Synesius (; el, Συνέσιος; c. 373 – c. 414), was a

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

bishop of Ptolemais in ancient Libya, a part of the Western Pentapolis of

Cyrenaica Cyrenaica ( ) or Kyrenaika ( ar, برقة, Barqah, grc-koi, Κυρηναϊκή ��παρχίαKurēnaïkḗ parkhíā}, after the city of Cyrene), is the eastern region of Libya. Cyrenaica includes all of the eastern part of Libya between ...

after 410. He was born of wealthy parents at Balagrae (now

Bayda, Libya Bayda, or Elbeida ( or ; ar, البيضاء ) (also spelt ''az-Zāwiyat al-Bayḍāʾ'', ''Zāwiyat al-Bayḑā’'', ''Beida'' and ''El Beida''; known as ''Beda Littoria'' under Italian colonial rule), is a commercial and industrial city in e ...

) near Cyrene between 370 and 375.

Life

While still a youth (in 393), he went with his brother Euoptius to

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, Alexandri ...

, where he became an enthusiastic

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 ...

and disciple of

Hypatia Hypatia, Koine pronunciation (born 350–370; died 415 AD) was a neoplatonist philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician, who lived in Alexandria, Egypt, then part of the Eastern Roman Empire. She was a prominent thinker in Alexandria where ...

. Between 395 and 399, he spent some time in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

. In 398 he was chosen as an envoy to the imperial court in Constantinople by Cyrene and the whole Pentapolis. He went to the capital in occasion of the delivery of the ''aurum coronarium'' and his task was to obtain tax remissions for his country. In Constantinople he obtained the patronage of the powerful praetorian prefect Aurelianus. Synesius composed and addressed to Emperor

Arcadius Arcadius ( grc-gre, Ἀρκάδιος ; 377 – 1 May 408) was Roman emperor from 383 to 408. He was the eldest son of the ''Augustus'' Theodosius I () and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla, and the brother of Honorius (). Arcadius ruled the ...

a speech entitled ''De regno'', full of topical advice as to the studies of a wise ruler, but also containing a bold statement that the emperor's first priority must be a war on corruption and a war on the interpenetration of barbarians into the Roman army. His three years' stay 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 ( ...

was wearisome and otherwise disagreeable; the leisure it forced upon him he devoted in part to literary composition. Aurelianus succeeded in granting him the tax remission for Cyrene and the Pentapolis and the exemption from curial obligations for him, but then he fell in disgrace and Synesius lost everything. Later Aurelian returned in power, restoring his own grants to Synesius. The poet, then, composed ''Aegyptus sive de providentia'', an allegory in which the good

Osiris Osiris (, from Egyptian ''wsjr'', cop, ⲟⲩⲥⲓⲣⲉ , ; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎𐤓, romanized: ʾsr) is the god of fertility, agriculture, the afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life, and vegetation in ancient Egyptian religion. He wa ...

and the evil

Typhon Typhon (; grc, Τυφῶν, Typhôn, ), also Typhoeus (; grc, Τυφωεύς, Typhōeús, label=none), Typhaon ( grc, Τυφάων, Typháōn, label=none) or Typhos ( grc, Τυφώς, Typhṓs, label=none), was a monstrous serpentine giant an ...

, who represent Aurelian and the

Goth A Goth is a member of the Goths, a group of East Germanic tribes. Two major political entities of the Goths were: *Visigoths, prominent in Spanish history *Ostrogoths, prominent in Italian history Goth or Goths may also refer to: * Goth (surname) ...

Gainas Gainas (Greek: Γαϊνάς) was a Gothic leader who served the Eastern Roman Empire as ''magister militum'' during the reigns of Theodosius I and Arcadius. Gainas began his military career as a common foot-soldier, but later commanded the bar ...

