Dio Chrysostom (/ˈdiːoʊˈkrɪsəstəm,krɪˈsɒstəm/; Ancient Greek: Δίων ΧρυσόστομοςDion Chrysostomos), Dio of Prusa or Cocceianus Dio (c. 40 – c. 115 AD), was a Greek orator, writer, philosopher and historian of the Roman Empire in the 1st century AD. Eighty of his Discourses (or Orations; Λόγοι) are extant, as well as a few letters, a mock essay Encomium on Hair, and a few other fragments. His sobriquetChrysostom comes from the Greekchrysostomos, which literally means "golden-mouthed".
Orations of Dio Chrysostom edited by Johann Jakob Reiske, 1784. Oration 1, ΠΕΡΙ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΑΣ (On Kingship)
He was born at Prusa (now Bursa), in the Roman province of Bithynia (now part of northwestern Turkey). His father, Pasicrates, seems to have bestowed great care on his son Dio's education. At first he lived in Prusa, where he held important offices, composed speeches and other rhetorical and sophistical essays, and studied philosophy. The Stoic and Platonist philosophies, however, appear to have had the greatest charms for him, particularly the stoicism of Musonius Rufus.
He went to Rome during Vespasian's reign (69–79 AD), by which time he seems to have got married and had a child.[1] He became a critic of the Emperor Domitian,[2] who banished him from Rome, Italy, and Bithynia in 82 for advising one of the Emperor's conspiring relatives.[3] He claims that, on the advice of the Delphic oracle,[4] he put on the clothes of a beggar,[5] and with nothing in his pocket but a copy of Plato's Phaedo and Demosthenes's On the False Embassy, he lived the life of a Cynic philosopher, undertaking a journey to the countries in the north and east of the Roman empire. He thus visited Thrace, Mysia, Scythia, and the country of the Getae,[6] giving orations.[7]
He was a friend of Nerva,[8] and when Domitian was murdered in 96 AD, Dio used his influence with the army stationed on the frontier in favour of Nerva.[citation needed] Under Emperor Nerva's reign, his exile was ended, and he was able to return home to Prusa. He adopted the surname Cocceianus,[9] reflecting Nerva's nomen, Cocceius. Dio addressed his four Orations on Kingship to Nerva's successor, Trajan, and appears to have known the Emperor personally, claiming "I am perhaps as well acquainted with your character as anyone."[10] He knew Apollonius of Tyana and Euphrates of Tyre. In his later life Dio had considerable status in Prusa, and Pliny the Younger reports that he was involved in a lawsuit about a civic building project around 111.[9] He probably died a few years later.
WritingsEdit
Dio Chrysostom was part of the Second Sophistic school of Greek philosophers which reached its peak in the early 2nd century during the Antonine period. He was considered one of the most eminent of the Greek rhetoricians and sophists by the ancients who wrote about him, such as Philostratus,[11]Synesius,[12] and Photius.[13] This is confirmed by the eighty orations of his which are still extant, and which were the only ones known in the time of Photius. These orations appear to be written versions of his oral teaching, and are like essays on political, moral, and philosophical subjects. They include four orations on Kingship addressed to Trajan on the virtues of a sovereign; four on the character of Diogenes of Sinope, on the troubles to which men expose themselves by deserting the path of Nature, and on the difficulties which a sovereign has to encounter; essays on slavery and freedom; on the means of attaining eminence as an orator; political discourses addressed to various towns which he sometimes praises and sometimes blames, but always with moderation and wisdom; on subjects of ethics and practical philosophy, which he treats in a popular and attractive manner; and lastly, orations on mythical subjects and show-speeches. He argued strongly against permitting prostitution.[14] Two orations of his (37 and 64) are now assigned to Favorinus.[citation needed] Besides the eighty orations we have fragments of fifteen others, and there are extant also five letters under Dio's name.
