Heraclius ( el, Ἡράκλειος ''Herakleios''; fl. 4th century AD) was a
Cynic philosopher, against whom the emperor
Julian wrote in his seventh oration. Julian relates how Heraclius delivered an allegorical fable before him, in which Heraclius took upon himself the part of
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but slightly less than one-thousandth t ...
, and gave the emperor that of the god
Pan. Although offended by this fable, and by the disrespect with which Heraclius mentioned the gods, Julian maintained his silence, fearing that he would appear paranoid if he imposed silence upon Heraclius, as well as for regard for the audience. The encounter occurred while Julian was in
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
. Julian later composed his long discourse to explain that a Cynic should be an enemy to all pretence and deception, and ought not to compose fables; or, if he will compose them, that they should at least be serious, instructive, and religious.
We also hear upon another occasion of an incident in which Heraclius urged bold action to
Procopius
Procopius of Caesarea ( grc-gre, Προκόπιος ὁ Καισαρεύς ''Prokópios ho Kaisareús''; la, Procopius Caesariensis; – after 565) was a prominent late antique Greek scholar from Caesarea Maritima. Accompanying the Roman gen ...
, a relative of Julian.
[Eunapius, fr. 31, Müller] The historical context of the incident may have been when Procopius attempted (and, ultimately, failed) to seize the
empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
following the death of
Jovian
Jovian is the adjectival form of Jupiter and may refer to:
* Jovian (emperor) (Flavius Iovianus Augustus), Roman emperor (363–364 AD)
* Jovians and Herculians, Roman imperial guard corps
* Jovian (lemur), a Coquerel's sifaka known for ''Zoboomafo ...
, Julian's successor.
Notes
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Heraclius the Cynic
4th-century Greek philosophers
Roman-era Cynic philosophers