Procopius of Gaza ( 465–528 AD) was a
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 ...
sophist and
rhetoric
Rhetoric () is the art of persuasion, which along with grammar and logic (or dialectic), is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. Rhetoric aims to study the techniques writers or speakers utilize to inform, persuade, or motivate par ...
ian, one of the most important representatives of the famous
school
A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes co ...
of his native place.
[Vikan, Gary, Alexander Kazhdan, and Zvi 'Uri Ma῾oz. "Gaza." In ''The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium''. Oxford University Press, 1991.] Here he spent nearly the whole of his life teaching and writing and took no part in the theological movements of his time.
The little that is known of him is to be found in his letters and the ''
encomium
''Encomium'' is a Latin word deriving from the Ancient Greek ''enkomion'' (), meaning "the praise of a person or thing." Another Latin equivalent is ''laudatio'', a speech in praise of someone or something.
Originally was the song sung by the ...
'' by his pupil and successor
Choricius. He was the author of numerous rhetorical and theological works. Of the former, his
panegyric
A panegyric ( or ) is a formal public speech or written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing. The original panegyrics were speeches delivered at public events in ancient Athens.
Etymology
The word originated as a compound of gr ...
on the emperor
Anastasius alone is extant; the description of the
Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia ( 'Holy Wisdom'; ; ; ), officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque ( tr, Ayasofya-i Kebir Cami-i Şerifi), is a mosque and major cultural and historical site in Istanbul, Turkey. The cathedral was originally built as a Greek Ortho ...
and the
monody on its partial destruction by an earthquake are spurious.
His letters (162 in number), addressed to persons of rank, friends, and literary opponents, throw valuable light upon the condition of the sophistical rhetoric of the period and the character of the writer. The fragment of a polemical treatise against 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 id ...
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 philosophe ...
is now assigned to Nicolaus, archbishop of
Methone in Peloponnesus (ft. 12th century).
Procopius' theological writings consist of commentaries on the ''
Octateuch'', the books of
Kings
Kings or King's may refer to:
*Monarchs: The sovereign heads of states and/or nations, with the male being kings
*One of several works known as the "Book of Kings":
**The Books of Kings part of the Bible, divided into two parts
**The ''Shahnameh'' ...
and
Chronicles,
Isaiah
Isaiah ( or ; he, , ''Yəšaʿyāhū'', "God is Salvation"), also known as Isaias, was the 8th-century BC Israelite prophet after whom the Book of Isaiah is named.
Within the text of the Book of Isaiah, Isaiah himself is referred to as "the ...
, the
Proverbs
A proverb (from la, proverbium) is a simple and insightful, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and use formulaic language. A proverbial phrase or a proverbia ...
, the
Song of Songs and
Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes (; hbo, קֹהֶלֶת, Qōheleṯ, grc, Ἐκκλησιαστής, Ekklēsiastēs) is one of the Ketuvim ("Writings") of the Hebrew Bible and part of the Wisdom literature of the Christian Old Testament. The title commonly us ...
. They are amongst the earliest examples of the "catenic" (''
catena'', chain) form of commentary, consisting of a series of extracts from the fathers, arranged, with independent additions, to elucidate the portions of Scripture concerned.
Photius
Photios I ( el, Φώτιος, ''Phōtios''; c. 810/820 – 6 February 893), also spelled PhotiusFr. Justin Taylor, essay "Canon Law in the Age of the Fathers" (published in Jordan Hite, T.O.R., & Daniel J. Ward, O.S.B., "Readings, Cases, Materia ...
(cod. 206), while blaming the diffuseness of these commentaries, praises the writer's learning and style, which, however, he considers too ornate for the purpose.
Complete editions of the works of Procopius in
Migne
Jacques Paul Migne (; 25 October 1800 – 24 October 1875) was a French priest who published inexpensive and widely distributed editions of theological works, encyclopedias, and the texts of the Church Fathers, with the goal of providing a ...
, ''
Patrologia Graeca'', lxxxvii; the letters also in ''Epistolographi graeci'', ed.
R. Hercher (1873); see also
K. Seitz, ''Die Schule von Gaza'' (1892);
L. Eisenhofer, ''Procopius von Gaza'' (1897); further bibliographical notices in
K Krumbacher, ''Geschichte der byzantinischen Litteratur'' (1897), and article by
G. Kruger in ''Herzog-Hauck's Realencyclopädie für protestantische Theologie'' (1905).
References
*
Bibliography
* ''Procopius Gazaeus. Opuscula rhetorica et oratoria''. E. Amato (ed.). Berolini-Novi Eboraci 2009.
* ''Prokop von Gaza. Eclogarum in libros historicos Veteris Testamenti epitome''. Teil 2: Der Exoduskommentar. Hrsg. von K. Metzler. Berlin-Boston: De Gruyter 2020.
* ''Prokop von Gaza. Der Exoduskommentar''. Über-setztundmitAnmerkungenversehen (DiegriechischenchristlichenSchrift-steller der ersten Jahrhunderte. Neue Folge 28). Berlin–Boston: De Gruyter 2020.
* ''Rose di Gaza: gli scritti retorico-sofistici e le Epistole di Procopio di Gaza''. Eugenio Amato (ed.), (Alessandria: Edizioni dell'Orso, 2010) (Hellenica, 35).
* Amato E. "Un discorso inedito di Procopio di Gaza: In Meletis et Antoninae nuptias", ''Revue des études tardo-antiques'' 1 (2011-2012), pp. 15–69.
* Corcella A. "Tre nuovi testi di Procopio di Gaza: una dialexis inedita e due monodie già attribuite a Coricio", ''Revue des études tardo-antiques'' 1 (2011-2012), pp. 1–14.
External links
Greek Opera Omnia by Migne Patrologia GraecaGuide to Procopius of Gaza, Epitome Eclogarum in Heptateuchum et Canticum Canticorum. Manuscript, 1696-1697
at th
University of Chicago Special Collections Research Center
{{Authority control
5th-century Christians
6th-century Christians
6th-century Byzantine writers
Byzantine writers
465 births
528 deaths