Spvria Aphthoniana: ensaio sobre o fabulário
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14409/argos.2025.53.e0077Keywords:
Aphthonius, fable, rhetoric, education, ByzantiumAbstract
This study analyzes a collection of forty Greek fables attributed to Aphthonius,
considering questions of authorship and intended purpose. It argues that these
may represent a pedagogical addition, compiled and adapted for inclusion among
the μῦθοιin the προγυμνάσματα of the rhetorician of Antioch. Though framed
as mere entertainment, these fables fulfill a significant didactic and social function
within the framework of higher Byzantine rhetorical education. Interpreted as
ethical instruments, they articulate the Hellenic and Roman legacies alongside the
moral imperatives of late Christian antiquity, reactivating a civilizational logic that
perpetuates the dichotomy between Hellenes and barbarians. Simultaneously,
they critique the vices of a society marked by inequality and institutional crisis,
offering an implicit commentary on the sociopolitical conditions of the late fourth
century. Through the adaptation of classical exempla to a shifting cultural
context, the study proposes that Aphthonius elaborates a program of paideia that
is both conservative and reformist, anticipating the normative discourses of
Byzantine tradition and asserting education as a pathway to ethical renewal and
social stability. This research presents, for the first time, a complete Portuguese
translation of these fables.
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