Libanius, a defender of pagan beliefs in an aggressive Christian empire, was a friend of Emperor Julian and an acquaintance of Saint Basil. As a philosopher and skilled orator, he offers valuable testimonies to the turbulent world of the 4th century. Born in Antioch to a wealthy family immersed in the culture and religious traditions of the Greco-Roman civilization, Libanius became known as a teacher of the classics during a time of rapid social change.
His letters, about 1550 remain, provide an impressive self-portrait of this combative pagan journalist, as well as a vivid picture of the culture and political intrigues of the eastern empire. A. F. Norman has selected one-eighth of the existing letters, which come from two periods of Libanius's life, 355-365 AD and 388-393 AD, letters addressed to Julian, clerics, political officials, scholars, and many of his influential friends.
The letters are accompanied, in this two-volume edition, by Libanius's Autobiography (Oration 1), a revealing narrative that begins as the account of a scholar and ends as a personal diary of an elderly man. The two-volume edition of Libanius's Orations is also available in the Loeb Classical Library.
