We invite you to read about the project's workshop Galen as a Commentator, a major publication planned by project members and the latest activities of the editorial team including a first digital edition.
We would like to remind you of our presence on several Social Media platforms. You can find us now on Bluesky, Mastodon, and Instagram, where we share updates and information related to our work.
Furthermore we present a new Aphorism of the Month: Take a look at our Aphorism Archive to browse the full collection!
The next issue of this newsletter will be published on 1 February in the new year.
Finally, we wish to all our readers around the world happy, joyful, and — hopefully — restful festive days, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
With warm regards,
The entire project team
Report on the Workshop Galen as a Commentator
The project’s first major international workshop, Galen as a Commentator, was hosted at the HU from 20 to 22 November. The event featured eight presentations by scholars specialising in Galen and in the history of commentary practice in the Graeco-Roman world, including invited speakers from France, Italy, the Czech Republic, and the UK, alongside members of the project. The workshop was a productive exchange of the latest research findings and perspectives on Galen’s methodology and practice as a commentator, as well as on the status quaestionis concerning numerous key texts. It opened avenues for future collaboration and further dialogue. The event was also well attended and generated considerable interest beyond the immediate fields of Galenic and commentary studies.
Link: www.klassphil.hu-berlin.de/en/aphorisms/activities/events/galen-commentator
Book Presentation
A major planned publication of the project was presented during the workshop. Sean Coughlin and Peter N. Singer are preparing a sourcebook Galen as Hippocratic Commentator, which will collect and introduce key passages from Galen’s works. The volume will illuminate his theory and methodology of commentary, his practical engagement with texts, the relationship between his approach and earlier traditions of Hippocratic exegesis, and its place within broader cultures of philosophical and medical commentary. It will also examine the role of commentary in ancient medical education and practice. The book is designed to provide scholars and students with an accessible introduction and analytical overview of a vital chapter in Graeco-Roman intellectual and medical history.
Workshop Participation
Markus Asper and Peter N. Singer presented papers at the international workshop Categorizing Knowledge and Knowledge Reference in Galen: Perspectives from Different Fields, hosted by HU's Historical Linguistics at the Department of German Studies and Linguistics (9 to 10 October 2025). Their papers explored Galen’s epistemological stance and knowledge claims in relation to modern linguistic categories such as evidentiality and stance-taking, contributing to an interdisciplinary discussion that may lead to new research directions and collaboration on the linguistic analysis of Galen’s corpus.
Link: https://sfb1412.hu-berlin.de/event/categorizing-knowledge-and-knowledge-reference-in-galen-perspectives-from-different-fields/
News from the Editorial Team
Over recent months, Sara von Seggern and Raphaela Veit have prepared a sample edition of Galen's Commentary on Aphorisms IV.1—3, which includes not only the Greek and Arabic texts but also their translations, among them Burgundio of Pisa’s Latin version. These materials are currently being processed by Slavomír Čéplö and have been made available as a provisional digital edition on goha.bbaw.de Suggestions and feedback on the layout — as well as corrections to the content — are warmly welcomed.
Readers of the Greek text will note that we have been able to expand the textual base. After months of examining numerous manuscripts, Gregor Vetterlein has identified a new independent codex: Hagion Oros, Mone Megistes Lauras, Ω 70. Its siglum in the edition is Ath. An article presenting this exciting discovery is already in preparation and will provide further details for interested readers.
And readers of the Arabic text will note that, thanks to our colleague Hamed Arezaei (Tehran), we also have been able to expand the textual base. Ms. Mašhad, Kitābḫāna-yi markazī-yi Āstān-i Quds-i Raḍawī, 26293 (siglum MA) is a previously unknown copy of Galen's Commentary on the Hippocratic Aphorisms. Initial findings by Raphaela Veit lead to the assessment that this manuscript must be considered as an independent textual witness. More details will be given in the next newsletter!
Over the coming year, we will also release another text of great importance for the edition of Galen’s commentary: Burgundio of Pisa’s Latin translation of Books III and IV.1—59. This text has not yet been published in print. Andrea Calderaro (Messina) is responsible for this editio minor. Further information will follow in spring 2026. For a first impression, a preliminary version has been made available for our digital edition by Sara von Seggern and Andrea Calderaro.