He wrote many other philosophical and historical works, none of which survives. One of these works, Getica, was on the Getae,[11] which the Suda incorrectly attributes to Dio Cassius.[15]
EditionsEdit
Hans von Arnim, Dionis Prusaensis quem uocant Chrysostomum quae exstant omnia (Berlin, 1893–1896).
C. Bost-Pouderon, Dion Chrysostome. Trois discours aux villes (Orr. 33–35) (Salerne, 2006).
C. Bost–Pouderon (ed.), Dion de Pruse dit Dion Chrysostome. Oeuvres (Or. XXXIII–XXXVI (Paris, CUF, 2011).
Trans. J. W. Cohoon, Dio Chrysostom, I, Discourses 1–11, 1932. Harvard University Press, Loeb Classical Library:
Trans. J. W. Cohoon, Dio Chrysostom, II, Discourses 12–30, 1939.
Trans. J. W. Cohoon & H. Lamar Crosby, Dio Chrysostom, III, Discourses 31–36, 1940.
Trans. H. Lamar Crosby, Dio Chrysostom, IV, Discourses 37–60, 1946.
Trans. H. Lamar Crosby, Dio Chrysostom, V, Discourses 61–80. Fragments. Letters, 1951.
H.-G. Nesselrath (ed), Dio von Prusa. Der Philosoph und sein Bild [Discourses 54–55, 70–72], introduction, critical edition, commentary, translation, and essays by E. Amato et al., Tübingen 2009.
Eugenio Amato, Xenophontis imitator fidelissimus. Studi su tradizione e fortuna erudite di Dione Crisostomo tra XVI e XIX secolo (Alessandria: Edizioni dell'Orso, 2011) (Hellenica, 40).
Eugenio Amato, Traiani Praeceptor. Studi su biografia, cronologia e fortuna di Dione Crisostomo (Besansçon: PUFC, 2014).
T. Bekker-Nielsen, (Aarhus, 2008).
Aldo Brancacci, Rhetorike philosophousa. Dione Crisostomo nella cultura antica e bizantina (Napoli: Bibliopolis, 1986) (Elenchos, 11).
P. Desideri, Dione di Prusa (Messina-Firenze, 1978).
A. Gangloff, Dion Chrysostome et les mythes. Hellénisme, communication et philosophie politique (Grenoble, 2006).
B.F. Harris, "Dio of Prusa", in Aufstieg und Niedergang der Römischen Welt 2.33.5 (Berlin, 1991), 3853–3881.
C.P. Jones, The Roman World of Dio Chrysostom (Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press, 1978).
Sidebottom, Harry (1996). "Dio of Prusa and the Flavian Dynasty". The Classical Quarterly. 46 (2): 447–456. doi:10.1093/cq/46.2.447. ISSN 0009-8388. JSTOR 639801.
Simon Swain, Hellenism and Empire. Language, Classicism, and Power in the Greek World, AD 50–250 (Oxford, 1996), 187–241.
Simon Swain. Dio Chrysostom: Politics, Letters, and Philosophy (Oxford, 2000).
Ventrella, Gianluca (2009). "Dione di Prusa fu realmente esiliato? L'orazione tredicesima tra idealizzazione letteraria e reconstruzione storico-giuridica (con un'appendice di E. Amato)". Emerita. 77 (1): 33–56. doi:10.3989/emerita.2009.v77.i1.305.
Volpe, Paola; Ferrari, Franco, eds. (2001). "L' Euboico di Dione di Prusa: coscienza della crisi ed etica della filantropia". Ricerche su Dione di Prusa. Naples: Luciano Editore. pp. 99–153.
External linksEdit
Wikiquote has quotations related to Dio Chrysostom.
