The fourth book of Philodemus’ On Death (PHerc. 1050) is an important text that casts light on various aspects of the well-known Epicurean claim that “death is nothing to us” (KD 2). Back in 2009, Benjamin Henry set a crucial milestone with the first edition based on modern papyrological editing techniques and principles, including the use of multi-spectral infrared imaging. The present edition by Daniel Delattre is an important next step towards an even better modern edition, complete with a substantial introduction, a translation, and textual notes.
This volume is the fruit of the editor’s longstanding engagement with this particular papyrus, which dates back to his French translation of the text in 2010, and which also includes a series of smaller publications suggesting improvements for Henry’s text. During this period, Delattre also published his edition of Philodemus’ On Music (in two volumes), which already appeared as part of the CUF series in 2007. In the present book, the reader is encouraged to consult the edition of On Music for an introduction to Philodemus’ life and work, and for a detailed account of the editorial techniques and principles used in both critical editions.
Yet, even without these sections, the edition of On Death still includes a very sizeable introduction. It comprises a detailed description of the extant papyrological material, the available disegni and photographs, and the (ortho)graphic peculiarities of the papyrus (xi-lix). One of the groundbreaking aspects of the present edition is the new numeration of the columns of On Death (a complete table of concordance is provided at lxxv-lxxvi), taking into account the subscriptio of PHerc. 1050 where we read that the complete treatise comprised 118 columns in total. Delattre argues that the preserved text of the fourth book of On Death is made up by the papyrus roll’s final 52 columns, while the 65 preceding columns are now lost. In other words, we only have about 44% of this fourth and final book of the treatise (lxix). The introduction also provides a detailed overview and appraisal of the text’s editorial history (lxxviii-lxxxv).
The second part of the book’s introduction is devoted to the philosophical context and contents of Philodemus’ treatise. Delattre first offers a general overview of the Epicurean views on death (lxxxv-cxviii), which includes testimonies from the “usual suspects,” Epicurus and Lucretius, but which also takes into account the extant views of Metrodorus, Hermarchus, Zeno of Sidon, Demetrius Lacon, Diogenes of Oenoanda, and even a surprising passage from Seneca’s Troades. Also of interest here is the section on suicide. Delattre argues that Philodemus adopted the orthodox Epicurean view that one should not seek to end one’s life prematurely, but took care to present his account as an implicit and, above all, nuanced critique of the Stoic concept of voluntary death, which many Roman adherents of the mos maiorum may have favored (cxvi-cxvi). In this context, Delattre cites a much-overlooked passage from Cornelius Nepos’ Life of Atticus, which provides us with a striking example of an Epicurean who sought to reconcile his choice to end his life prematurely with his unwavering adherence to Epicurus’ teachings (cxvi-cxvii).
The book also makes an educated guess as to what the first three books of On Death may have been about (cxviii-cxx), an endeavor that is complicated by the fact that, unlike other Philodemean works, the extant columns of the treatise do not contain any internal cross-references (ὑπομνήματα). Delattre’s hypothesis is that the preserved columns of Book 4 might, in fact, summarize the topics that were discussed in the previous books of the treatise, as is the case in Philodemus’ On Music.
