Apsines
Encyclopedia
Apsines of Gadara was a Greek
rhetoric
ian. He studied at Smyrna
and taught at Athens
, gaining such a reputation that he was raised to the consul
ship by the emperor Maximinus
. He was a rival of Fronto of Emesa
, and a friend of Philostratus
, the author of the Lives of the Sophists, who praises his wonderful memory and accuracy.
Two rhetorical treatises by him are extant: [Greek: technae raetorikae],
a handbook of rhetoric greatly interpolated, a considerable portion
being taken from the Rhetoric of Longinus; and a smaller
work, [Greek: perhi eschaematismenon problaematon], on Propositions maintained
figuratively.
Editions by Bake, 1849; Spengel-Hammer in Rhetores Graeci,
ii. (1894): see also Hammer, De Apsine Rhetore (1876); Volkmann,
Rhetorik der Griechen und Romer (1885).
Two rhetorical treatises by him are extant:
an English translation was first published in 1997. Malcolm Heath
has argued (APJ 1998) that the work's attribution to Apsines is incorrect.
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. He studied at Smyrna
Smyrna
Smyrna was an ancient city located at a central and strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Thanks to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to prominence. The ancient city is located at two sites within modern İzmir, Turkey...
and taught at Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, gaining such a reputation that he was raised to the consul
Consul
Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...
ship by the emperor Maximinus
Maximinus
Maximinus II , also known as Maximinus Daia or Maximinus Daza, was Roman Emperor from 308 to 313. He was born of Dacian peasant stock to the half sister of the emperor Galerius near their family lands around Felix Romuliana; a rural area then in the Danubian region of Moesia, now Eastern Serbia.He...
. He was a rival of Fronto of Emesa
Fronto of Emesa
Fronto of Emesa is a famous rhetorician and uncle on Cassius Longinus. He lived under the emperor Severus in Rome. Fronto taught rhetoric in Athens where he was a rival teacher to the first Philostratus and to Apsines of Gadara. He died in Athens, aged about 60....
, and a friend of Philostratus
Philostratus
Philostratus or Lucius Flavius Philostratus , , called "the Athenian", was a Greek sophist of the Roman imperial period. His father was a minor sophist of the same name. He was born probably around 172, and is said by the Suda to have been living in the reign of emperor Philip the Arab . His death...
, the author of the Lives of the Sophists, who praises his wonderful memory and accuracy.
Two rhetorical treatises by him are extant: [Greek: technae raetorikae],
a handbook of rhetoric greatly interpolated, a considerable portion
being taken from the Rhetoric of Longinus; and a smaller
work, [Greek: perhi eschaematismenon problaematon], on Propositions maintained
figuratively.
Editions by Bake, 1849; Spengel-Hammer in Rhetores Graeci,
ii. (1894): see also Hammer, De Apsine Rhetore (1876); Volkmann,
Rhetorik der Griechen und Romer (1885).
Two rhetorical treatises by him are extant:
- His Τέχνη ῥητορική ("Art of Rhetoric") is a greatly interpolated handbook of rhetoric, a considerable portion being taken from the Rhetoric of LonginusLonginus (literature)Longinus is the conventional name of the author of the treatise, On the Sublime , a work which focuses on the effect of good writing. Longinus, sometimes referred to as Pseudo-Longinus because his real name is unknown, was a Greek teacher of rhetoric or a literary critic who may have lived in the...
and other material from HermogenesHermogenesHermogenes is a Greek name . It may refer to:* Hermogenes , Attic Greek potter* Hermogenes , Greek* Hermogenes of Priene , Greek architect...
;
an English translation was first published in 1997. Malcolm Heath
Malcolm Heath
Malcolm Brewster Heath is a former English cricketer. Heath was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm fast-medium....
has argued (APJ 1998) that the work's attribution to Apsines is incorrect.
- A smaller work, Περὶ ἐσχηματισμήνων προβλημάτων ("on Propositions maintained figuratively").
Editions
- Jan BakeJan BakeJan Bake was a Dutch philologist and critic. He was born in Leiden, and from 1817 to 1854 he was professor of Greek and Roman literature at the university.His principal works are:-...
(1849) - Spengel-Hammer, Rhetores Graeci (1894)
- Mervin R. Dilts and George A. KennedyGeorge A. KennedyGeorge Alexander Kennedy is a contemporary scholar of classical rhetoric and literature.Kennedy received his Ph.D. in classics from Harvard University in 1954 with a dissertation entitled "PROLEGOMENA AND COMMENTARY TO QUINTILIAN VIII "...
, eds., Two Greek Rhetorical Treatises from the Roman Empire (Brill, 1997)