Editing Choricius of Gaza

{{Short description|Greek sophist and rhetorician of Late Antiquity}}
'''Choricius of Gaza''' ({{langx|el|Χορίκιος}}) was a [[Gaza City|Gaza]]-based [[Byzantine Greeks|Greek]] [[sophist]] and [[rhetoric]]ian of [[Late antiquity|Late Antiquity]].<ref>Webb, Ruth. "Choricius of Gaza." In ''The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity''. Oxford University Press, 2018.</ref> With writings dating to the early sixth century, he flourished in the time of [[Roman Emperor Anastasius I|Anastasius I]] (AD 491–518) as a scholar and public orator.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}} He is considered as part of the [[Rhetorical School of Gaza]], of which he later became the chair.<ref>Webb, Ruth. "Gaza, schools and rhetoric at." In ''The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity''. Oxford University Press, 2018.</ref><ref>Cribiore, Raffaella. "education and schools, Greek." In ''The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity''. Oxford University Press, 2018.</ref>

Choricius was the pupil of [[Procopius of Gaza]], who must be distinguished from the historian [[Procopius of Caesarea]]. He was a Christian<ref name="Penella">{{cite book |last1=Penella |first1=Robert J. |title=Rhetorical Exercises from Late Antiquity A Translation of Choricius of Gaza's Preliminary Talks and Declamations |date=September 2009 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9781139480581 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=110yDwAAQBAJ |access-date=6 January 2024}}</ref> and among the surviving works of Choricius are many public addresses, such as to dedication of church of St. Sergius and a basilica dedicated to [[St. Stephen]]. Nevertheless, like other members of the School of Gaza, he displayed his traditional education through his profound knowledge of classic Hellenic mythology, literature and history.<ref name="Penella" /> As given in his second address on bishop Marcian of Gaza, given around 520, he emphasised the bond between classic erudition and ecclesiastic scriptural exegesis, the "one offering eloquence, the other one benefitting the soul".<ref name="Christ">{{cite book |last1=Grillmeier |first1=Alois |last2=Hainthaler |first2=Theresia |title=Christ in Christian Tradition Tomos 2-3 |date=1975 |publisher=Mowbrays |page=15 |isbn=978-0-19-921288-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lokeAAAAQBAJ |access-date=6 January 2024}}</ref>

These works also give a good insight into late-Roman Gaza, such as about its traditions and festivals as well as about the numerous building projects initiated by its impactful bishops Marcianus and the governor Stephanus.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Yardeni |first1=Ada |last2=Kushnir-Stein |first2=Alla |last3=Isaac |first3=Benjamin |last4=Misgav |first4=Haggai |last5=Cotton |first5=Hannah M. |last6=Price |first6=Jonathan |last7=Ameling |first7=Walter |last8=Eck |first8=Werner |title=South Coast: 2161-2648 A Multi-lingual Corpus of the Inscriptions from Alexander to Muhammad| page=427 |date=July 2014 |publisher=De Gruyter |isbn=9783110337679 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q6XoBQAAQBAJ |access-date=6 January 2024}}</ref>

== Style and works ==
A number of Choricius' [[declamation]]s and descriptive treatises have been preserved. The declamations, which are in many cases accompanied by explanatory commentaries, chiefly consist of [[panegyric]]s, funeral orations and the stock themes of the rhetorical schools. His wedding speeches, wishing prosperity to the bride and bridegroom, strike out a new line.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}{{Explain|reason=Not sure what this means but would require someone to go into the source to describe the actual significance here|date=October 2022}}

Choricius was also the author of descriptions of works of art after the manner of [[Philostratus III|Philostratus]]. The moral maxims, which were a constant feature of his writings, were largely drawn upon by [[Macanus Chrysocephalas]], metropolitan of Philadelphia (middle of the 14th century), in his ''Rodonia'' (rose-garden), a voluminous collection of ethical sayings.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

The style of Choricius is praised by [[Photios I of Constantinople|Photius]] as pure and elegant, but he is censured for lack of naturalness. A special feature of his style is the persistent avoidance of hiatus, peculiar to what is called the school of Gaza.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
*{{EB1911|wstitle=Choricius |volume=6 |pages=269–270}}

==Further reading==
;Edition
*[[Richard Foerster (classical scholar)|Richard Foerster]] and Eberhard Richtsteig, ''Choricii Gazaei opera'', Leipzig, [[Teubner]], 1929 (repr. Stuttgart, 1972).
;Translations
*Fotios K. Litsas, ''Choricius of Gaza: An Approach to His Work.  Introduction, translation, commentary'', University of Chicago dissertation, 1980.
*Robert J. Penella (ed.), ''Rhetorical Exercises from Late Antiquity: A Translation of Choricius of Gaza's'' Preliminary Talks ''and'' Declamations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009.
;Secondary literature
*Catherine Saliou (ed.), ''Gaza dans l'Antiquité Tardive: Archéologie, rhétorique et histoire''. Salerno: Helios, 2005.

==External links==
*Choricius, [https://books.google.com/books?id=Uw9CAAAAIAAJ ''Orationes, declamationes, fragmenta''], ed. Boissonade (1846)

{{Authority control}}

{{EB1911 article with no significant updates}}

[[Category:Roman-era Sophists]]
[[Category:Ancient Greek rhetoricians]]
[[Category:5th-century births]]
[[Category:6th-century deaths]]
[[Category:5th-century Byzantine writers]]
[[Category:6th-century Byzantine people]]
[[Category:Rhetorical School of Gaza]]