Das Bild des Kynikers Diogenes in griechischen, syrischen und arabischen Texten
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Oliver Overwien
Abstract
Several ancient texts treat Diogenes’ life, or at least central aspects of it. The present article gives a survey of some of the most important passages dealing with the question for which purposes Diogenes was used in these texts: In the Sale of Diogenes and in Epistle 7 he serves as a Cynic role model. Cercidas venerates him in a funeral poem as a celestial dog, and Dion of Prusa uses him for a political statement. Furthermore, for Maximos of Tyre Diogenes symbolizes the Golden Age, while Lucian depicts him as a deterrent philosopher whose teaching has no value for human life. For emperor Julian the Cynic finally is a true representative of the old pagan religion.
Some biographical data are only preserved in the oriental tradition. They originate from Greek sources, i.e. they were part of the introductions to the philosophy of Aristotle which were read in the late antique universities like Athens or Alexandria. From this we may infer that the life and teaching of Diogenes itself was part of the late antique curricula, a fact, for which the Greek tradition gives no evidence.
© by Akademie Verlag, Berlin, Germany
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Articles in the same Issue
- Per l’interpretazione di Pind. Fr. 140 a S.-M. (= G 8 Ruth.)
- Forms and Conceptions of Dike in Euripides′ Heracleidae, Suppliants, and Phoenissae
- The Unity of Plato′s Meno. Reconstructing the Author′s Thoughts
- Natura e fine dei Caratteri di Teofrasto. Storia di un enigma
- Das Bild des Kynikers Diogenes in griechischen, syrischen und arabischen Texten
- Die zweite Reise des Odysseus in Lukians Verae Historiae
- Folklorica
- When Giants Stumble: Two Influential Misjudgements on Horace′s Odes (2. 20. 56 and 3. 30. 1014)
- Die Seelentaube bei Prudentius
- Is the First Line of the Acharnians Paratragic?
- Stratone AP 12. 193. 1
- De Philippicarum locis aliquot
- A New Echo of Pliny the Younger in Jerome?
