Editing Philostratus

{{Short description|3rd century Greco-Roman sophist}}
{{other people}}

'''Philostratus''' or '''Lucius Flavius Philostratus''' ({{IPAc-en|f|ɪ|ˈ|l|ɒ|s|t|r|ə|t|ə|s}}; {{langx|grc|Φιλόστρατος}} {{Transliteration|grc|Philostratos}};<ref>Flavius Philostratus, [https://books.google.com/books?id=nZY-AAAAcAAJ ''Phlauiu Philostratu Bioi sophistōn''], Mohr, 1838, p. xxv.</ref> {{Circa}} 170s –  240s AD), called "the Athenian", was a Greek [[sophist]] of the [[Roman Empire|Roman imperial period]]. His father was a minor sophist of the same name. He flourished during the reign of [[Septimius Severus]] (193–211) and died during that of [[Philip the Arab]] (244–249), probably in [[Tyre, Lebanon|Tyre]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Anderson |first=Graham |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uVfXAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA3 |title=Philostratus (Routledge Revivals): Biography and Belles Lettres in the Third Century A.D. |date=2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-74717-8 |pages=1–7 |language=}}</ref>

==Name and life==
[[File:Julia_Domna_(Julia_Pia),_inv._2210,_Roman_-_Braccio_Nuovo,_Museo_Chiaramonti_-_Vatican_Museums_-_DSC00897.jpg|thumb|Bust of [[Julia Domna]], Philostratus' patron in the early third century AD.]]
Some ambiguity surrounds his name. The [[Nomen gentilicium|nomen]] ''Flavius'' is given in ''The Lives of the Sophists'' and [[Tzetzes]]. [[Eunapius]] and [[Synesius]] call him a Lemnian; [[Photios I of Constantinople|Photius]] a [[Tyre, Lebanon|Tyrian]]; his letters refer to him as an Athenian. His [[praenomen]] was probably ''Lucius'', although this is not entirely confirmed.<ref name=":0" />

It is probable that he was born in [[Lemnos]], studied and taught at [[Athens]], and then settled in Rome (where he would naturally be called ''Atheniensis'') as a member of the learned circle with which empress [[Julia Domna]] surrounded herself.

==Works attributed to Philostratus==
Historians agree that Philostratus authored at least five works: ''[[Life of Apollonius of Tyana]]'' (Τὰ ἐς τὸν Τυανέα Ἀπολλώνιον; {{langx|la|Vita Apollonii}}), ''Lives of the Sophists'' ({{langx|grc|Βίοι Σοφιστῶν}}, {{langx|la|Vitae Sophistarum}}), ''[[Gymnasticus]]'' (Γυμναστικός), ''[[Heroicus]]'' (Ἡρωικός) and ''[[Epistolae]]'' (Ἐπιστολαί). Another work, ''[[Imagines (work by Philostratus)|Imagines]]'' (Εἰκόνες), is usually assigned to his son-in-law [[Philostratus of Lemnos]].

''Heroicus'' (''On Heroes'', 213–214 AD) is in the form of a dialogue between a Phoenician traveler and a vine-tender or groundskeeper (ἀμπελουργός ''ampelourgos''), regarding [[Protesilaus]] (or "Protosilaos"), the first [[Achaeans (tribe)|Achaean]] warrior to be killed at the siege of [[Troy]], as described in the ''[[Iliad]].'' The dialogue extends into a discussion and critique of [[Homer]]'s presentation of heroes and gods, based on the greater authority of the dead Protosileus, who lives after death and communicates with the ''ampelourgos''. Heroicus includes Achilles' "Ode to Echo".<ref>Sophia Papaioannou, ''Redesigning Achilles: 'Recycling' the Epic Cycle in the 'Little Iliad' ([[Ovid]], [[Metamorphoses]] 12.1-13.622).'' Berlin/New York. Paul, George M. (1982)'' - 2007 Page 153  "Nagy's article comments on an interesting but little known literary reception of Achilles, namely his representation as a lyric poet and lyre-player, singing a song  to Echo (a code name for the Muse) in the company of Helen of Troy. ... and the two heroes, now souls distanced from their epic lives/roles, have become bards who sing of their own deeds. Cf. Maclean and Aitken above for a translation of the ''Heroicus'', including Achilles' 'Ode to Echo'."</ref>

''Life of Apollonius of Tyana'', written between 217 and 238 AD, tells the story of [[Apollonius of Tyana]] (c. 40 – c. 120 AD), a [[Pythagoreanism|Pythagorean]] philosopher and teacher. Philostratus wrote the book for [[Julia Domna]], wife of [[Septimius Severus]] and mother of [[Caracalla]]. The book was completed after her death.

