James F. Johnson, professor emeritus of classics at Austin College, has written a new book, Acts of Compassion in Greek Tragic Drama, published in May by the University of Oklahoma Press. His new work is book 53 in the Oklahoma Series in Classical Culture and the first full-length examination of compassion (eleos or oiktos in Greek) as a dramatic theme in ancient Greek literature.
Johnson’s work on the book had its beginnings many years ago with his doctoral dissertation on the compassion in Sophokles’ “Philoctetes” and is the culmination of many years’ work.
Throughout Johnson’s teaching career at Austin College from 1977 to 2013, he worked on the book off and on as time permitted. At Austin College, he taught “Classical Mythology” as well as courses in Greek and Latin. He also led students on several study trips to Greece during the College’s January Term. He also is coeditor of Workbooks I and II to accompany Athenaze, a textbook series for learning ancient Greek. He retired from Austin College in 2013.
“The ability of human beings to feel compassion or empathy for one another—and express that emotion by offering comfort or assistance—is an important antidote to violence and aggression,” editor Ellen Greene writes of the book. In ancient Greece, the epics of Homer and the tragic dramas performed each spring in the Theater of Dionysus offered citizens valuable lessons concerning the necessity and proper application of compassionate action.
“Through careful textual analysis, James F. Johnson surveys the treatment of compassion in the epics of Homer, especially the Iliad, and in the works of the three great Athenian tragedians: Aischylos, Euripedes, and Sophokles,” Greene says. “He emphasizes reciprocity, reverence, and retribution as defining features of Greek compassion during the Homeric and Archaic periods. In framing his analysis, Johnson distinguishes compassion from pity. Whereas in English the word “pity” suggests an attitude of superiority toward the sufferer, the word ‘compassion’ has a more positive connotation and implies equality in status between subject and object.”
“Although scholars have conventionally translated eleos and oiktos as ‘pity,’ Johnson argues that our modern-day notion of compassion comes closest to encompassing the meaning of those two Greek words,” Greene continues. “Beginning with Homer, eleos normally denotes an emotion that entails action of some sort, whereas oiktos usually refers to the emotion itself. Johnson also draws associations between compassion and the concepts of fear and pity, which Aristotle famously attributed to tragedy.”
“Because the Athenian plays are tragedies, they mainly show the disastrous consequences of a world where compassion falls short,” Greene says. “At the same time, they offer glimpses into a world where compassion can generate a more beneficial—and therefore more hopeful—outcome. Their message resonates with today’s readers as much as it did for fifth-century Athenians.”
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 36 percent of students representing ethnic minorities. A residential student body of 1,250 students and a faculty of more than 100 allow a 12:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. The College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.