Apuleius of Madaura, - pagan Latin writer, rhetorician +
philosopher. b. in Algeria with 124, date + place of death?
after 170. He was a Typical representative of the Latin
2nd Sophistic. his most famous work is the rambling
novel called the Metamorphoses in the Golden Ass. (forms 11 books)
It relates the adventures of a certian Lucius who was
turned into an ass by magic. Its full description of the
mysteries of Isis + Osiris may be based on Apuleius's
own initiation into this religion. At any rate it is important
as a source for the ancient mystery religions. Among
many tales found in the work is the beautiful little
story of Cupid + Psyche. (5+6th)
St. Augustine used Apuleius as a source on demons in
De Ciritate Dei (Bke 8-9)
*"fount cut in imitation of the 2nd Milanese type in its earliest
state, the body is reduced to 2 line brevier + tere are no
accents, the E is always used upside down.
-The commentary by F. Buroaldo (1453-1505), the
leading humanist at Bologna, was the earliest printed +
appears here for the first time.
- one of the most famous books of antiquity.
- the opening page of the commentary includes a discussion
of papyrus + paper, became the papyrus of Egypt
is mentioned at the beginning of the text.
Asinus - symbol of the absurd or of the tenacity of sin. It functions
in Christology to expose the absurdity + Untenaability of the
assumptus Christology. In theologic anthropogy the ass
refers to the Old Adam or the lower instincts in the viator.
-The most famous + most beautiful passage of the books the tale
of Cupid + Psyche, certainly one of the most haunting + influential feiry
tales in laterature, in which has been seen an allegory of the
soul in relation to love.
EN