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Dio Chrysostom

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(Redirected from Dion Chrysostomus) Greek orator, writer, philosopher and historian (c. 40 – c. 115)
Orations of Dio Chrysostom edited by Johann Jakob Reiske, 1784. Oration 1, ΠΕΡΙ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΑΣ (On Kingship)

Dio Chrysostom (/ˈdiːoʊ ˈkrɪsəstəm, krɪˈsɒstəm/; Ancient Greek: Δίων Χρυσόστομος 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; Λόγοι) 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".

Life

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. He became a critic of the Emperor Domitian, who banished him from Rome, Italy, and Bithynia in 82 for advising one of the Emperor's conspiring relatives. He claims that, on the advice of the Delphic oracle, he put on the clothes of a beggar, 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, giving orations.

He was a friend of Nerva, and when Domitian was murdered in 96 AD, Dio used his influence with the army stationed on the frontier in favour of Nerva. Under Emperor Nerva's reign, his exile was ended, and he was able to return home to Prusa. He adopted the surname Cocceianus, 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." 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. He probably died a few years later.

Writings

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, Synesius, and Photius. 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. Two orations of his (37 and 64) are now assigned to Favorinus. 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, which the Suda incorrectly attributes to Dio Cassius.

Editions

Editions and translations of the full oeuvre

Editions, translations and commentaries of single works

  • 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).
  • Gustav Adolf Lehmann et al., Armut – Arbeit – Menschenwürde. Die Euböische Rede des Dion von Prusa , introduction, critical edition, commentary, translation, and essays (Tübingen 2012).
  • Heinz-Günther Nesselrath (ed), Dio von Prusa. Der Philosoph und sein Bild , introduction, critical edition, commentary, translation, and essays by E. Amato et al. (Tübingen, 2009).
  • Anna Nieschler, Der Borysthenitikos des Dion von Prusa. Einleitung und Kommentar , introduction and commentary (Stuttgart, 2024), ISBN 978-3-515-13681-5.

Notes

  1. Dio Chrysostom, Orat. 46.13
  2. Dio Chrysostom, Orat. 3.13
  3. Dio Chrysostom, Orat. 13.1
  4. Dio Chrysostom, Orat. 13.9
  5. Dio Chrysostom, Orat. 13.11
  6. Dio Chrysostom, Orat. 12.16
  7. Dio Chrysostom, Orat. 36; comp. Orat. 13.11 ff.
  8. Dio Chrysostom, Orat. 45.2
  9. ^ Pliny, Epistles, 10.81
  10. Dio Chrysostom, Orat. 3.2
  11. ^ Philostratus, Vitae sophistorum i.7
  12. Synesius, Dion
  13. Photius, Bibl. Cod. 209
  14. Dio Chrysostom, Orat. vii.133‑152
  15. Suda, Dion

Further reading

External links

Texts of Dio

Secondary material

Works of Dio Chrysostom
  1. On Kingship I
  2. On Kingship II
  3. On Kingship III
  4. On Kingship IV
  5. A Libyan Myth
  6. Diogenes or On Tyranny
  7. Euboean Oration
  8. Diogenes or On Virtue
  9. Diogenes or the Isthmian Oration
  10. Diogenes or on Servants
  11. Trojan Oration
  12. Olympic Oration or On Man's First Conception of God
  13. In Athens, on his Banishment
  14. On Slavery and Freedom I
  15. On Slavery and Freedom II
  16. On Pain and Distress of Spirit
  17. On Covetousness
  18. On Training for Public Speaking
  19. On the Author's Fondness for Listening
  20. On Retirement
  21. On Beauty
  22. Concerning Peace and War
  23. The Wise Man is Happy
  24. On Happiness
  25. On the Guiding Spirit
  26. On Deliberation
  27. On Symposia
  28. Melancomas II
  29. Melancomas I
  30. Charidemus
  31. Rhodian Oration
  32. To the Alexandrians
  33. First Tarsian Oration
  34. Second Tarsian Oration
  35. Oration Delivered in Celaenae in Phrygia
  36. Borysthenitic Oration
  37. Corinthian Oration*
  38. On Concord with the Nicaeans
  39. On Concord in Nicaea
  40. On Concord with Apameia
  41. To the Apameians
  42. Lecture in his Native City
  43. Political Oration in his Native City
  44. Of Friendship for his Native Land
  45. In Defence of his Relations with Prusa
  46. Against Mistreatment by his Fellow Citizens
  47. His Efforts to Beautify Prusa
  48. Political Oration in the Assembly
  49. Declining Office as Archon
  50. In Defence of his Record
  51. In Reply to Diodorus
  52. An Appraisal of the Tragic Triad
  53. On Homer
  54. On Socrates
  55. On Homer and Socrates
  56. On Kingship V
  57. Homer’s Portrayal of Nestor
  58. A Dialogue Between Achilles and Cheiron
  59. Philoctetes, a Paraphrase
  60. On the Story of Deïaneira
  61. Chryseïs
  62. On Kingship and Tyranny
  63. On Fortune I
  64. On Fortune II
  65. On Fortune III
  66. On Reputation
  67. On Popular Opinion
  68. On Opinion
  69. On Virtue
  70. On Philosophy
  71. On the Philosopher
  72. On Personal Appearance
  73. On Trust
  74. On Distrust
  75. On Law
  76. On Custom
  77. On Envy
  78. On Wealth
  79. On Freedom
  80. Encomium on Hair
Cynic philosophers
Greek era
Roman era
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