Author Description

Kosmas Indikopleustes (6th c.) was a merchant from Alexandria. He travelled nearly around the whole ancient world. Whether or not he came to India is still disputed. In the Christian topography he explains the structure of the world according to the literal interpretation of the Bible. He learned to read and understand the Bible by his Nestorian teacher Mar Aba, Katholikos of the eastern church, who was teaching the principles of the so-called Antioch school of exegesis. This work analyzes the structure and transmission of the whole text constantly referring to the manuscripts and gives for the first time a complete German translation with notes which serves to document the theses discussed. The so-called paragraphai which occur in the text are scholia and not narrative digressions. A new history of the transmission of the several editions which Kosmas produced of the Christian topography is given. German text.