''Lives of the Sophists'', written between 231 and 237 AD, is a semi-biographical history of the Greek sophists. The book is dedicated to a consul Antonius Gordianus, perhaps one of the two [[Gordian I|Gordians]] who were killed in 238. The work is divided into two parts: the first dealing with the [[Sophist|ancient Sophists]], e.g. [[Gorgias]], the second with the [[Second Sophistic|later school]], e.g. [[Herodes Atticus]]. The ''Lives'' are not in the true sense biographical, but rather picturesque impressions of leading representatives of an attitude of mind full of curiosity, alert and versatile, but lacking scientific method, preferring the external excellence of style and manner to the solid achievements of serious writing. The [[Ancient Greek philosophy|philosopher]], as he says, investigates truth; the sophist embellishes it, and takes it for granted.

''Gymnasticus'', written after 220 AD, contains accounts concerning the [[Ancient Olympic Games|Olympic Games]] and athletic contests in general.

''Epistolae'', or ''Love Letters'', breathe the spirit of the New Comedy and the Alexandrine [[poet]]s; portions of Letter 33 are almost literally translated in [[Ben Jonson]]'s ''Song to Celia'', "[[Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes]]." The letters are mainly of an erotic character. Their publication date is unknown.

==Translations==
*Alciphron, Aelian, and Philostratus, ''The Letters''. Translated by A. R. Benner, F. H. Fobes. 1949. Loeb Classical Library. {{ISBN|978-0-674-99421-8}}
*Philostratus, ''Lives of the Sophists''. Eunapius, ''Lives of the Philosophers and Sophists''. Translated by Wilmer C. Wright. 1921. Loeb Classical Library. {{ISBN|978-0-674-99149-1}}
*Philostratus, ''Apollonius of Tyana''. 3 volumes. Translated by Christopher P. Jones. 2005–6. Loeb Classical Library. {{ISBN|978-0-674-99613-7}}, {{ISBN|978-0-674-99614-4}}, and {{ISBN|978-0-674-99617-5}}
*Philostratus, ''Heroicus; Gymnasticus; Discourses 1 and 2''. Edited and translated by Jeffrey Rusten and Jason König. Loeb Classical Library. (Cambridge, Massachusetts and London, England, 2014). 
*Philostratos, ''Leben der Sophisten''. Greek and German by [[Kai Brodersen]]. Wiesbaden: Marix 2014, {{ISBN|978-3-86539-368-5}}
*Philostratos, ''Sport in der Antike (Peri Gymnastikes)''. Greek and German by [[Kai Brodersen]]. Wiesbaden: Marix, 2015, {{ISBN|978-3-7374-0961-2}}.

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
*{{EB1911|wstitle=Philostratus|volume=21|page=445}}

==Further reading==
* Aitken, Ellen Bradshaw, and Jennifer Kay Berenson MacLean, eds. 2004. ''Philostratus’s “Heroikos”: Religion and Cultural Identity in the Third Century C.E.'' Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature.
* Bowie, Ewen L., and Jaś Elsner, eds. 2009. ''Philostratus.'' Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Univ. Press.
* Bryson, Norman. 1994. "Philostratus and the Imaginary Museum." In ''Art and Text in Ancient Greek Culture.'' Edited by Simon Goldhill and Robin Osborne, 255–283. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Univ. Press.
* Elsner, Jaś. 2009. "Beyond Compare: Pagan Saint and Christian God in Late Antiquity." ''Critical Inquiry'' 35:655–683.
* Eshleman, Kendra Joy. 2008. "Defining the Circle of Sophists: Philostratus and the Construction of the Second Sophistic." ''Classical Philology'' 103:395–413.
* Demoen, K., and Danny Praet, eds. 2009. ''Theios Sophistes: Essays on Flavius Philostratus’ “Vita Apollonii.”'' Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill.
* Kemezis, Adam M. 2014. ''Greek Narratives of the Roman Empire under the Severans: Cassius Dio, Philostratus and Herodian.'' Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Univ. Press.
* König, Jason. 2014. "Images of Elite Communities in Philostratus: Re-Reading the Preface to the “Lives of the Sophists.”" In ''Roman Rule in Greek and Latin Writing: Double Vision.'' Edited by Jesper Majbom Madsen and Roger Rees, 246–270. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill.
*{{cite book |last1=Levick |first1=Barbara |title=Julia Domna: Syrian Empress |date=2007 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-32351-7 |pages=107–123 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BjkfKsCttrkC |language=en}}
* Potter, David. 2011. ''The Victor’s Crown: A History of Ancient Sport from Homer to Byzantium.'' Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press.
* Walker, Andrew. 1992. "Eros and the Eye in the Love-Letters of Philostratus." ''Proceedings of the Cambridge Philological Society'' 38:132–148.

