Thales von Milet in der frühen christlichen Literatur

thales of Miletus (7th-6th centuries BC) is regarded as one of the most important figures in Greek philosophy and science. In spite of this we know few anecdotes about his life, and none of his work has survived directly. This was one of the main reasons behind Andreas Schwab’s work, who for the first time commented on more than one hundred passages in early Christian authors on Thales’ life and works. These are documented in a new collection of testimonies on Thales (Traditio Presocratica vol 1, 2009). Particular attention is paid to the topics of literary discourse and the argumentative contexts within which reference is made to Thales. The commentary is not intended as a reconstruction of Thales’ life and teaching, rather the portrayals of his figure and ideas, as well as their function in later periods are analyzed and commented on with reference to the Christian texts. The Latin texts range from Tertullian to Augustine and Isidore of Seville, the Greek texts from the first apologists to Eusebius of Caesarea and the Chronicle of John Malalas. The interdisciplinary nature of this innovative, diachronous history of Thales’ “image” furthers both research into early Greek philosophy, as well as a deeper understanding of early Christian philosophy and theology.