Christian Wildberg

I am a historian of ancient philosophy, with a focus on the history of Platonism. I have also strong interests in Greek literature, especially tragedy, and Greek religion. I was educated at University of Marburg and at Cambridge University, where I received my Ph.D. in Classics in 1984. After a Junior Research Fellowship at Caius College, Cambridge, I taught briefly at UT Austin and for six years at the Freie Universität Berlin. I joined the Princeton faculty in 1996. From 2006 to 2010 I served as Master of Forbes College.

My main publications are a reconstruction and interpretation of a sixth century anti-Aristotelian treatise, written by the Christian philosopher John Philoponus, and a study of the function of the gods in Euripidean tragedy. Most recently, I have edited volumes on such diverse topics as mysticism, Aristotle's cosmology, and the cult of Dionysus. My current researches focus on the history of Neoplatonism, on the development of the concept of evil in antiquity, and on pseud-epigraphical philosophical letters (Plato, Aristotle).

In addition to my research and teaching, I am serving as co-editor for two monograph series, Philosophia Antiqua (Brill) and Studien und Texte zu Antike und Christentum (STAC, Mohr-Siebeck).

Teaching Interests

I am regularly teaching Ancient Greek language courses on all levels, from courses of Attic for Beginners to post-classical Greek and graduate level prose composition exercises. My advanced undergraduate courses include classes on Platonic dialogues, Aristotle's ethics, and the interdepartmental lecture course Introduction to Ancient Philosophy. I have taught graduate courses on the Presocratics, Plato and Platonism, Aristotle, Plotinus, and Euripides. I welcome applications from prospective graduate students who are interested in both the literary and philosophical aspects of the intellectual history of the Ancient World.