A Bilingual Seminar on Synesius’ of Cyrene Treatise “On Dreams”
Free Seminar in Latin and Ancient Greek, Saturday 9 May, 2026, h. 18:00 – 19:30 CEST
(18:00-18:45 Latin; 18.45-19:30 Ancient Greek)
Synesius, a disciple of the Neoplatonist Hypatia, who later became a Christian and Bishop of Cyrene, used to keep a nighttime journal – ἐπινυκτίς – in which he recorded his dreams. For him, they were a glimpse into the veil of the future and a guide on man’s journey towards divinity. He disdained the charlatanism of professional interpreters and the schematism of manuals. He considered narrating dreams the best writing exercise, one that implies and refines the ability to describe the miraculous, the invisible, and to penetrate with reason images where ordinary logical links are bypassed and reshaped.
From his reflections on these themes, Περὶ ἐνυπνίων was born, a treatise vibrant with intelligence and mystical tension, destined to mark some of the highest moments of Western oneirocriticism, from Girolamo Cardano to Carl Gustav Jung.
In this bilingual webinar, we’ll present significant passages from Περὶ ἐνυπνίων. We’ll start with Marsilio Ficino’s Latin translation, discussing Synesius’ influence in modern and contemporary times (45 minutes). Then, in Ancient Greek, we’ll dive into the original text, exploring its style and references to Neoplatonic and Aristotelian systems.