In what follows, Delattre offers a summary and discussion of the contents of Book 4 (cxxi-cxxxvi). He also addresses the question of the treatise’s intended audience (cxxxvi-cxxxix). In light of the text’s stylistic elegance and the repeated use of non-Epicurean examples, Delattre agrees with earlier scholarship (e.g. Armstrong 2004) that Philodemus may have envisaged a heterogenous audience that included non-Epicurean Romans (cxxxvii). However, Delattre does not believe that Philodemus’ treatise should be considered a consolatio mortis, as Tsouna 2007 (240, 258-259, 265, 286-287, 292) has argued (cxli). He points out that consolatory elements, such as Philodemus’ statement that certain situations might indeed engender natural “bites” of grief, are part of On Death, but not central to its argumentative project (cv-cvi). Traditional consolationes are usually based on the idea of post mortem survival and aim to soothe people’s emotions. Philodemus’ Epicurean text, on the other hand, makes use of rational and often highly provocative arguments and imagery, so as to make perfectly clear that we should not harbor any false notions about the mortality of our soul. Delattre also argues that the pseudo-Platonic Axiochus and Book 1 of Cicero’s Tusculan Disputations could be directly indebted to Philodemus’ treatise (cxxxix-cxlv). In his view, the authors of these two texts may have drawn upon Philodemus’ non-consolatory Epicurean arguments for the composition of their own, more traditional consolationes. Although an Epicurean consolatio will, of course, inevitably be a consolatio sui generis due to the Epicurean rejection of any form of postmortem existence, I wonder whether Delattre’s claim that the consolatory elements in On Death are merely marginal might not be a little too strong. As he points out in his introduction, the preserved text of Book 4 is likely to reflect the themes and arguments that were treated of at greater length in the preceding books of the treatise (cxx). This means that even elements that would appear to be of marginal importance compared to certain other topics must still have been deemed important enough to be included in the work’s concluding columns. Many of Philodemus’ statements are, indeed, quite provocative and, one notes, at times quite humorous (see, e.g., his claim that one can as easily drown in one’s bathtub as in the ocean at M. 111.31-112.23). As such, they are certainly in line with Epicureanism’s long tradition of producing witty, yet provocative remarks and sayings (cf. Roskam 2019). Yet, if On Death was indeed meant to be read by non-Epicureans, who have not yet been convinced that death is nothing to us, then it would perhaps not be illogical for consolatory elements to feature prominently in the earlier parts of the work, and less so in its final columns. It would, after all, be reasonable for Philodemus to construct his work in such a way that neophyte readers are first addressed in a way that is sympathetic to their feelings of distress, while showing them step-by-step why they should get rid of those negative emotions. Throughout the three first books of On Death, then, readers may gradually be freed from their irrational fears, and taught that their former notions about death and dying are, in fact, ridiculous, and more deserving of laughter than of fear. If so, then Philodemus’ provocative criticisms of such absurd beliefs in book 4 will, in all likelihood, offer them the ideal opportunity to find that their fear and distress have disappeared and that they can now join their teacher in shared laughter. The fact that readers are, ideally, no longer in need of much consolation by the time they reach the end of the treatise does not necessarily mean that its earlier parts may not have offered a thoroughly Epicurean brand of consolatio, based entirely upon rational arguments and scientific principles.
The critical edition itself, then, comes with a complete apparatus criticus and an absolute wealth of elucidating foot- and endnotes. Delattre’s text often suggests new readings for badly damaged passages that Henry 2009 chose to leave blank. The rationale behind innovative conjectures is generally explained at some length in the accompanying notes. In these cases, Delattre’s many years of working on PHerc. 1050 and its disegni, as well as on Philodemus’ On Music, clearly pays dividends, allowing him to suggest well-considered and convincing conjectures based on his longstanding familiarity with Philodemus’ style and thought. The Greek text is accompanied by an elegant French translation, which successfully manages to capture the studied sophistication of Philodemus’ language in this particular treatise. In addition to an index nominum and an index verborum, the final part of the book also contains photographs of the papyrological columns and their corresponding disegni. It is only unfortunate that due to the relatively compact dimensions of the book, it is sometimes quite difficult for the reader to discern the individual letters of the columns that have been printed side by side on each page of the appendix.
Such minor points of criticism aside, I can only conclude that this book is an important new milestone in the study of the Herculaneum papyri, and that it will, no doubt, become the new point of reference for anyone interested in Philodemus’ Epicurean views on death and dying.
Works Cited
Armstrong, D. (2004), “All Things to All Men: Philodemus’ Model of Therapy and the Audience of De Morte”, in J. T. Fitzgerald – D. Obbink – G. S. Holland (eds.), Philodemus and the New Testament World, Leiden – Boston: Brill, 15-54.
Delattre, D. (2007), Philodème de Gadara. Sur la musique, livre IV. Tomes I-II, Paris: CUP.
Delattre, D. – Tsouna, V. (2010), “Philodème. La Mort, IV”, in D. Delattre – J. Pigeaud (eds.), Les Épicuriens, Paris: Gallimard, 631-633.
Henry, W. B. (2009), Philodemus, On Death. Translated with an Introduction and Notes, Atlanta: SBL.
Roskam, G. (2019), “Philosophy is Great Fun!” Laughter in Epicureanism”, in P. Destrée – F. V. Trivigno (eds.), Laughter, Humor, and Comedy in Ancient Philosophy, Oxford: OUP, 227-244.
Tsouna, V. (2007), The Ethics of Philodemus, Oxford: OUP.