Julie van Pelt

The Life of Makarios the Roman (BHG 1004–1005i) and the Alexander Romance: Truth, Fiction and the Paradoxographic

Introduction

The life of makarios the roman (bhg 1004–1005i) and the alexander romance: truth, fiction and the paradoxographic. Explore the interplay of truth & fiction in the Life of Makarios the Roman & Alexander Romance. This article analyzes early Byzantine paradoxography, wondrous travels, and Christian faith.

Abstract

Paradoxography and narratives of wondrous travels and adventure tread the borderline between truth and fiction. On the one hand, they lend importance to, for instance, eyewitness reports, while on the other, they portray distant, unknown and fantastic lands. This article discusses both aspects as they emerge in the Life of Makarios the Roman, a popular early Byzantine saint’s Life and ego-narration about the fantastical journey of three monks to the end of the world, where they meet saint Makarios. The trip leads them through pitch-dark forests and over dangerous cliffs, along lands inhabited by dog-headed people, centaurs, and other terrifying creatures. To make sense of the Life’s contradictory features, the article takes stock of the Life’s relation to the paradoxographic tradition and particularly to Ps-Callisthenes’ Alexander Romance, known for mixing truth and fiction. The latter relation serves as a stepping stone towards explaining the specific ways in which truth and fiction work together in the Life of Makarios, and for what purpose. The article argues that, in a typically paradoxographic fashion, the Life’s authenticating strategies and imaginative narrative elements are part of a coherent literary strategy to inspire wonderment. Yet, taking a Christian approach to the paradoxographic, the Life thus communicates the unfathomable and elusive aspects of the Christian faith and specifically sanctity.

Review

This article, "The Life of Makarios the Roman (BHG 1004–1005i) and the Alexander Romance: Truth, Fiction and the Paradoxographic," promises an insightful exploration into the complex interplay between verifiable truth and imaginative fiction within narratives of wondrous travel. Focusing on the popular early Byzantine saint's *Life of Makarios the Roman*, the paper positions this ego-narration, depicting a fantastical journey to the world's end populated by mythical creatures, as a prime example of paradoxography. The abstract effectively highlights the inherent tension in such narratives, which simultaneously claim authenticity through eyewitness accounts while portraying distant, unknown, and often incredible lands. To unravel the "Life's contradictory features," the article proposes a robust methodological framework, primarily by situating the text within the broader paradoxographic tradition. A crucial analytical lens employed is a detailed comparison with Ps-Callisthenes' *Alexander Romance*, a text renowned for its deliberate blend of historical fact and legendary invention. This comparative approach is presented as a "stepping stone" to elucidate the specific mechanisms through which truth and fiction converge within the *Life of Makarios*. The abstract tantalizingly mentions the narrative's vivid descriptions of "pitch-dark forests," "dangerous cliffs," and encounters with "dog-headed people, centaurs, and other terrifying creatures," suggesting a rich dataset for this comparative analysis. The central argument advanced by the article is that the *Life's* authenticating strategies, alongside its imaginative narrative elements, constitute a coherent literary strategy designed to inspire wonderment. Crucially, the paper argues that this is achieved through a distinctly Christian adaptation of paradoxographic principles. By harnessing the genre's capacity to describe the extraordinary and the seemingly impossible, the *Life* ultimately aims to communicate the "unfathomable and elusive aspects of the Christian faith and specifically sanctity." This thesis offers a compelling new perspective on understanding early Byzantine hagiography, positing that its engagement with fantastic elements is not merely embellishment but a purposeful theological and literary device to convey profound spiritual truths.

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