Chapter 1, 2 of the Noctes Atticae reports how the orator and politician Herodes Atticus silences a boastful young Stoic by citing a diatribe of Epictetus. The article shows that Gellius – unlike his own assertion – does not describe a real experience. Instead he dramatizes the text, which is the origin of the citation. Comparing both texts one finds details of the scenery described, the characterizations of the protagonists as well as the themes discussed quite similar in both the (...) non-cited parts of Epictetus and the text of Gellius. Particularly interesting in that respect is how Gellius takes up citing and its various aspects as it can be found in his model. Epictetus deals with this theme in a critical way, because in his opinion citations of authorities say nothing about the philosophical qualities of the person who uses them. While Gellius' praxis of citation is formally modelled very closely on Epictetus' speech, regarding the content he by no means rejects the use of philosophical citations as weapon to beat an opponent in discussion. (shrink)

Petrus Martyr d'Anghiera dealt twice with the ethical discussions concerning the Spanish colonization in America around 1524. A straight reading shows how this sensitive topic was presented with caution and literary skill, thereby mitigating the charge of opportunism that several authors have made.

The article deals with problems connected with the interpretation of fragments transmitted as quotations. An introduction about the types of context and the levels of contextualization specified in communication theory is followed by an analysis of two verses of Ennius quoted by Cicero, and their treatment in our critical editions. It will be asked, in which ways readers reconstruct the meaning of the de-contextualized utterance, and which kinds of „context“ they use as arguments. The investigation will show the impact of (...) their decisions on the supposed meaning of the quoted fragment as well as on the assessment of Cicero as the quoting author. (shrink)