This paper examines the principles of selection and arrangement of the letters of Basil the Great in the Aldine edition and in one of the major manuscript families, arguing that the ordering of Basil’s letters in them was mainly based on the content of the letters, whether thematical or by addressee. It concludes that the ancient and medieval thematical orderings of the letters are helpful for our understanding of the content of a large collection as that of Basil, compared to the modern reconstructed chronological order presented in the editions.

This paper is about Pecyllus, a magistrate in 3rd c. AD Oxyrhynchus, whose dossier consists of several private and official documents as well as letters. After a brief description of Pecyllus’ social and financial situation, the paper focuses on his private letters, analysing how Pecyllus adapted the layout, palaeography and linguistic style of each of his letters according to the message, the addressee and situation. It argues that ancient letter writers were able to adapt the external appearance of their writings according to their relationship to the addressee and in order to increase the persuasiveness of their letters.