Messius Phoebus Severus (''floruit'' 469–470) was a Roman politician and philosopher. He was appointed

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throug ...

with

Flavius Iordanes Flavius Iordanes was a Roman general and politician. He was holding the office of ''magister militum per Orientem'' when the Western Emperor Anthemius appointed him consul with Messius Phoebus Severus Messius Phoebus Severus (''floruit'' 469–470 ...

for 470.

Biography

Born in Rome, he studied at the school of the

neoplatonist Neoplatonism is a strand of Platonic philosophy that emerged in the 3rd century AD against the background of Hellenistic philosophy and religion. The term does not encapsulate a set of ideas as much as a chain of thinkers. But there are some ide ...

philosopher

Proclus Proclus Lycius (; 8 February 412 – 17 April 485), called Proclus the Successor ( grc-gre, Πρόκλος ὁ Διάδοχος, ''Próklos ho Diádokhos''), was a Greek Neoplatonist philosopher, one of the last major classical philosophers ...

, in

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

; among the other students there were the Pagan poet

Pamprepius Pamprepius ( grc-gre, Παμπρέπιος, ''Pamprépios''; Latin: ''Pamprepius''; 29 September 440 – November 484) was a philosopher and a pagan poet who rebelled against the Eastern Roman Emperor Zeno. Damascius described him as a brilli ...

(who was instrumental in the revolt of Illus), the military officer Marcellinus (later semi-autonomous commander in Illyricum), the noble

Anthemius Procopius Anthemius (died 11 July 472) was western Roman emperor from 467 to 472. Perhaps the last capable Western Roman Emperor, Anthemius attempted to solve the two primary military challenges facing the remains of the Western Roman Empire: ...

(Consul and Western Roman Emperor), and Illustrius Pusaeus (

Praetorian prefect of the East The praetorian prefecture of the East, or of the Orient ( la, praefectura praetorio Orientis, el, ἐπαρχότης/ὑπαρχία τῶν πραιτωρίων τῆς ἀνατολῆς) was one of four large praetorian prefectures into whic ...

in 465 and Consul in 467). During this period, a pause in his career after he had become disillusioned with public life, he received some scholars who were interested in his rich library. In 467/469 Severus returned to Rome, where the Western Emperor Anthemius elevated him to the honour of the consulate in the year 470, as well as gave him the rank of '' Patricius'' and the office of ''

Praefectus urbi The ''praefectus urbanus'', also called ''praefectus urbi'' or urban prefect in English, was prefect of the city of Rome, and later also of Constantinople. The office originated under the Roman kings, continued during the Republic and Empire, and ...

''. According to

Damascius Damascius (; grc-gre, Δαμάσκιος, 458 – after 538), known as "the last of the Athenian Neoplatonists," was the last scholarch of the neoplatonic Athenian school. He was one of the neoplatonic philosophers who left Athens after laws ...

, Severus and Anthemius had a secret plan to restore the Pagan cults. During his office, he restored parts of the

Colosseum The Colosseum ( ; it, Colosseo ) is an oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. It is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, and is still the largest standing amphitheatre in the world to ...

. and

Notes

Bibliography

* MacGeorge, Penny, ''Late Roman Warlords'', Oxford University Press, 2002, * Martindale, John, John R. Morris, "Fl. Messius Phoebus Severus 19" ''PLRE'' II, (

Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire ''Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire'' (abbreviated as ''PLRE'') is a work of Roman prosopography published in a set of three volumes collectively describing many of the people attested to have lived in the Roman Empire from AD 260, the date ...

Vol. II A.D. 395–527) * O'Meara, Dominic, ''Platonopolis: Platonic Political Philosophy in Late Antiquity'', Oxford University Press, 2003, {{s-end 5th-century Romans 5th-century Roman consuls Imperial Roman consuls Neoplatonists Patricii Urban prefects of Rome Messii Late-Roman-era pagans