Heraclitus Paradoxographus ( el, Ἡράκλειτος) is the author of the lesser-known of two works known as ''Peri Apiston'' (''On Unbelievable Tales'').

Palaephatus Palaephatus (Ancient Greek: ) was the author of a rationalizing text on Greek mythology, the paradoxographical work ''On Incredible Things'' (; ), which survives in a (probably corrupt) Byzantine edition. This work consists of an introduction and ...

was the author of a better-known work of

paradoxography Paradoxography is a genre of classical literature which deals with the occurrence of abnormal or inexplicable phenomena of the natural or human worlds. Early surviving examples of the genre include: * Palaephatus's ' ("On Incredible Things") ( 4th ...

with the same title, mentioned more often in antiquity. Heraclitus' ''Peri Apiston'' treats

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...

in the rationalizing manner that appealed to

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

apologist Apologetics (from Greek , "speaking in defense") is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. Early Christian writers (c. 120–220) who defended their beliefs against critics and ...

s, in pithy language and thought. The text survives in a single 13th-century manuscript in the

Vatican Library The Vatican Apostolic Library ( la, Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana, it, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana), more commonly known as the Vatican Library or informally as the Vat, is the library of the Holy See, located in Vatican City. Formally es ...

; it has minor imperfections, and it may well be a late Byzantine

epitome An epitome (; gr, ἐπιτομή, from ἐπιτέμνειν ''epitemnein'' meaning "to cut short") is a summary or miniature form, or an instance that represents a larger reality, also used as a synonym for embodiment. Epitomacy represents "t ...

of a longer work. Nothing is known of the author, although he appears to belong to the late 1st or 2nd century AD. He is unlikely to be any of the other men of the name of Heraclitus known from antiquity. The 12th-century

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

scholar and commentator on

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

Eustathius of Thessalonica Eustathius of Thessalonica (or Eustathios of Thessalonike; el, Εὐστάθιος Θεσσαλονίκης; c. 1115 – 1195/6) was a Byzantine Greek scholar and Archbishop of Thessalonica. He is most noted for his contemporary account of the ...

, is the only scholar who mentions him, as "the Heraclitus who proposes to render unbelievable tales believable".Noted by Jacob Stern, "Heraclitus the Paradoxographer: Περὶ Ἀπίστων, 'On Unbelievable Tales. ''Transactions of the American Philological Association'' 133.1 (Spring, 2003), pp. 51–97. This article is indebted to Stern's translation and commentary. The text includes thirty-nine items in which familiar myths are briefly recounted and explained. Heraclitus has four methods of explanation, all prominent in late

Hellenistic In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...

and Roman interpretations: rationalization (that the myth represents a misunderstanding of a natural event), euhemerism,

allegory As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory th ...

, or fanciful

etymology Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the Phonological chan ...

. All these techniques of

exegesis Exegesis ( ; from the Ancient Greek, Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation (logic), interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Bible, Biblical works. In modern usage, ...

were later adopted and developed by Christian

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

s of

Late Antiquity Late antiquity is the time of transition from classical antiquity to the Middle Ages, generally spanning the 3rd–7th century in Europe and adjacent areas bordering the Mediterranean Basin. The popularization of this periodization in English ha ...

. Among extant mythology collections this text is of particular interest precisely because it exemplifies in brief compass, such a range of ancient strategies for the interpretation of myth.

Notes

References

*Jacob Stern, "Heraclitus the Paradoxographer: Περὶ Ἀπίστων, 'On Unbelievable Tales'" ''Transactions of the American Philological Association'' 133.1 (Spring, 2003), pp. 51–97. Introduction and translation of the text, with commentary. *George F. Osmun, "Palaephatus. Pragmatic Mythographer" ''The Classical Journal'' 52.3 (December 1956), pp. 131–137. The better-known ''Peri Apiston''. *A. Westermann, in
Μυθογράφοι: Scriptores Poeticae Historiae Graeci
'' Braunschweig, 1843, pp
313-320
* G. Hawes, ''Rationalizing myth in antiquity''. Oxford: OUP, 2013 contains an important chapter on Heraclitus which surveys his use of rationalizing and allegorizing approaches.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heraclitus The Paradoxographer 2nd-century Greek people 2nd-century writers Greek mythology Ancient Greek writers