Emperor Julian, Paul of Tarsus, and the Octopus
The so-called “octopus norm” was originally described by Pindar and Theognis. It represented the way in which a poet could adapt to contingent circumstances without abdicating his own sensibility, grasping what might be appropriate to say or not to say in relation to a specific audience or context....
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| author | Alessandro Capone |
| author_facet | Alessandro Capone |
| author_sort | Alessandro Capone |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The so-called “octopus norm” was originally described by Pindar and Theognis. It represented the way in which a poet could adapt to contingent circumstances without abdicating his own sensibility, grasping what might be appropriate to say or not to say in relation to a specific audience or context. This contribution considers two occurrences of this so-called norm in the works of the Emperor Julian, revealing a polemical use of the image of the octopus. This study primarily attempts to contextualize the two Julian passages, highlighting their sources, and to clarify the polemical value of his use of the “octopus norm”, which is very different from the virtuous manner suggested by the archaic poets. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-64b5f65bcdb946fbaef41dd01853cacc |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj-art-64b5f65bcdb946fbaef41dd01853cacc2025-08-20T02:21:47ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442025-06-0116680210.3390/rel16060802Emperor Julian, Paul of Tarsus, and the OctopusAlessandro Capone0Department of Humanities, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, ItalyThe so-called “octopus norm” was originally described by Pindar and Theognis. It represented the way in which a poet could adapt to contingent circumstances without abdicating his own sensibility, grasping what might be appropriate to say or not to say in relation to a specific audience or context. This contribution considers two occurrences of this so-called norm in the works of the Emperor Julian, revealing a polemical use of the image of the octopus. This study primarily attempts to contextualize the two Julian passages, highlighting their sources, and to clarify the polemical value of his use of the “octopus norm”, which is very different from the virtuous manner suggested by the archaic poets.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/6/802octopus normPindarTheognisEmperor JulianPaul of Tarsuspolemic |
| spellingShingle | Alessandro Capone Emperor Julian, Paul of Tarsus, and the Octopus Religions octopus norm Pindar Theognis Emperor Julian Paul of Tarsus polemic |
| title | Emperor Julian, Paul of Tarsus, and the Octopus |
| title_full | Emperor Julian, Paul of Tarsus, and the Octopus |
| title_fullStr | Emperor Julian, Paul of Tarsus, and the Octopus |
| title_full_unstemmed | Emperor Julian, Paul of Tarsus, and the Octopus |
| title_short | Emperor Julian, Paul of Tarsus, and the Octopus |
| title_sort | emperor julian paul of tarsus and the octopus |
| topic | octopus norm Pindar Theognis Emperor Julian Paul of Tarsus polemic |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/6/802 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT alessandrocapone emperorjulianpauloftarsusandtheoctopus |