Libanius (Libanios)

Libanius; Libanios, 314-393 gg. n. e., Greek rhetorician. He was born in Antioch on the Orontes in a noble family, impoverished by the confiscation of property under Diocletian. In the period of study rhetoric L. famous work ethic, five consecutive years (329-334 gg.) memorize memorized speech Demosthenes, Isocrates, Aeschines and Elia Aristide. In 336 g. left to continue their studies in Athens, where several years later he began to teach rhetoric, but the intrigue forced him to leave Athens (340). After a short stay in Constantinople and Nicaea, he taught rhetoric at Nicomedia (344-348 gg.). There, he defeated the Athenian orator Chimera. This boosted his popularity and led to his being summoned to Constantinople (the meeting with the conductor Himalia). In 354 g. He moved to Antioch, where for 40 years led the rhetorical school until his death. A Life. We know quite well from his autobiography, biography, or about his fate (or. 1, Bios e peri tes heautu tyches), written in 374-390 years.

Biographical information includes the letters AL, dated 355, 357-365 and 387-393 gg. LA preserved biography, written by hostility intended for him Eunapius. L. was a devout pagan, initiated into the mysteries, he was hostile to Christianity. However, in contact with Christians. From his school came the famous Church Fathers Basil the Great, Theodore of Moptsestii and John Chrysostom. The surviving correspondence between L. and Basil the Great, mostly apocryphal, and the legend of the treatment A. Christianity evidence of his friendly attitude, at least to some Christians. From the enormous legacy L. survived: 64 Speeches issued only after the death of the author. The first five - is autobiographical speech. Speeches 12-18, 24, 37 are connected with the personality of Julian the Apostate, the most important of them is a eulogy in honor of Julian the Apostate (or. 18, Epitaphios epi Iuliano; 365 g.)

. Speeches 19-23 were devoted to the uprising in Antioch 387; 30 speech to the Emperor Theodosius in the protection of the temples (Pros Theodosion ton basilea hyper hieron; 384 or 388) has brought to us a bold statement against the destruction of pagan shrines, it is praise of the emperors 59 Constantius II and Constans, . question 60 (born) was written on the occasion of a fire in the temple of Apollo at Daphne at Antioch (362 g.), . question 61 - the earthquake at Nicomedia in 358 g., . and speech 11 - praise Antioch,
. Speeches LA against the abuse of imperial officials, often have resulted in the removal from their posts the governors of Syria. 51 L. recitation, that is it the case most interesting of which is the protection of Socrates (Apologia Sokratus, dekl. 1), which is a response to the accusation of Socrates (Kategoria Sokratus, 393 / 2 years. BC. e.) sophist Polycrates, Introductory Exercise (Progymnastata), which include anecdotes, stories, praise, description, comparison, (part unauthentic) and the speeches of Demosthenes Arrangements (Hypotheseis ton logon Demosthenus).

L. investigated installed author affiliation and studied style speeches Demosthenes, so his work prefaced his biography. Preserved and extensive correspondence L. (1544 letters), two times greater than the number of the correspondence of Cicero. L. reputed master of epistolary genre, and received a letter from him was considered a great honor. Corresponded with him Ammianus Marcellinus, Himalia and Julian the Apostate. Under the name L. preserved unauthentic textbook correspondence (Epistolemaioi charakteres). Many of the works of L. lost completely, including speech, recitation, writing, poetry. L. written speech at the Attic dialect, taking a sample of Demosthenes and Aristide Eliya. Feeling the Greeks, and being an admirer of Greek culture, he was hostile to the Romans and their culture (do not know Latin). L. gained fame in the offspring. Especially happy to read his recitation and writing. Today's reader is primarily interested in speech and writing. A sample of his works became a canon of school reading in Byzantium. Byzantine lexicographers call L. Small Demosfenom.