Michael Psellus’ Allegories II (A Translation and Notes)

The publication presents a commented Russian translation of Michael Psellus’ two minor works written in the genre of allegory, meaning a philosophical interpretation of characters and plots from Ancient Greek mythology and literature, primarily Homeric. The method of allegorical philosophico-philological commentary was first fully elaborated by adherents of Stoa (from Zeno to Cornutus), was later expansively exploited by Platonists (Plutarchus), Alexandrian scholars, Fathers of the Church among them, and subsequently by Neoplatonists (Porphyry of Tyre should be mentioned here in particular). This means that Psellus is guided by an ancient tradition and in his turn transfers it on to the next generations of Byzantine scholars (John Tzetzes, Eustathius of Thessalonica). Other considerations aside, the undoubted service rendered to us by all these commentators inclined to allegorical interpretations is the enormous volume of information on Ancient Greek mythology we have at our disposal nowadays. In both allegories presented here — on the “assembly of gods”, and on the “golden chain” in Homerus (Il. 4.1–4 и 8.18–27) — one may find a problematization of allegory as such, an original juxtapposition of the two ways to “express things differently”, the “Hellenic” (i.e. pagan) and Christian interpretations. The first critical edition of the two allegories had been published by K. Sathas (Sathas 1875: 211–219). The present translation is based on the currently authoritative edition of Psellus’ minor works by J.M. Duffy (Duffy 1992: 148–152 and 164–168).