The Collatio Alexandri et Dindimi: the “Natural” Space of the Brahmans

This study focuses on the Collatio Alexandri et Dindimi, a fictional exchange of five letters between Alexander the Great and Dindimus, the king of the Brahmans. It is a work that attests to a cultural debate between the classical world and a different point of view, represented by the Brahmans’ people. The present research examines the dynamics underlying the text, beginning from the analysis of the particular Brahman’s lifestyle, founded on the ius naturae, and then shifting to the contents of the Alexander’s letters, which opposes a different way of thinking, based on lex civilis. If we look at the text carefully, Dindimus’ reasoning turns out to be in agreement with an ascetic ideal shaped on the principles of Christian doctrine. On the contrary, Alexander’s arguments rest upon typical criteria reasons of rationality and moderation insofar as they are distinctive features of the classical thought. This perspective highlights how the “natural” space of the Brahmans is opposed to that of the Greek-Roman culture, in a context of total denial of civilization, and then demonstrates how the Collatio illustrates the mechanisms whereby Christian thought, identifying itself with a world “other”, contrasts with the earlier classical society.