Symeon Metaphrastes

The 10th-century Greek hagiographer Simon Metaphrastes here receives comprehensive treatment by Hogel (no affiliation is given, though he tells us his research was funded by the U. of Bergen, Norway). The collection written by Metaphrastes of the lives of 148 Greek saints is described in detail, both in terms of its original purpose and style within the larger milieu of Byzantine court culture, and its later reception. There is a lengthy bibliography and list of Metaphrastic texts, but no index. Distributed in the US by ISBS. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR