Hermodorus ( el, Ἑρμόδωρος), an Ephesian
who lived in the 4th century BC, was an original member of
Plato's Academy
The Academy (Ancient Greek: Ἀκαδημία) was founded by Plato in c. 387 BC in Classical Athens, Athens. Aristotle studied there for twenty years (367–347 BC) before founding his own school, the Lyceum (classical), Lyceum. The Academy ...
and was present at the death of Socrates.
He is said to have circulated the works of
Plato
Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...
(combined Socratic tenets with the Eleaticism of
Parmenides
Parmenides of Elea (; grc-gre, Παρμενίδης ὁ Ἐλεάτης; ) was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher from Elea in Magna Graecia.
Parmenides was born in the Greek colony of Elea, from a wealthy and illustrious family. His dates a ...
), and to have sold them in
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
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, demographi ...
. Hermodorus himself appears to have been a philosopher, for we know the titles of two works that were attributed to him: ''On Plato'' ( el, Περὶ πλάτωνος), and ''On Mathematics'' ( el, Περὶ μαθημάτων).
[Cf. Diogenes Laertius, Prooem. 8; ii. 106; iii. 6]
A.E. Taylor says:
Hermodorus, an original member of Plato's Academy, stated that for the moment the friends of Socrates felt themselves in danger just after his death, and that Plato in particular, with others, withdrew for a while to the neighbouring city of Megara
Megara (; el, Μέγαρα, ) is a historic town and a municipality in West Attica, Greece. It lies in the northern section of the Isthmus of Corinth opposite the island of Salamis Island, Salamis, which belonged to Megara in archaic times, befo ...
under the protection of Euclides of that city, a philosopher who was among the foreign friends present at the death of Socrates and combined certain Socratic tenets with the Eleaticism of Parmenides.
Notes
{{Authority control
Academic philosophers
4th-century BC Greek people
4th-century BC philosophers