ἔρωτα παύει λιμός. εἰ δὲ μή, χρόνος· ἐὰν δὲ τούτοις μὴ δύνῃ χρῆσθαι, βρόχος. —Crates (Cynic philosopher)

Hunger puts a stop to erōs. If not, time does. But, if you can’t use these, a noose works. of Samosata born around AD 125 died after AD 180 (mentions death of )

Sophist

and Satirist Second Sophistic

begins some time in late 1st century BC?

flourishes from Nero’s reign (mid 1st AD) until mid 3rd century new (Roman) funding + prestige of Greek ironic, self-aware, campy reaction to kitschy imitation

mixes and school-rhetoric

revives/fetishizes Attic dialect of Greek from 400-700 years before but in new sociopolitical climate (Some) 2nd Sophistic Genres

lives (encomia turned into biography)

collections of chreiæ or sayings

collections of memorable acts

epistles (letters) and collections of epistles

dreams and dream-interpretation

Menippean satire

“novel” (whatever that is) weird culty mathy stuff Academy Cynics (Dogs) Peripatetics Zeno Stoic (Porch) Garden family tree Skeptics of major later Pyrrhonists Neoplatonists Stoics believe cosmos = god = nature; soul = part of god/cosmos trying to figure itself out seek public life, contribute to public good physics (study of nature) + logic = ethics avoid emotions/passions; embrace reason; act, don’t be acted upon—you control yourself good = knowledge of truth/nature; evil = ignorance Epicureans avoid pain—seek ataraxia (untroubled peace) reject false pleasures leading to pain enjoy moderation in pleasures avoid war and public life; live privately at peace gods have ataraxia—not involved in the world varying opinions on determinism/free will Cynic Virtues

αὐτάρκεια autárkeia — self-sufficiency, independence

ἄσκησις áskēsis — training, practice in austerity

ἀναίδεια anaídeia — shamelessness, indifference

παρρησία parrhēsía — frankness, freedom of speech

κοσμοπολίτης cosmopolítēs — citizen of the world Cynic Memes dogs, especially rabid dogs smoke, ashes — what’s left after purification by fire thus Heracles: body burned away in apotheosis equipment: double cloak, pēra (purse), stick food: beans, lupins, legumes cosmopolitanism (=citizenship of world) and travel Cynics

Antisthenes of — student of

Diogenes of Sinope — student of

Crates of Thebes — student of Diogenes

Hipparchia of Maroneia — wife of Crates

Menippus of Gadara — invented Menippean satire

Πήρη τις πόλις ἐστὶ μέσῳ ἐνὶ οἴνοπι τύφῳ, καλὴ καὶ πίειρα, περίρρυπος, οὐδὲν ἔχουσα, εἰς ἣν οὔτε τις εἰσπλεῖ ἀνὴρ μωρὸς παράσιτος, οὔτε λίχνος πόρνης ἐπαγαλλόμενος πυγῇσιν· ἀλλὰ θύμον καὶ σκόρδα φέρει καὶ σῦκα καὶ ἄρτους, ἐξ ὧν οὐ πολεμοῦσι πρὸς ἀλλήλους περὶ τούτων, οὐχ ὅπλα κέκτηνται περὶ κέρματος, οὐ περὶ δόξης. —Crates (in Diogenes Laertius Lives 6.85)

There is a city, Bag, in the midst of the wine-dark smoke, beautiful and rich, poor all-around, having nothing. To it sails no fool parasite, no connoisseur of whores, glorying in ass; instead it bears thyme and garlic and figs and bread, which never made anyone wage war against his fellow man, nor take up arms for money or glory. Hermotimus or, On Philosophical Schools Central Questions

What is the best philosophic school? How can you choose the best without first learning all the philosophies?

Are any of the philosophers not hypocrites?

False Premises: one can finish learning philosophy one can attain happiness by finishing philosophy Misunderstood Quotation

βραχὺς μὲν ὁ βίος, μακρὴ δὲ ἡ τέχνη

the life is short, the art is long

vitam brevem esse, longam artem (Seneca Dialogi 10.1.2) =ars longa, vita brevis Hermotimus Hermotimus has a book. He takes notes.

Hermotimus is 60 years old, has studied for 20 years, has not yet achieved virtue and perfect happiness

How long will it take Hermotimus to learn philosophy?

What do H’s professors say are the benefits of philosophy?

Do H’s professors seem to possess those benefits? Hermotimus

How many philosophies are there?

Which is the true philosophy?

Why did H. choose to follow the Stoics?

How many philosophers are Stoics?

How do you know Epicureans want pleasure, Peripatetics are avaricious and argumentative, Platonists are arrogant and vainglorious?

Appearance? Like statues? How can a blind man choose? Hermotimus

Appearances deceive: virtues are internal, not external.

Metaphor of Virtue as a City (cf. Plato ) no natives in Virtue: all are immigrants we should leave our city and seek the city of Virtue many paths to city who is to guide us?