Texts of DioEdit
Complete works at LacusCurtius (English translation complete; some items in Greek also)
Secondary materialEdit
Dio Chrysostom at Livius.Org
Introduction to the Loeb translation at LacusCurtius
October 18, 2023
chrysostom, ancient, greek, Δίων, Χρυσόστομος, dion, chrysostomos, prusa, cocceianus, greek, orator, writer, philosopher, historian, roman, empire, century, eighty, discourses, orations, Λόγοι, extant, well, letters, mock, essay, encomium, hair, other, fragmen. Dio Chrysostom ˈ d iː oʊ ˈ k r ɪ s e s t e m k r ɪ ˈ s ɒ s t e m Ancient Greek Diwn Xrysostomos Dion Chrysostomos Dio of Prusa or Cocceianus Dio c 40 c 115 AD was a Greek orator writer philosopher and historian of the Roman Empire in the 1st century AD Eighty of his Discourses or Orations Logoi are extant as well as a few letters a mock essay Encomium on Hair and a few other fragments His sobriquet Chrysostom comes from the Greek chrysostomos which literally means golden mouthed Orations of Dio Chrysostom edited by Johann Jakob Reiske 1784 Oration 1 PERI BASILEIAS On Kingship Contents 1 Life 2 Writings 3 Editions 4 Notes 5 Further reading 6 External links 6 1 Texts of Dio 6 2 Secondary materialLife EditHe was born at Prusa now Bursa in the Roman province of Bithynia now part of northwestern Turkey His father Pasicrates seems to have bestowed great care on his son Dio s education At first he lived in Prusa where he held important offices composed speeches and other rhetorical and sophistical essays and studied philosophy The Stoic and Platonist philosophies however appear to have had the greatest charms for him particularly the stoicism of Musonius Rufus He went to Rome during Vespasian s reign 69 79 AD by which time he seems to have got married and had a child 1 He became a critic of the Emperor Domitian 2 who banished him from Rome Italy and Bithynia in 82 for advising one of the Emperor s conspiring relatives 3 He claims that on the advice of the Delphic oracle 4 he put on the clothes of a beggar 5 and with nothing in his pocket but a copy of Plato s Phaedo and Demosthenes s On the False Embassy he lived the life of a Cynic philosopher undertaking a journey to the countries in the north and east of the Roman empire He thus visited Thrace Mysia Scythia and the country of the Getae 6 giving orations 7 He was a friend of Nerva 8 and when Domitian was murdered in 96 AD Dio used his influence with the army stationed on the frontier in favour of Nerva citation needed Under Emperor Nerva s reign his exile was ended and he was able to return home to Prusa He adopted the surname Cocceianus 9 reflecting Nerva s nomen Cocceius Dio addressed his four Orations on Kingship to Nerva s successor Trajan and appears to have known the Emperor personally claiming I am perhaps as well acquainted with your character as anyone 10 He knew Apollonius of Tyana and Euphrates of Tyre In his later life Dio had considerable status in Prusa and Pliny the Younger reports that he was involved in a lawsuit about a civic building project around 111 9 He probably died a few years later Writings EditDio Chrysostom was part of the Second Sophistic school of Greek philosophers which reached its peak in the early 2nd century during the Antonine period He was considered one of the most eminent of the Greek rhetoricians and sophists by the ancients who wrote about him such as Philostratus 11 Synesius 12 and Photius 13 This is confirmed by the eighty orations of his which are still extant and which were the only ones known in the time of Photius These orations appear to be written versions of his oral teaching and are like essays on political moral and philosophical subjects They include four orations on Kingship addressed to Trajan on the virtues of a sovereign four on the character of Diogenes of Sinope on the troubles to which men expose themselves by deserting the path of Nature and on the difficulties which a sovereign has to encounter essays on slavery and freedom on the means of attaining eminence