Dialogue between the Emperor Hadrian and Epictetus the Philosopher Cover Image

Polemika medzi cisárom Hadriánom a filozofom Epiktétom
Dialogue between the Emperor Hadrian and Epictetus the Philosopher

Author(s): Peter Fraňo
Subject(s): History, Philosophy, Cultural history, Diplomatic history
Published by: VERBUM - vydavateľstvo Katolíckej univerzity v Ružomberku
Keywords: Hadrian; Epictetus; Philosophical Dialogue; Stoicism; Roman Philosophy

Summary/Abstract: The work, Dialogue between the Emperor Hadrian and Epictetus the Philosopher, is a fictional dialogue consisting of seventy-three questions and answers, probably written in the 2nd or 3rd century AD. It features the Roman emperor Hadrian as the questioning pupil and the Stoic philosopher Epictetus as the responding teacher. Most of the questions can be divided into two main categories. The smaller part is written in the form of riddles. The others are definitions. The questions deal with a variety of topics: things to do with death (e.g. gravedigger, funeral pyre), definitions of variousmetals (gold, silver, iron), useful things (e.g. letter, picture, sword), relationships and emotional terms (e.g. friendship, hope, love), celestial objects (sun, moon, sky, stars, earth), and realities related to seafaring (sea, ship, sailor), nightlife (sleep, night, pillow) or religion (god, sacrifice). This work was particularly influential in the development of medieval dialogue. The most famous adaptation is the Enfant Sage, which originated in the 13th century somewhere in the region of Provence.

  • Issue Year: 15/2024
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 87-100
  • Page Count: 14
  • Language: Slovak