The present paper investigates, using the indexing facilities of the TLG, the genuineness of the little fragment titled Testamentum ad cives attributed to Epiphanios of Salamis. With the help of the TLG, words and expressions occurring in the testamentum are compared to the contents of other works written by or attributed to Epiphanios. The conclusion is that this particular text does not seem be a product of the pen of Epiphanius. On the basis of the testimony of John of Damaskos, (...) it is tentatively suggested that the testamentum is a forgery of the early Iconoclasm. (shrink)

Byzantine authors frequently used the well-known topos of modesty in the opening lines of their literary works. This common introduction, usually served two purposes: The authors expressed a genuine, or, perhaps, feigned concern about their ability to deal adequately with their subject both in terms of form and substance, and they preemptively tried to thwart any possible criticism on the part of the audience for any shortcomings in their work by beginning with this sort of captatio benevolentiae. Typical examples of (...) this topos are not only numerous among hagiographers throughout the Byzantine millennium, but even in such writers as Theophanes Confessor, as one can see from the preamble to his Chronography. It is only after the 11th century that “we sometimes encounter the author's frank appraisal of his talent, for example in Psellos and Tzetzes.” As early an author as John of Damascus, however, also displayed his self-appreciation for his talent and this will be the subject of this short article. Here, I shall examine John of Damascus' own personal stance to the topos of modesty/humility and, in one particular case, his rather interesting variation on it. (shrink)