as an orator political discourses addressed to various towns which he sometimes praises and sometimes blames but always with moderation and wisdom on subjects of ethics and practical philosophy which he treats in a popular and attractive manner and lastly orations on mythical subjects and show speeches He argued strongly against permitting prostitution 14 Two orations of his 37 and 64 are now assigned to Favorinus citation needed Besides the eighty orations we have fragments of fifteen others and there are extant also five letters under Dio s name He wrote many other philosophical and historical works none of which survives One of these works Getica was on the Getae 11 which the Suda incorrectly attributes to Dio Cassius 15 Editions EditHans von Arnim Dionis Prusaensis quem uocant Chrysostomum quae exstant omnia Berlin 1893 1896 C Bost Pouderon Dion Chrysostome Trois discours aux villes Orr 33 35 Salerne 2006 C Bost Pouderon ed Dion de Pruse dit Dion Chrysostome Oeuvres Or XXXIII XXXVI Paris CUF 2011 Trans J W Cohoon Dio Chrysostom I Discourses 1 11 1932 Harvard University Press Loeb Classical Library Trans J W Cohoon Dio Chrysostom II Discourses 12 30 1939 Trans J W Cohoon amp H Lamar Crosby Dio Chrysostom III Discourses 31 36 1940 Trans H Lamar Crosby Dio Chrysostom IV Discourses 37 60 1946 Trans H Lamar Crosby Dio Chrysostom V Discourses 61 80 Fragments Letters 1951 H G Nesselrath ed Dio von Prusa Der Philosoph und sein Bild Discourses 54 55 70 72 introduction critical edition commentary translation and essays by E Amato et al Tubingen 2009 Notes Edit Dio Chrysostom Orat 46 13 Dio Chrysostom Orat 3 13 Dio Chrysostom Orat 13 1 Dio Chrysostom Orat 13 9 Dio Chrysostom Orat 13 11 Dio Chrysostom Orat 12 16 Dio Chrysostom Orat 36 comp Orat 13 11 ff Dio Chrysostom Orat 45 2 a b Pliny Epistles 10 81 Dio Chrysostom Orat 3 2 a b Philostratus Vitae sophistorum i 7 Synesius Dion Photius Bibl Cod 209 Dio Chrysostom Orat vii 133 152 Suda DionFurther reading EditEugenio Amato Xenophontis imitator fidelissimus Studi su tradizione e fortuna erudite di Dione Crisostomo tra XVI e XIX secolo Alessandria Edizioni dell Orso 2011 Hellenica 40 Eugenio Amato Traiani Praeceptor Studi su biografia cronologia e fortuna di Dione Crisostomo Besanscon PUFC 2014 T Bekker Nielsen Urban Life and Local Politics in Roman Bithynia The Small World of Dion Chrysostomos Aarhus 2008 Aldo Brancacci Rhetorike philosophousa Dione Crisostomo nella cultura antica e bizantina Napoli Bibliopolis 1986 Elenchos 11 P Desideri Dione di Prusa Messina Firenze 1978 A Gangloff Dion Chrysostome et les mythes Hellenisme communication et philosophie politique Grenoble 2006 B F Harris Dio of Prusa in Aufstieg und Niedergang der Romischen Welt 2 33 5 Berlin 1991 3853 3881 C P Jones The Roman World of Dio Chrysostom Cambridge MA Harvard University Press 1978 Sidebottom Harry 1996 Dio of Prusa and the Flavian Dynasty The Classical Quarterly 46 2 447 456 doi 10 1093 cq 46 2 447 ISSN 0009 8388 JSTOR 639801 Simon Swain Hellenism and Empire Language Classicism and Power in the Greek World AD 50 250 Oxford 1996 187 241 Simon Swain Dio Chrysostom Politics Letters and Philosophy Oxford 2000 Ventrella Gianluca 2009 Dione di Prusa fu realmente esiliato L orazione tredicesima tra idealizzazione letteraria e reconstruzione storico giuridica con un appendice di E Amato Emerita 77 1 33 56 doi 10 3989 emerita 2009 v77 i1 305 Volpe Paola Ferrari Franco eds 2001 L Euboico di Dione di Prusa coscienza della crisi ed etica della filantropia Ricerche su Dione di Prusa Naples Luciano Editore pp 99 153 External links Edit nbsp Wikiquote has quotations related to Dio Chrysostom Texts of Dio Edit Complete works at LacusCurtius English translation complete some items in Greek also Secondary material Edit Dio Chrysostom at Livius Org Introduction to the Loeb translation at LacusCurtius Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Dio Chrysostom amp oldid 1178381723, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
