Cruciale teksten: De Grieks-Romeinse consolatio

The article argues that Greek and Roman consolatory writings form an undervalued yet crucial point of reference for theology and religious studies today. Fundamental characteristics of the Greek and Roman consolatory traditions are discussed in the light of the recently published volume Greek and Roman Consolations by Han Baltussen. Greek and Roman consolations are highly relevant for theology and religious studies for three reasons: (1) they put a neglected topic back onto the agenda; (2) they form the most elaborate and theoretically reflected material on dealing with emotions and thus provide vital information for a contextual analysis of ancient religious sources; (3) they showcase what it would mean for philosophy and theology to be recast as practice-directed fields of study, as ‘arts of living’.