Editing Synesius

{{Short description|Ancient Greek bishop and alchemist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}}
{{for|the 6th-century Byzantine poet|Synesius Scholasticus}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
| name = Synesius of Cyrene
| church = [[Great Church]]
| image = Synésios de Cyrène.png
| caption = Portrait from a publication by [[André Thevet]], 1584
| diocese = Ptolemais
| birth_date = c. 373
| death_date = c. 414
}}
'''Synesius of Cyrene''' ({{IPAc-en|s|ɪ|ˈ|n|iː|s|i|ə|s}}; {{langx|el|Συνέσιος}}; c. 373 – c. 414) was a [[Greeks|Greek]] bishop of [[Ptolemais, Cyrenaica|Ptolemais]] in [[ancient Libya]], a part of the Western Pentapolis of [[Cyrenaica]] after 410. He was born of wealthy parents at Balagrae (now [[Bayda, Libya]]) near [[Cyrene, Libya|Cyrene]] between 370 and 375.<ref name=EB1911>{{EB1911 |wstitle=Synesius |volume=26 |page=294 |inline=1}}</ref>

== Life ==
While still a youth (in 393), he went with his brother Euoptius to [[Alexandria]], where he became an enthusiastic [[Neoplatonism|Neoplatonist]] and disciple of [[Hypatia of Alexandria|Hypatia]]. Between 395 and 399, he spent some time in [[Athens]].<ref>Synesius, ''Epistulae'' 54,136.</ref>

In 398 he was chosen as an envoy to the imperial court in Constantinople by Cyrene and the whole Pentapolis.<ref>''De regno'' 3; ''De insomniis'' 9; ''Hymns'' III.431.</ref> He went to the capital on the occasion of the delivery of the ''aurum coronarium''<ref>''De regno'' 3.</ref> and his task was to obtain tax remissions for his country.<ref>''De providentiae'' 3.</ref> In Constantinople he obtained the patronage of the powerful praetorian prefect [[Aurelianus (consul 400)|Aurelianus]]. Synesius composed and addressed to Emperor [[Arcadius]] a speech entitled ''De regno'', full of topical advice as to the studies of a wise ruler,<ref>{{harvnb|Paidas|2005|loc=passim}}.<!-- Konstantinos D.S. Paidas, He thematike ton byzantinon "katoptron hegemonos" tes proimes kai meses byzantines periodoy(398–1085). Symbole sten politike theoria ton Byzantinon, Athens 2005, passim.--></ref> but also containing a bold statement that the emperor's first priority must be a war on corruption and a war on the interpenetration of barbarians into the Roman army.

His three years' stay in [[Constantinople]] was wearisome and otherwise disagreeable; the leisure it forced upon him he devoted in part to literary composition.<ref name=EB1911/> Aurelianus succeeded in granting him the tax remission for Cyrene and the Pentapolis and the exemption from curial obligations for him,<ref>''Epistulae'', 31, 34, 38.</ref> but then he fell in disgrace and Synesius lost everything. Later Aurelian returned in power, restoring his own grants to Synesius. The poet, then, composed ''Aegyptus sive de providentia'', an allegory in which the good [[Osiris]] and the evil [[Typhon]], who represent Aurelian and the [[Goths|Goth]] [[Gainas]] (ministers under Arcadius), strive for mastery, and the question of the divine permission of evil is handled.<ref name=EB1911/>

In 402, during an earthquake, Synesius left Constantinople to return to Cyrene.<ref>''Epistulae'', 61.</ref> Along the road he passed through [[Alexandria]],<ref>''Epistulae'', 4.</ref> where he returned in 403; it was in the Egyptian city that he married and lived, before returning at Cyrene in 405.<ref>''Epistulae'', 123, 129, 132.</ref> The following years were busy for Synesius. His major concern was the organisation of the defence of the Pentapolis from the yearly attacks of neighbouring tribes.

In 410 Synesius, whose Christianity had until then been by no means very pronounced, was popularly chosen to be bishop of Ptolemais, and, after long hesitation on personal and doctrinal grounds,<ref>''Epistulae'', 105.</ref> he ultimately accepted the office thus thrust upon him, being consecrated by [[Theophilus I of Alexandria|Theophilus]] at Alexandria. One personal difficulty at least was obviated by his being allowed to retain his wife, to whom he was much attached; but as regarded orthodoxy he expressly stipulated for personal freedom to dissent on the questions of the soul's creation, a literal resurrection, and the final destruction of the world, while at the same time he agreed to make some concession to popular views in his public teaching.<ref name=EB1911/>

