Galen's Commentary on the Hippocratic Aphorisms

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Markus Asper; Professor Dr. Philip van der Eijk; Privatdozent Dr. Oliver Overwien
• Subject Area: Greek and Latin Philology
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 521203885

This project is devoted to Galen’s commentary on the Hippocratic Aphorisms. This is one of Galen's most important commentaries, and it exercised enormous influence on later readings of the Aphorisms, which are one of the best known of all the writings attributed to Hippocrates and which were very popular in later times, especially also in Islamic medicine. The project’s principal aims are (1) to provide the first ever critical edition, translation and interpretation of the Greek and the Arabic versions of books I-IV of this voluminous work, based on extensive examination of the manuscript tradition, and (2) to provide detailed study of Galen’s methods and practices as a commentator both in this work and in his other commentaries within a wider comparative perspective, which not only considers Galen’s place in the historical context of ancient commentary literature but also its implications for reflection on global practices of commentary writing in textual scholarship past, present and future. The novelty of the project lies (a) in the fact that for this work, no critical edition and no translation or commentary in any modern language exist. (b) Methodologically, the constitution of the Greek text will take place in regular dialogue with research on the Arabic translation, which will be taken into account systematically and as a textual witness in its own right and on an equal footing (rather than on an ad hoc basis subservient to the Greek). The Arabic version itself will be critically edited as well and presented synoptically alongside the Greek, both in hard copy and in a digital and electronically searchable format. Thus, the project ties in with the most recent developments in Graeco-Arabic studies and with the growing realization of the need for teamwork between classicists and orientalists. (c) The project will break new ground in the study of Galen’s practices as a commentator in approaching Galen’s commentaries not so much from the viewpoint of his Hippocratism, but with a focus on the formal, literary, argumentative and strategic aspects of his use of the commentary genre; in doing so, it will adopt a comparative perspective involving similar uses of the commentary format in other areas of ancient scholarship, such as philosophical, theological, literary and legal commentary. Since Galen’s commentaries constitute one of the largest and earliest surviving bodies of commentary literature by a single author in the ancient world, the project will thus also contribute significantly to a 'poetics of commentary' both in Graeco-Roman times and more generally. (d) The project will make use of, and contribute to, the most recent technology and experience in the production of digital multilingual editions of classical texts and in 'smart' annotation of genre features in sizeable digital text corpora.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Italy, Japan, United Kingdom
• Cooperation Partners: Dr. Giulia Ecca; Professorin Dr. Daniela Manetti; Professor Dr. Taro Mimura; Professor Dr. Peter Pormann; Professorin Dr. Amneris Roselli; Dr. Christina Savino, Ph.D.