Maximus of Tyre
Encyclopedia
Cassius Maximus TyriusCassius Maximus Tyrius (Maximus of Tyre; was a Greek rhetoric
ian and philosopher
who flourished in the time of the Antonines and Commodus
. His writings contain many allusions to the history of Greece, while there is little reference to Rome; hence it is inferred that he lived longer in Greece, perhaps as a professor at Athens. Although nominally a Platonist, he is really an Eclectic
and one of the precursors of Neoplatonism
.
As animals form the intermediate stage between plants and human beings, so there exist intermediaries between God and man, viz. daemons
, who dwell on the confines of heaven and earth. The soul in many ways bears a great resemblance to the divinity; it is partly mortal, partly immortal, and, when freed from the fetters of the body, becomes a daemon. Life is the sleep of the soul, from which it awakes at death. The style of Maximus is superior to that of the ordinary sophistical rhetorician, but scholars differ widely as to the merits of the essays themselves.
Maximus of Tyre must be distinguished from the Stoic
Claudius Maximus
, tutor of Marcus Aurelius.
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 and philosopher
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
who flourished in the time of the Antonines and Commodus
Commodus
Commodus , was Roman Emperor from 180 to 192. He also ruled as co-emperor with his father Marcus Aurelius from 177 until his father's death in 180. His name changed throughout his reign; see changes of name for earlier and later forms. His accession as emperor was the first time a son had succeeded...
. His writings contain many allusions to the history of Greece, while there is little reference to Rome; hence it is inferred that he lived longer in Greece, perhaps as a professor at Athens. Although nominally a Platonist, he is really an Eclectic
Eclecticism
Eclecticism is a conceptual approach that does not hold rigidly to a single paradigm or set of assumptions, but instead draws upon multiple theories, styles, or ideas to gain complementary insights into a subject, or applies different theories in particular cases.It can sometimes seem inelegant or...
and one of the precursors of Neoplatonism
Neoplatonism
Neoplatonism , is the modern term for a school of religious and mystical philosophy that took shape in the 3rd century AD, based on the teachings of Plato and earlier Platonists, with its earliest contributor believed to be Plotinus, and his teacher Ammonius Saccas...
.
Writings
There are still extant by him forty-one essays or discourses on theological, ethical, and other philosophical subjects. With him God is the supreme being, one and indivisible though called by many names, accessible to reason alone:In such a mighty contest, sedition and discord, you will see one according law and assertion in all the earth, that there is one god, the king and father of all things, and many gods, sons of god, ruling together with him.
As animals form the intermediate stage between plants and human beings, so there exist intermediaries between God and man, viz. daemons
Daemon (mythology)
The words dæmon and daimôn are Latinized spellings of the Greek "δαίμων", a reference to the daemons of Ancient Greek religion and mythology, as well as later Hellenistic religion and philosophy...
, who dwell on the confines of heaven and earth. The soul in many ways bears a great resemblance to the divinity; it is partly mortal, partly immortal, and, when freed from the fetters of the body, becomes a daemon. Life is the sleep of the soul, from which it awakes at death. The style of Maximus is superior to that of the ordinary sophistical rhetorician, but scholars differ widely as to the merits of the essays themselves.
Maximus of Tyre must be distinguished from the Stoic
Stoicism
Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy founded in Athens by Zeno of Citium in the early . The Stoics taught that destructive emotions resulted from errors in judgment, and that a sage, or person of "moral and intellectual perfection," would not suffer such emotions.Stoics were concerned...
Claudius Maximus
Claudius Maximus
Claudius Maximus was a Stoic philosopher and a teacher of Marcus Aurelius.Marcus describes him as the perfect sage:From Maximus I learned self-government, and not to be led aside by anything; and cheerfulness in all circumstances, as well as in illness; and a just admixture in the moral character...
, tutor of Marcus Aurelius.
Translations
An English translation by Thomas Taylor, the Neoplatonist was published in 1804 and was made available online at Google Books in 2006. A more recent translation was published in 1997.- Taylor, Thomas, The Dissertations of Maximus Tyrius. C. Wittingham. (1804)
- Taylor, Thomas, The Dissertations of Maximus Tyrius. The Prometheus Trust (1994) - for extract http://www.prometheustrust.co.uk
- Trapp, Michael. Maximus of Tyre: The Philosophical Orations. Clarendon Press. (1997).