His tenure of the bishopric was troubled not only by domestic bereavements (his three sons died, the first two in 411 and the third in 413) but also by the Libyan invasions of the country who destroyed Cyrenaica and led him to exile,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.livius.org/sources/content/synesius/synesius-catastasis/synesius-catastasis-4/|title=Synesius, Catastasis (4) - Livius|website=livius.org|access-date=2019-08-06}}</ref> and by conflicts with the ''[[praeses]]'' [[Andronicus (governor)|Andronicus]], whom he excommunicated for interfering with the Church's right of asylum. The date of his death is unknown, but it is most likely in 413, as he wrote a farewell letter to Hypatia that year from his death bed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.livius.org/sources/content/synesius/synesius-letter-016/|title=Synesius, Letter 016 - Livius|website=livius.org|access-date=2018-12-28}}</ref>

His many-sided activity, as shown especially in his letters, and his loosely mediating position between Neoplatonism and Christianity, make him a subject of fascinating interest. His scientific interests are attested by his letter to Hypatia, in which occurs the earliest known reference to a [[hydrometer]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.livius.org/sources/content/synesius/synesius-letter-015/|title=Synesius, Letter 015|website=livius.org|access-date=28 October 2016}}</ref> and by a work on [[alchemy]] in the form of a commentary on [[Pseudo-Democritus]].<ref name=EB1911/>

== Works ==
*A speech before the emperor Arcadius, ''De regno'' (On Kingship)
*''Dio, sive de suo ipsius instituto'', in which he signifies his purpose to devote himself to true philosophy
*''Encomium calvitii'', a literary ''jeu d'esprit'', suggested by [[Dio Chrysostom]]'s ''Praise of Hair''
*''Aegyptus sive de providentia'', in two parts, also known as ''The Egyptian Tale'', about the war against the Goth [[Gainas]] and the conflict between the two brothers [[Aurelianus (consul 400)|Aurelianus]] and [[Caesarius (consul 398)|Caesarius]]
*''De insomniis'', a treatise on dreams
*''Constitutio''
*''Catastasis'', a description of the end of Roman Cyrenaica
*159 ''Epistolae'' (letters, including one text, Letter 57, that is in fact a speech)
*9 ''Hymni'', of a contemplative, Neoplatonic character
*Two homilies
*An essay on making an [[astrolabe]]

*A book on dog breeding (no longer extant)
*Poems, mentioned in Synesius' letters (no longer extant)

=== Editions ===
* ''[[Editio princeps]]'', [[Adrianus Turnebus|Turnebus]] (Paris, 1553)
* Antonio Garzya, (ed.), ''Opere di Sinesio di Cirene'', Classici greci, Torino: UTET, 1989 (with Italian translation)
* Lacombrade, Garzya, and Lamoureux (eds.), ''Synésios de Cyrène'', [[Collection Budé]], 6 vols., 1978–2008 (with French translation by Lacombrade, Roques, and Aujoulat)

=== Translations ===
* McAlhany, J. (2024) ''Beards & Baldness in the Middle Ages: Three Texts''. Brooklyn, NY: Leverhill, 2024 (translation of ''Encomium calvitii'', with notes). {{ISBN|979-8-9896993-0-8}}
* Fitzgerald, A. ''The Essays and Hymns of Synesius of Cyrene''. 2 vols. Oxford, 1930.

