Teles the Cynic
Encyclopedia
Teles of Megara
, was a Cynic philosopher and teacher. He wrote various discourses (diatribes), seven fragments of which were preserved by Stobaeus
.
in the 260's BC, and he makes a specific reference to Hippomedon's
governorship in Thrace
under Ptolemy III Euergetes
in the years following 241 BC, thus this discourse was written shortly after this date. His native city is uncertain: he makes various indirect references to Megara
which show that he was living and teaching there, but it is possible that he originally came from Athens
. In Megara, Teles operated a school where he taught Cynic philosophy, selecting teachings from earlier philosophers and dispensing them to his pupils.
, although Stobaeus' own selections come from an earlier epitome by an otherwise unknown Theodorus. Thus what survives is a series of extracts from extracts, and it is quite possible that in between Teles and Theodorus, or Theodorus and Stobaeus, the writings went through a further editing process. The seven extracts are:
As a writer Teles has been regarded as being deficient in both literary and logical virtues, but this may reflect the way in which his works have been edited and compressed by Theodorus, Stobaeus, and others. The value of his writings lies in the fact that they are the earliest Cynic discourses (diatribes) to survive, and they provide an insight into the Hellenistic world in which Teles lived. His works make frequent mention of Socrates
and Diogenes
, and he preserves important fragments from the works of Crates of Thebes
, Metrocles
, Stilpo
and Bion of Borysthenes
. Without him we would know little about the Cynic diatribe in the 3rd-century BC, and we would know much less about Bion.
Megara
Megara is an ancient city in Attica, Greece. It lies in the northern section of the Isthmus of Corinth opposite the island of Salamis, which belonged to Megara in archaic times, before being taken by Athens. Megara was one of the four districts of Attica, embodied in the four mythic sons of King...
, was a Cynic philosopher and teacher. He wrote various discourses (diatribes), seven fragments of which were preserved by Stobaeus
Stobaeus
Joannes Stobaeus , from Stobi in Macedonia, was the compiler of a valuable series of extracts from Greek authors. The work was originally divided into two volumes containing two books each...
.
Life
Nothing is known about Teles except for the limited information he reveals in his writings. In his discourse On Exile he refers to events in the Chremonidean WarChremonidean War
The Chremonidean War was fought by a coalition of Greek city-states against Macedonian domination.The origins of the war lie in the continuing desire of many Greek states, most notably Athens and Sparta, for a restoration of their former independence along with the Ptolemaic desire to stir up...
in the 260's BC, and he makes a specific reference to Hippomedon's
Hippomedon of Sparta
Hippomedon of Sparta was the cousin of Agis IV in Sparta. Hippomedon was instrumental in gaining for his father Agesilaus a powerful position under Agis, but Agesilaus mismanaged affairs and they were exiled...
governorship in Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
under Ptolemy III Euergetes
Ptolemy III Euergetes
-Family:Euergetes was the eldest son of Ptolemy II Philadelphus and his first wife, Arsinoe I, and came to power in 246 BC upon the death of his father.He married Berenice of Cyrene in the year corresponding to 244/243 BC; and their children were:...
in the years following 241 BC, thus this discourse was written shortly after this date. His native city is uncertain: he makes various indirect references to Megara
Megara
Megara is an ancient city in Attica, Greece. It lies in the northern section of the Isthmus of Corinth opposite the island of Salamis, which belonged to Megara in archaic times, before being taken by Athens. Megara was one of the four districts of Attica, embodied in the four mythic sons of King...
which show that he was living and teaching there, but it is possible that he originally came from 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...
. In Megara, Teles operated a school where he taught Cynic philosophy, selecting teachings from earlier philosophers and dispensing them to his pupils.
Work
Seven extracts of the lectures of Teles, totalling about thirty pages, are preserved by StobaeusStobaeus
Joannes Stobaeus , from Stobi in Macedonia, was the compiler of a valuable series of extracts from Greek authors. The work was originally divided into two volumes containing two books each...
, although Stobaeus' own selections come from an earlier epitome by an otherwise unknown Theodorus. Thus what survives is a series of extracts from extracts, and it is quite possible that in between Teles and Theodorus, or Theodorus and Stobaeus, the writings went through a further editing process. The seven extracts are:
- Περὶ τοῦ δοϰεῖν ϰαὶ τοῦ εἶναι - On Seeming and Being
- Περὶ αὐταρκείας - On Self-Sufficiency
- Περὶ φυγῆς - On Exile
- Σύγκρασις πενίας καὶ πλούτου - A Comparison of Poverty and Wealth
- Περὶ τοῦ μὴ εῖναι τέλος ἡδονὴν - On Pleasure not being the Goal of Life
- Περὶ περιστάσεων - On Circumstances
- Περὶ ἀπαθείας - On Freedom from Passion
As a writer Teles has been regarded as being deficient in both literary and logical virtues, but this may reflect the way in which his works have been edited and compressed by Theodorus, Stobaeus, and others. The value of his writings lies in the fact that they are the earliest Cynic discourses (diatribes) to survive, and they provide an insight into the Hellenistic world in which Teles lived. His works make frequent mention of Socrates
Socrates
Socrates was a classical Greek Athenian philosopher. Credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, he is an enigmatic figure known chiefly through the accounts of later classical writers, especially the writings of his students Plato and Xenophon, and the plays of his contemporary ...
and Diogenes
Diogenes of Sinope
Diogenes the Cynic was a Greek philosopher and one of the founders of Cynic philosophy. Also known as Diogenes of Sinope , he was born in Sinope , an Ionian colony on the Black Sea , in 412 or 404 BCE and died at Corinth in 323 BCE.Diogenes of Sinope was a controversial figure...
, and he preserves important fragments from the works of Crates of Thebes
Crates of Thebes
Crates of Thebes, was a Cynic philosopher. Crates gave away his money to live a life of poverty on the streets of Athens. He married Hipparchia of Maroneia who lived in the same manner that he did. Respected by the people of Athens, he is remembered for being the teacher of Zeno of Citium, the...
, Metrocles
Metrocles
Metrocles was a Cynic philosopher from Maroneia. He studied in Aristotle’s Lyceum under Theophrastus, and eventually became a follower of Crates of Thebes who married Metrocles’ sister Hipparchia...
, Stilpo
Stilpo
Stilpo was a Greek philosopher of the Megarian school. He was a contemporary of Theophrastus, Diodorus Cronus, and Crates of Thebes. None of his writings survive, he was interested in logic and dialectic, and he argued that the universal is fundamentally separated from the individual and concrete...
and Bion of Borysthenes
Bion of Borysthenes
Bion of Borysthenes , c. 325 – c. 250 BC, was a Greek philosopher. After being sold into slavery, and then released, he moved to Athens, where he studied in almost every school of philosophy. It is, however, for his Cynic-style diatribes that he is chiefly remembered...
. Without him we would know little about the Cynic diatribe in the 3rd-century BC, and we would know much less about Bion.
Further reading
- Edward O'Neil, (1977), Teles: The Cynic Teacher. Scholars Press. ISBN 0891300929