepts was not limited to the Western world; in medieval Muslim culture, in particular, his work enjoyed great fame and favor, and many intellectuals read it eagerly.In this volume, the Greek, Latin and Arabic fragments of this work, lost in the original, have been collected for the first time. Arabic sources in particular yield hitherto unknown fragments, thus allowing for new interpretations of this work. The English introduction, translation and commentary reconstruct the main arguments of this important treatise, enabling the interested scholar to obtain easy access to it. Leading scholars contributed interpretative essays which investigate Rufus and his ideas about melancholy in antiquity, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the early modern period from different vantage points, including history, philosophy, literature, art history and psychiatry.
Simon Swain: Social Stress and Political Pressure: Rufus' Melancholy Patients and Their Time - Vivian Nutton: The Medical World of Rufus of Ephesus - Philip van der Eijk: Rufus' On Melancholy and Its Philosophical Background - Peter E. Pormann: Melancholy in the Medieval World: the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Traditions - Peter-Klaus Schuster, Jorg Vollnagel: Durer and Rufus: Melencolia I in the Medical Tradition - Peter Toohey: Rufus of Ephesus and the Tradition of the Melancholy Thinker - Thomas Rutten: Rufus' Legacy in the Psychopathological Literature of the (Early) Modern Period
- By (author) Rufus of Ephesus
- Contributions by Philip J van der Eijk
- Contributions by Vivian Nutton
- Contributions by Thomas Rutten
- Contributions by Peter-Klaus Schuster
Other Titles in this Series
Burger-Ethos, politisches Engagement und die Bewahrung des Status Quo
Plutarch, Politische Ratschlage
Volume 35
SAPERE-Paket, Bande XXII-XXVI
Band XXII: Was ist wahre Freiheit? - Band XXIII: Cosmic Order and Divine Power - Band XXIV: On Prophecy, Dreams and Human Imagination - Band XXV: Pyrrhonian Skepticism in Diogenes Laertius - Band XXVI: Die Sextusspruche und ihre Verwandten
SAPERE-Paket, Bande XVII-XXI
Band XVII: Polis - Freundschaft - Jenseitsstrafen. Band XVIII: Fur Religionsfreiheit, Recht und Toleranz. Band XIX: Armut - Arbeit - Menschenwurde. Band XX: Uber den Tod. Band XXI: Agyptische Erzahlungen oder Uber die Vorsehung
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