Nec converti ut interpres: New Approaches to Cicero’s Translation of Greek Philosophy

Pythagoreanising Tendencies in Cicero’s Translation of the Timaeus

By Georgina Frances White

Scholarly approaches to Cicero’s translation technique in his Timaeus have often focused on perceived inadequacies, either in the Latin language’s ability to articulate complex philosophical thought (Poncelet, 1957), or in Cicero’s grasp of his Platonic subject matter (Levy, 2003). Some works have challenged this perception, showing how Cicero’s adaptation of Platonic syntax and vocabulary work to produce a new text that exhibits Cicero’s elegant, Latin prose style (Lambardi, 1982).

Cicero’s Platonic Methodology

By Christina Maria Hoenig

Cicero’s partial translation of Plato’s Timaeus poses somewhat of a conundrum. The author makes no mention of this translation in the preface to his De Divinatione II, where he provides a catalogue of his philosophical writings, and it appears that it was not included among his publications. Aside from Cicero’s intention, voiced in his treatise De Finibus, to produce a literal translation of Greek philosophy, what might have attracted his interest in this Platonic dialogue?

Epistolary Reflections on Philosophical Translation

By Sean McConnell

Despite a considerable amount of scholarly interest in Cicero’s direct translation of Greek philosophical terms into Latin (e.g., Liscu 1930, 1937; Jones 1959; Powell 1995; Glucker 1995; Dyck 1996: 484-8), relatively little attention has been given to how his translation choices affect his own philosophical argumentation.