This volume compiles seven hagiographies of less-well known male saints in Greece from the ninth and the tenth centuries CE, and prints the Greek texts with facing English translations. This work falls under the overall publishing purpose of the Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library which aims to offer “the classics of the medieval canon as well as lesser-known gems of literary and cultural value to a global audience through accessible modern translations based on the latest research by leading scholars in the field.” The present volume achieves more than satisfactorily the standards set by the series in terms of the selection of the translated texts, the quality of the translations, and the editorial work of Professors Anthony Kaldellis and Ioannis Polemis.
Overall, this volume offers an essential selection of texts. Kaldellis and Polemis need to be commended not only for their enterprise to put them together and provide information on their importance and topics that emerge through these compositions and the intertextual sources that seem to be present in these works, but also for their translation from Medieval Greek given their various styles. This volume will be valuable to those interested in hagiographical texts from the Middle Byzantine period in Greece, students of Medieval Greek, and individuals interested in the lives of saints in Greece, particularly the broader area of the medieval Peloponnese.
Michail Kitsos
The Medieval Review
