The Pythagorean Golden Verses

This book is a commentary on the Pythagorean Golden Verses, a neglected, but once very popular poem of the Hellenistic period. The goal of the poem is to introduce its readers to the basic moral, religious and philosophical doctrines of the Pythagorean sect and to guide them to spiritual maturity.
The first part of the book treats still unresolved introductory matters such as the date, authorship, genre, composition, and the historical locus of the poem. This is followed by a text with translation on facing pages, and a detailed commentary containing a wealth of comparative material from the Greco-Roman period, including early Christianity and Judaism.
Particularly valuable are the extensive discussions of the moral topoi and religious themes encountered in the poem.

Johan C. Thom, Ph.D. (1990) in New Testament and Early Christianity, University of Chicago, is Senior Lecturer in Greek at the University of Stellenbosch. He has published several articles on Pythagoreanism in the Greco-Roman period.

'This model work will be of great value to all students of greco-roman religions.'
Birger A. Pearson, Religious Studies Review, 1995.
'This is an admirable book.'
P.W. van der Horst, Mnemosyne, 1996.