Apollonius Molon
Encyclopedia
Apollonius Molon or Molo of Rhodes (or simply Molon; ), Greek
rhetoric
ian who flourished about 70 BC.
He was a native of Alabanda
, a pupil of Menecles, and settled at Rhodes
. He twice visited Rome
as an ambassador from Rhodes, and Marcus Tullius Cicero (who visited him during his trip to Greece in 79-77BC) and Gaius Julius Caesar
both took lessons from him. Perhaps it is credit of Apollonius Molon's work that Cicero and Caesar, Cicero especially, became revered orators in the Roman Republic. He is reputed to have quoted Demosthenes in telling his pupils that the first three elements in rhetoric were "Delivery, Delivery and Delivery."
He had a stellar reputation in Roman Law courts, and was even invited to address the Roman Senate in Greek - an honor not usually bestowed upon foreign ambassadors.
He endeavored to moderate the florid Asiatic style
and cultivated an "Atticizing" tendency. He wrote on Homer
, and, according to Josephus
, violently attacked the Jews.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
rhetoric
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
ian who flourished about 70 BC.
He was a native of Alabanda
Alabanda
Alabanda – also hê Alabanda, ta Alabanda, Alabandeus, Alabandensis, Alabandenus, and for a time, Antiochia of the Chrysaorians – was an ancient city of Caria, Anatolia, the site of which is now located near Doğanyurt , Aydin Province, in the Asian part of Turkey.The city is located in...
, a pupil of Menecles, and settled at Rhodes
Rhodes
Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...
. He twice visited Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
as an ambassador from Rhodes, and Marcus Tullius Cicero (who visited him during his trip to Greece in 79-77BC) and Gaius Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
both took lessons from him. Perhaps it is credit of Apollonius Molon's work that Cicero and Caesar, Cicero especially, became revered orators in the Roman Republic. He is reputed to have quoted Demosthenes in telling his pupils that the first three elements in rhetoric were "Delivery, Delivery and Delivery."
He had a stellar reputation in Roman Law courts, and was even invited to address the Roman Senate in Greek - an honor not usually bestowed upon foreign ambassadors.
He endeavored to moderate the florid Asiatic style
Asiatic style
The Asiatic style or Asianism |Brutus]] 325) refers to an Ancient Greek rhetorical tendency that arose in the third century BC, which later became an important point of reference in debates about Roman oratory....
and cultivated an "Atticizing" tendency. He wrote on Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
, and, according to Josephus
Josephus
Titus Flavius Josephus , also called Joseph ben Matityahu , was a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian and hagiographer of priestly and royal ancestry who recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the 1st century AD and the First Jewish–Roman War, which resulted in the Destruction of...
, violently attacked the Jews.