==External links==
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{{Library resources box |by=yes |onlinebooks=yes |others=yes |about=yes |label=Philostratus
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*[http://www.livius.org Livius], [https://www.livius.org/phi-php/philostratus/philostratus.htm Philostratus] Updates the subsequent article with some ninety years of more recent research.
*[http://chs.harvard.edu/wa/pageR?tn=ArticleWrapper&bdc=12&mn=3565#onheroestext Online Text: Philostratus, ''On Heroes''] (''Heroicus'') translated by Ellen Bradshaw Aitken and Jennifer K. Berenson Maclean.  
*[https://www.livius.org/sources/content/philostratus-life-of-apollonius/ Online Text: Philostratus, ''Life of Apollonius of Tyana''] translated by [[F. C. Conybeare]]
*[http://virtualreligion.net/iho/philostratus.html Flavius Philostratus] entry in historical sourcebook with [http://virtualreligion.net/iho/exorcism.html#authority fresh translations] of excerpts from the ''Life of Apollonius'' by Mahlon H. Smith
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20130121093106/http://www.corvina.oszk.hu/corvinas-html/philostratus.html ''Imagines'' in National Széchényi Library, Budapest]
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Philostratus}}
* {{Librivox author |id=1717}}
*''Flavii Philostrati opera'', C. L. Kayser (edit.), 2 voll., Lipsiae, in aedibus B. G. Teubneri, 1870-71:
** Life of Apollonius: [https://archive.org/stream/operaphilostrati01philuoft#page/n43/mode/2up vol. 1 pp. 1-344].
**Lives of the sophists: [https://archive.org/stream/operaphilostrati02philuoft#page/n57/mode/2up vol. 2 pp. 1-127].
**Heroicus: [https://archive.org/stream/operaphilostrati02philuoft#page/128/mode/2up vol. 2 pp. 128-219].
**Epistolae: [https://archive.org/stream/operaphilostrati02philuoft#page/224/mode/2up vol. 2 pp. 225-260].
**Gymnasticus: [https://archive.org/stream/operaphilostrati02philuoft#page/260/mode/2up vol. 2 pp. 261-293].
*''Philostratorum et Callistrati opera, Eunapii vitae sophistarum, Himerii sophistae declamationes'', A. Westermann, Jo. Fr. Boissoade, Fr. Dübner (ed.), Parisiis, editore Ambrosio Firmin Didot, 1849, [http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k62357919/f19.image pp. 1-194] (Life of Apollonius), [http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k62357919/f214.image pp. 195-265] (Lives of the Sophists), [http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k62357919/f285.image pp. 267-319] (Heroicus), [http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k62357919/f336.image pp. 320-338] (Epistolae).

{{Platonists}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Philostratus}}
[[Category:Roman-era Sophists]]
[[Category:Roman-era philosophers in Athens]]
[[Category:Roman-era Athenian rhetoricians]]
[[Category:Flavii]]
[[Category:2nd-century Romans]]
[[Category:3rd-century Romans]]
[[Category:2nd-century Athenians]]
[[Category:3rd-century Greek writers]]
[[Category:People from Lemnos]]
[[Category:170s births]]
[[Category:250s deaths]]
[[Category:Year of birth uncertain]]
[[Category:Year of death uncertain]]