“As for Ethiopians and Gelo’s wife— why did you have to bring her from Syracuse into the argument?” Hermotimus

Metaphor of Sacrilege a bowl is stolen from a temple: how to discover the culprit?

What if there is a large crowd? What if you don’t know what was stolen but everybody has an item? Hermotimus

Metaphor of the Lots contestants draw lots to determine tournament bracket: how to figure out who has the bye?

Is there a shortcut? E of 9? What if the letters are random? What if they aren’t letters but hieroglyphs? What if they aren’t hieroglyphs but pictures? Hermotimus

What if we try all the philosophies?

How long does it take to learn one? Twenty years? How long does it take to learn all of them?

Is there a shortcut?

Metaphor of the Wine Merchants Metaphor of the Wheat, Beans, Barley, Lentils, and Chick-Peas Metaphor of the Poison (Hemlock or Aconite) Hermotimus

What if none of the philosophers is right? How would we know? What is the faculty of judgment?

What if we had a judge of logic who could determine which philosophers were speaking logically?

How would you know the judge is logical?

argumentum ad infinitum — infinite regress Hermotimus

Cause of distress: invented a dream and decided to pursue it without checking to see if it was attainable

Dream: to achieve virtue/happiness through study

Implication: perfect virtue/perfect happiness is not attainable through study Statement of Method Sections 73–74 (pp. 122–123)

superfluous details distract the reader from skepticism of a false premise

storyteller describes beautiful woman poet describes man with three heads and six hands 2 × 5 = 7 ∴ 4 × 5 = 14 geometry is a lie: points are divisible, lines have width

wait, you fell for that last one? “You’ll do better for the future by resolving to share our ordinary life. Play your part in the affairs of the city along with many of your fellow-citizens, and give up bizarre and extravagant expectations.” Practicing political virtue…isn’t that what Stoics teach?

φιλοσόφῳ δὲ εἰς τὸ λοιπὸν κἂν ἄκων ποτὲ ὁδῷ βαδίζων ἐντύχω, οὕτως ἐκτραπήσομαι καὶ περιστήσομαι ὥσπερ τοὺς λυττῶντας τῶν κυνῶν.

“And if I ever again even unintentionally meet a philosopher as I’m walking on the road, I’ll turn round and avoid him like a mad dog.” Vita, Chreia

Vita (life): like an encomium

Chreia (saying in context):

Πάλιν δὲ τοῦ Ξέρξου γράψαντος «πέμψον τὰ ὅπλα,» ἀντέγραψε «μολὼν λαβέ.» Apophthegmata Laconica 225C.12

Again, when Xerxes sent a message, “Hand over your arms,” [Leonides] sent back, “Come and take them.” Outline Epistolary Introduction

Origin (Cypriot family of wealth and rank)

Education: eclectic philosophy, Platonic/Cynic

Deeds: help to others (fortune) gentle disposition due to philosophy (soul)