== Legacy ==
A number of traditional [[Christian hymn]]s, including "Lord Jesus, Think On Me", are based on his writings.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Synesius of Cyrene, Bishop of Ptolemais {{!}} Hymnary.org |url=https://hymnary.org/person/Synesius |access-date=2022-03-11 |website=hymnary.org |language=en}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* T.D. Barnes, "Synesius in Constantinople", ''Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies'' 27 (1986): 93–112.
* A.J. Bregman, ''Synesius of Cyrene, Philosopher-Bishop'' (Berkeley, 1982).
* A. Cameron and J. Long, ''Barbarians and Politics at the Court of Arcadius'' (Berkeley, 1993).
* A. de Francisco Heredero, "Bárbaros en la Cirenaica a través dela obra de Sinesio de Cirene" in: D. Álvarez Jiménez, R. Sanz Serrano and D. Hernández de la Fuente, El Espejismo del bárbaro : ciudadanos y extranjeros al final de la Antigüedad (Castellón, 2013) [https://www.academia.edu/4557726/Barbaros_en_la_Cirenaica_a_traves_de_la_obra_de_Sinesio_de_Cirene]
* A. de Francisco Heredero, "Synesios of Cyrene and the Defence of Cyrenaica" in: A. de Francisco, D. Hernández y S. Torres (eds.), New Perspectives on Late Antiquity in the Eastern Roman Empire (Cambridge, 2014) [https://www.academia.edu/9349460/Synesios_of_Cyrene_and_the_Defence_of_Cyrenaica]
*Chr. Lacombrade, ''Synesios de Cyrène. Hellène et Chrétien'' (1951)
*[[Wolf Liebeschuetz|J. H. W. G. Liebeschuetz]], ''Barbarians and Bishops: Army, Church and State in the Age of Arcadius and Chrysostom'' (Oxford 1990).
*J. H. W. G. Liebeschuetz, 'Why Did Synesius Become Bishop of Ptolemais?', ''Byzantion'' 56 (1986): 180–195.
*  {{Cite book |last=Paidas |first=Konstantinos D. S. |script-title=el:Η θεματική των βυζαντινών κατόπτρων ηγεμόνος της πρώιμης και μέσης περιόδου 398-1085 |trans-title=The theme of the Byzantine mirrors ruler of the early and middle period 398-1085 |publisher=Γρηγόρη (Grigori) |location=Athens |year=2005 |language=el |isbn= <!-- checksum error: 9789603334378 --> 9603334375 |url=https://metabook.gr/books/h-thematiki-ton-vizantinwn-katoptron-ighemonos-tis-prwimis-kai-mesis-periodoy-398-1085-konstantinos-d-s-paidas-121119?__cf_chl_tk=GunIodL1M.u_wQ835KqjP5FqXc1pGmQMXVs7jqF8DNw-1736817002-1.0.1.1-a3kpKuBDIlodokLmIH7ul1kyuvDI5kqCtJq00N15Eq4}}
*D. Roques, ''Etudes sur la correspondance de Synesios de Cyrene'' (Brussels, 1989).
*T. Schmitt, ''Die Bekehrung des Synesios von Kyrene'' (2001).
* [[Hartwin Brandt]], "Die Rede peri basileias des Synesios von Kyrene – ein ungewoehnlicher Fuerstenspiegel", in Francois Chausson et Etienne Wolff (edd.), ''Consuetudinis amor. Fragments d'histoire romaine (IIe-VIe siecles) offerts a Jean-Pierre Callu'' (Roma: "L'Erma" di Bretschneider, 2003) (Saggi di storia antica, 19), 57–70.
* Ilinca Tanaseanu-Doebler, ''Konversion zur Philosophie in der Spaetantike. Kaiser Julian und Synesios von Kyrene'' (Stuttgart: Steiner, 2005) (Potsdamer altertumswissenschaftliche Beitraege, 23).
* Dimitar Y. Dimitrov, "Sinesius of Cyrene and the Christian Neoplatonism: Patterns of Religious and Cultural Symbiosis", in [[Mostafa El-Abbadi]] and Omnia Fathallah (eds), ''What Happened to the Ancient Library of Alexandria?'' (Leiden, Brill, 2008) (Library of the Written Word, 3).
* Synesius is portrayed in [[Ki Longfellow]]'s ''Flow Down Like Silver, Hypatia of Alexandria'' in a highly imaginative way.
* ''Heresy: the Life of Pelagius'' (2012) by David Lovejoy though fictional contains a portrait of Synesius based on his letters
* {{BBKL|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110205043232/http://www.bautz.de/bbkl/s/synesius_c.shtml |autor=[[Wolfgang Kuhoff]]|artikel=Synesius Cyrenensis|band=39|spalten=1380-1408}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Synesius}}
{{Wikisource|Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Synesius of Cyrene}}
{{Wikisource|Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century/Synesius, bp. of Ptolemais}}
* {{wikisource author-inline}}
* [https://www.livius.org/articles/person/synesius-of-cyrene/synesius-texts/ Synesius of Cyrene] at livius.org (introduction by [[Jona Lendering]] and translations of all epistles, all speeches, all hymns, both homilies, all treatises)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/19990427100728/http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/bmcr/1991/02.01.16.html D. Roques, Études sur la correspondance de Synésios de Cyrène reviewed by John Vanderspoel, University of Calgary, in Bryn Mawr Classical Review 02.01.16]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100505024619/http://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/1993/04.05.02.html Cameron and Long reviewed by R.W. Burgess in BMCR]
* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14386a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia]

{{Alchemy|state=expanded}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ancient alchemists]]
[[Category:Cyrenean Greeks]]
[[Category:373 births]]
[[Category:413 deaths]]
[[Category:4th-century Romans]]
[[Category:5th-century Byzantine bishops]]
[[Category:Romans from Africa]]
[[Category:Libyan Christians]]
[[Category:Bayda, Libya]]
[[Category:Christianity and Hellenistic philosophy]]
[[Category:Greek alchemists]]
[[Category:Christian clerical marriage]]
[[Category:Church Fathers]]
[[Category:Hypatia]]