This work brings together Philip van der Eijk''s previously published essays on the close connections that existed between medicine and philosophy throughout antiquity. Medical authors such as the Hippocratic writers, Diocles, Galen, Soranus and Caelius Aurelianus elaborated on philosophical methods such as causal explanation, definition and division and applied key concepts such as the notion of nature to their understanding of the human body. Similarly, philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle were highly valued for their contributions to medicine. This interaction was particularly striking in the study of the human soul in its relation to the body, as illustrated by approaches to specific topics such as intellect, sleep and dreams, and diet and drugs. With a detailed introduction surveying the subject as a whole and an essay on Aristotle''s treatment of sleep, this wide-ranging and accessible collection is essential reading for the student of ancient philosophy and science.
This volume examines 1 Corinthians 1-4 within first-century politics, demonstrating the significance of Corinth''s constitution to the interpretation of Paul''s letter. Bradley J. Bitner shows that Paul carefully considered the Roman colonial context of Corinth, which underlay numerous ecclesial conflicts. Roman politics, however, cannot account for the entire shape of Paul''s response. Bridging the Hellenism-Judaism divide that has characterised much of Pauline scholarship, Bitner argues that Paul also appropriated Jewish-biblical notions of covenant. Epigraphical and papyrological evidence indicates that his chosen content and manner are best understood with reference to an ecclesial politeia informed by a distinctively Christ-centred political theology. This emerges as a ''politics of thanksgiving'' in 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 and as a ''politics of construction'' in 3:5-4:5, where Paul redirects gratitude and glory to God in Christ. This innovative account of Paul''s political theology offers fresh insight into his pastoral strategy among nascent Gentile-Jewish assemblies.
