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OLYMPIODORUS
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OLYMPIODORUS , the name of several See also:Greek authors, of whom the following are the most important. (I) An See also:historical writer (5th See also:century A.D.), See also:born at See also:Thebes in See also:Egypt, who was sent on a See also:mission to See also:Attila by the See also:emperor See also:Honorius in 412, and later lived at the See also:court of See also:Theodosius. He was the author of a See also:history (`Iuropu of AbyoL) in 22 books of the Western See also:Empire from 407 to 425. The See also:original is lost, but an abstract is given by See also:Photius, according to whom he was an alchemist (aoo7ri'is). A MS. See also:treatise on See also:alchemy, reputed to be by him, is preserved in the See also:National Library in See also:Paris, and was printed with a See also:translation by P. E. M. See also:Berthelot in his Collection See also:des alchimistes grecs (1887=1888). (2) A Peripatetic philosopher (5th century A.D.), an See also:elder contemporary of See also:Proclus. He lived at See also:Alexandria and lectured on See also:Aristotle with considerable success. His best-known See also:pupil was Proclus, to whom he wished to betroth his daughter. (3) A Neoplatonist philosopher, also of Alexandria, who flourished in the 6th century of our era, during the reign of Justinian. He was, therefore, a younger contemporary of See also:Damascius, and seems to have carried on the Platonic tradition after the closing of the Athenian School in 529, at a See also:time when the old See also:pagan See also:philosophy was at its last ebb. His philosophy is in See also:close conformity with that of Damascius, and, apart from See also:great lucidity of expression, shows no striking features. He is, however, important as a critic and a commentator, and preserved much that was valuable in the writings of See also:Iamblichus, Damascius and See also:Syrianus. He made a close and intelligent study of the dialogues of See also:Plato, and his notes, formulated and collected by his pupils (afro c/Iwvi")s 'OXv nrnobeopou rou ,ueyiXov 4XXovb4,ov), are extremely valuable. In one of his commentaries he makes the interesting statement that the Platonic See also:succession had not been interrupted by the numerous confiscations it had suffered. See also:Zeller points out that this refers to the Alexandrian, not to the Athenian, succession; but See also:internal See also:evidence makes it clear that he does not draw a hard See also:line of demarcation between the two See also:schools. The See also:works which have been preserved are a See also:life of Plato, an attack on Strato and Scholia on the See also:Phaedo, See also:Alcibiades I., Philebus and Go; gigs. (4) An Aristotelian who wrote a commentary on the Meteorologica of Aristotle. He also lived at Alexandria in the 6th century, and from a reference in his See also:work to a See also:comet must have lived after A.D. 564. But Zeller (iii. 2, p. 582, n. I) maintains that he is identical with the commentator on Plato (2, above) in spite of the See also:late date of his See also:death. His work, like that of See also:Simplicius, endeavours to reconcile Plato and Aristotle, and refers to Proclus with reverence. The commentary was printed by the Aldine See also:Press at See also:Venice about 1550. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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