{"product_id":"lucian-peter-thonemann-9780198868248","title":"Lucian: Alexander or the False Prophet","description":"Lucian's \u003cem\u003eAlexander Or The False Prophet\u003c\/em\u003e is a satiric biography of the religious entrepreneur and career fraudster Alexander of Abonouteichos. It recounts how, during the reign of Antoninus Pius (AD 138-161), Alexander succeeded in setting up a fraudulent new oracular cult of the snake-god Glykon in his home-town of Abonouteichos in Paphlagonia. In the \u003cem\u003eAlexander\u003c\/em\u003e, Lucian sets out to debunk the oracle as a scam, its founder as a debauched crook, and its clients as gullible idiots. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe \u003cem\u003eAlexander\u003c\/em\u003e is an extraordinary and unclassifiable work: part biography, part invective, part Epicurean critique of divination. It casts a uniquely vivid light on social mores and religious beliefs in the Antonine age, and was a major influence on Erasmus, Ben Jonson, and Henry Fielding. The present volume is the first full-length treatment of the \u003cem\u003eAlexander\u003c\/em\u003e in English, and includes an extended historical and literary introduction, a new English translation, and a detailed commentary on the text. The volume also includes a translation of the surviving fragments of Oinomaos of Gadara's \u003cem\u003eThe Exposure of Sorcerers\u003c\/em\u003e, a contemporary Cynic attack on oracular divination. All Greek is translated throughout.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Peter Thonemann\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0198868243\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780198868248\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Oxford University Press (UK)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/14\/2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 252\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.00lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.90h x 5.70w x 0.90d","brand":"Peter Thonemann","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46571153064191,"sku":"9780198868248","price":135.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_f21c5c45-d431-497a-998c-acea5abf17cb.jpg?v=1738807388","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/lucian-peter-thonemann-9780198868248","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}