Reka Forrai

Dumbarton Oaks Research Library - Harvard University

Papal involvement in the spread of Greek culture in the Medieval Latin West

2011-2012: Spring

Reka Forrai holds a PhD in Medieval Studies from Central European University (Budapest). Her area of expertise is medieval intellectual history, and in particular the history of medieval translation theories and practices, with an emphasis of Greek-Latin translations. Transmission of knowledge and language are the focus of her research, as well as the question of patronage, issues of learning and power, and cultural policies of medieval institutions.
She has written both her MA and PhD dissertations on subjects pertaining to Greek-Latin translation (MA, 2000 – "The Latin Tradition of Aristotle's De Anima (1120–1270): the Relationship between Text and Commentary", PhD 2008 – "The Interpreter of the Popes. The Translation Project of Anastasius Bibliothecarius)". The results of both were published in several articles. Dr. Forrai is currently working on a large scale post-doctoral project "The involvement of the medieval papacy in the transmission of Greek learning to the West", investigating the role of the pontifical court in the process of translations from Greek to Latin from late antiquity until the late Middle Ages.