(ministers under Arcadius), strive for mastery, and the question of the divine permission of evil is handled. In 402, during an earthquake, Synesius left Constantinople to return to Cyrene. Along the road he passed through

, where he returned in 403; it was in the Egyptian city that he married and lived, before returning at Cyrene in 405. The following years were busy for Synesius. His major concern was the organisation of the defence of the Pentapolis from the yearly attacks of neighbouring tribes. In 410 Synesius, whose Christianity had until then been by no means very pronounced, was popularly chosen to be bishop of Ptolemais, and, after long hesitation on personal and doctrinal grounds, he ultimately accepted the office thus thrust upon him, being consecrated by

Theophilus Theophilus is a male given name with a range of alternative spellings. Its origin is the Greek word Θεόφιλος from θεός (God) and φιλία (love or affection) can be translated as "Love of God" or "Friend of God", i.e., it is a theoph ...

at Alexandria. One personal difficulty at least was obviated by his being allowed to retain his wife, to whom he was much attached; but as regarded orthodoxy he expressly stipulated for personal freedom to dissent on the questions of the soul's creation, a literal resurrection, and the final destruction of the world, while at the same time he agreed to make some concession to popular views in his public teaching. His tenure of the bishopric was troubled not only by domestic bereavements (his three sons died, the first two in 411 and the third in 413) but also by the Libyan invasions of the country who destroyed Cyrenaica and led him to exile, and by conflicts with the ''

praeses ''Praeses'' (Latin ''praesides'') is a Latin word meaning "placed before" or "at the head". In antiquity, notably under the Roman Dominate, it was used to refer to Roman governors; it continues to see some use for various modern positions. ...

'' Andronicus, whom he excommunicated for interfering with the Church's right of asylum. The date of his death is unknown, but it is most likely in 413, as he wrote a farewell letter to Hypatia that year from his death bed. His many-sided activity, as shown especially in his letters, and his loosely mediating position between Neoplatonism and Christianity, make him a subject of fascinating interest. His scientific interests are attested by his letter to

, in which occurs the earliest known reference to a hydrometer, and by a work on

alchemy Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim world, ...

in the form of a commentary on

Pseudo-Democritus Pseudo-Democritus is the name used by scholars for the anonymous authors of a number of Greek writings that were falsely attributed to the pre-Socratic philosopher Democritus ( 460–370 BC). Several of these writings, most notably the ...

Works

His extant works are: #A speech before the emperor Arcadius, ''De regno'' (On Kingship) #''Dio, sive de suo ipsius instituto'', in which he signifies his purpose to devote himself to true philosophy #''Encomium calvitii'', a literary ''jeu d'esprit'', suggested by

Dio Chrysostom Dio Chrysostom (; el, Δίων Χρυσόστομος ''Dion Chrysostomos''), Dion of Prusa or Cocceianus Dio (c. 40 – c. 115 AD), was a Greek orator, writer, philosopher and historian of the Roman Empire in the 1st century AD. Eighty of his ...

's ''Praise of Hair'' #''Aegyptus sive de providentia'', in two parts, also known as ''The Egyptian Tale'', about the war against the Goth

and the conflict between the two brothers Aurelianus and Caesarius #''De insomniis'', a treatise on dreams #''Constitutio'' #''Catastasis'', a description of the end of Roman Cyrenaica #159 ''Epistolae'' (letters, including one text, Letter 57, that is in fact a speech) #9 ''Hymni'', of a contemplative, Neoplatonic character #2 homilies #An essay on making an astrolabe ;Lost works *A book on dog breeding *Poems, mentioned in Synesius' letters

Editions

* '' Editio princeps'', Turnebus (Paris, 1553) * Antonio Garzya, (ed.), ''Opere di Sinesio di Cirene'', Classici greci, Torino: UTET, 1989 (with Italian translation) * Lacombrade, Garzya, and Lamoureux (eds.), ''Synésios de Cyrène'',

Collection Budé The ''Collection Budé'', or the ''Collection des Universités de France'', is an editorial collection comprising the Greek and Latin classics up to the middle of the 6th century (before Emperor Justinian). It is published by Les Belles Lettres, ...

, 6 vols., 1978–2008 (with French translation by Lacombrade, Roques, and Aujoulat)

Legacy

A number of traditional Christian hymns, including "Lord Jesus, Think On Me", are based on his writings.

References

External links

*
Synesius of Cyrene
at livius.org (introduction by Jona Lendering and translations of all epistles, all speeches, all hymns, both homilies, all treatises)
D. Roques, Études sur la correspondance de Synésios de Cyrène reviewed by John Vanderspoel, University of Calgary, in Bryn Mawr Classical Review 02.01.16

{{Authority control Ancient alchemists Cyrenean Greeks 373 births 413 deaths 4th-century Romans 5th-century Byzantine bishops Romans from Africa Libyan Christians Bayda, Libya Christianity and Hellenistic philosophy Greek alchemists Christian clerical marriage Church Fathers Hypatia

Life

Works

Editions

Legacy

References

Further reading

External links