Emperor Julian, Paul of Tarsus, and the Octopus
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3477425 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Alessandro Capone (0000-0001-6584-9767, University of Salento, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 802 |
| Publication date | 2025-06-19 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Religions (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/rel16060802 |
| OpenAlex | W4411453334 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 10 |
The so-called "octopus norm" was originally described by Pindar and Theognis. It represented the way in which a poet could adapt to contingent circumstances without abdicating his own sensibility, grasping what might be appropriate to say or not to say in relation to a specific audience or context. This contribution considers two occurrences of this so-called norm in the works of the Emperor Julian, revealing a polemical use of the image of the octopus. This study primarily attempts to contextualize the two Julian passages, highlighting their sources, and to clarify the polemical value of his use of the "octopus norm", which is very different from the virtuous manner suggested by the archaic poets
Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Emperor · Epistemology · Literature · Physics · Sensibility · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Classical Antiquity Studies · Computer Science · Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies · History · Philosophy
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |