Byzantine Philosophy

Since its publication in French in 1949 by the Presses Universitaires de France, Basil Tatakis’ Byzantine Philosophy remains the sole work of its kind, an analysis of the rise of Christianity in the East and the civilization that grew out of it at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Reviews:

“The translation of Tatakis’ 1949 book is a welcome contribution to the field as it offers a remarkable overview of Byzantine philosophy for specialists and students alike. . . . Moutafakis has performed a great service to the English-speaking academic world not only with his very readable translation of what is standard reading material in many universities in Europe but also with the useful list (at the end of the book) of contributions to the field made after the original French edition.”
     —Yannis Papadoyannakis, Religious Studies Review

“B.N. Tatakis’ La Philosophie Byzantine first appeared in 1949 and remains the standard book on the subject. It provides an illuminating introduction for the general reader, and is also consulted by specialists. The result of a close study of a vast amount of mostly unknown and often unedited texts, it covers the period from the sixth to the fifteenth century with great erudition. But its main achievement is that it presents Byzantine philosophy as an autonomous discipline—distinct from Christian theology—that deals with genuinely philosophical questions. This is the book which rightly claimed for Byzantine thought a place in the history of philosophy.”
     —Katerina Ierodiakonou, St. Hugh’s College, Oxford; National Technical University of Athens

“This book is one of a kind. Tatakis published it in French in 1949 and it had to wait until 2003 before an English edition appeared. The wait was worth it. This is the only book in English that covers the development of the history of philosophy and its intersection with Christianity during the entire course of the history of the Eastern Roman Empire from the fall of Rome and the Western Empire to its own fall in 1453 A.D.”
     —Thomas Riggins, Political Affairs

“We owe a debt of gratitude to Professor Moutafakis for his very readable translation of Basil Tatakis’ survey of Byzantine philosophy.”
     —Robert J. Penella, Fordham University

“Byzantine Philosophy remains valuable as the only book-length study of an important but still neglected aspect of Byzantine civilization.”
     —Warren Treadgold, Saint Louis University

About the Authors:

Basil Tatakis (1896-1996) was Professor of Philosophy at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, where he also served as Dean of the School of Philosophy.

Nicholas J. Moutafakis is Professor of Philosophy, Cleveland State University.