Collection of chreiæ: main illustration of character

Death DEMONAX disreputable he would not remain silent to the uninitiate, but discourage them from the rites; and if they were good he would tell the world about them out of general benevolence. The result was that the Athenians, who already had stones in their hands to throw at him, at once became mollified and well-disposed to him, and from that time showed him honour, respect, and eventually admiration. And yet he had started his speechChreiæ to them with a fairly bitter preamble: ‘Men of Athens, you see me ready garlanded: sacrifice me too, for your former victim* brought you no good omens.’ I want to quote some of his witty and well-aimed quips, and I 12 might as well start with Favorinus* and what he said to him. When someone told Favorinus that Demonax was poking fun at his lectures and particularly at their violently broken rhythms, saying that they were vulgar, effeminate, and quite inappropriate to philosophy, he went to Demonax and asked him, ‘Who are you to jeer at my lectures?’ Demonax replied, ‘A man with ears that are not easily fooled.’ The persisted and asked him, ‘What equipment did your boyhood education give you to take up philosophy?’ ‘Balls’, replied Demonax. On another occasion the same man went and asked Demonax 13 which philosophical creed he most supported. He replied, ‘Why, who told you I’m a philosopher?’, and walked away laughing heartily. Favorinus then asked him what he was laughing at, to which he replied, ‘I do find it funny that you think men are philosophers if they have beards, when you don’t have one yourself.’ When the sophist from Sidon,* who was popular in Athens, was 14 boasting that he was familiar with the whole range of philosophy–– but it’s better to quote his actual words: ‘If Aristotle summons me to the Lyceum, I shall attend him; if Plato asks me to the Academy, I shall go; if Zeno calls, I shall spend time in the Stoa; if Pythagoras summons, I shall keep silence.’* So Demonax stood up in the middle of the audience and said, ‘I say’, (addressing him by name), ‘Pythagoras summons you.’ When a certain Python, a pretty young fellow, who came from one 15 of the grand families in , was quizzing him by putting forward a trick question and asking for a logical solution, he replied, ‘I know one thing, my boy, the conclusion requires penetration–– like you.’ The lad was furious at the double-edged jibe, and said threateningly, ‘I’ll soon show you what a man is.’ Demonax laughed and asked him, ‘Oh, you have a man, have you?’ 155 DEMONAX disreputable he would not remain silent to the uninitiate, but discourage them from the rites; and if they were good he would tell the world about them out of general benevolence. The result was that the Athenians, who already had stones in their hands to throw at him, at once became mollified and well-disposed to him, and from that time showed him honour, respect, and eventually admiration. And yet he had started his speech to them with a fairly bitter preamble: ‘Men of Athens, you see me ready garlanded: sacrifice me too, for your former victim* brought you no good omens.’ I want to quote some of his witty and well-aimed quips, and I 12 might as well start with Favorinus* and what he said to him. When someone told Favorinus that Demonax was poking fun at his lectures and particularly at their violently broken rhythms, saying that they were vulgar, effeminate, and quite inappropriate to philosophy, he went to Demonax and asked him, ‘Who are you to jeer at my lectures?’ Demonax replied, ‘A man with ears that are not easily fooled.’ The sophist persisted and asked him, ‘What equipment did your boyhood education give you to take up philosophy?’ ‘Balls’, replied Demonax. On another occasion the same man went and asked Demonax 13 which philosophical creed he most supported. He replied, ‘Why, who told you I’m a philosopher?’, and walked away laughing heartily. Favorinus then asked him what he was laughing at, to which he replied, ‘I do find it funnyChreiæ that you think men are philosophers if they have beards, when you don’t have one yourself.’ When the sophist from Sidon,* who was popular in Athens, was 14 boasting that he was familiar with the whole range of philosophy–– but it’s better to quote his actual words: ‘If Aristotle summons me to the Lyceum, I shall attend him; if Plato asks me to the Academy, I shall go; if Zeno calls, I shall spend time in the Stoa; if Pythagoras summons, I shall keep silence.’* So Demonax stood up in the middle of the audience and said, ‘I say’, (addressing him by name), ‘Pythagoras summons you.’ When a certain Python, a pretty young fellow, who came from one 15 of the grand families in Macedonia, was quizzing him by putting forward a trick question and asking for a logical solution, he replied, ‘I know one thing, my boy, the conclusion requires penetration–– like you.’ The lad was furious at the double-edged jibe, and said threateningly, ‘I’ll soon show you what a man is.’ Demonax laughed and asked him, ‘Oh, you have a man, have you?’ 155 DEMONAX 32 When someone asked him if he thought the soul was immortal, he replied, ‘Yes––in the sense that everything else is.’ 33 Regarding Herodes he remarked that Plato was right in saying that we have more than one soul; for a man with a single soul would not lay dining places for Regilla* and Polydeuces as if they were still living, and also compose the sort of declamations he did. 34 On one occasion when he had heard the proclamation announcing the Mysteries, he was bold enough to ask the Athenians publicly why they excluded foreigners, especially as the founder of their rites, Eumolpus,* was a foreigner and a Thracian. 35 On another occasion he was about to make a sea voyage in winter, and one of his friends asked him, ‘Aren’t you afraid that the boat may capsize and you’ll be food for the fishes?’ His reply was, ‘I would be ungrateful if I grudged the fishes eating me, when I’ve eaten so many of them.’ 36 He advised an orator who had delivered an appalling declamation to practise and exercise; and when he replied, ‘I am always reciting to myself’, Demonax told him, ‘Then it’s no wonder your speech is like that, if you have a fool for a listener.’ 37 Again, he once saw a soothsayer giving prophecies in public for money, and said to him, ‘I don’t see on what ground you ask for money. If you believe you can alter destiny at all, whatever you charge is too little; but if everything is decreed by god, what is the point of your soothsaying?’ Chreiæ 38 When an elderly but powerfully built Roman gave him an exhibition of armed combat against a post, and asked him, ‘What do you think of my fighting skills, Demonax?’, he replied, ‘Excellent–– provided you have an opponent made of wood.’ 39 And see what shrewd replies he had ready in answer to trick ques- tions. When someone asked him mockingly, ‘If I burnt a thousand pounds of wood, Demonax, how many pounds of smoke would that come to?’, he replied, ‘Weigh the ashes, and all the rest will be smoke.’ 40 There was a certain ,* completely uneducated and ill- spoken, who said, ‘The emperor has honoured me with Roman citizenship.’ To which Demonax responded, ‘If only he’d made you a Greek rather than a Roman.’ 41 When he saw a grandee priding himself on the width of his purple band, he took hold of the garment, and pointing it out to him whispered in his ear, ‘Don’t forget, a sheep wore this before you––and stayed a sheep.’ 158 Statement of Method

Ταῦτα ὀλίγα πάνυ ἐκ πολλῶν ἀπεμνημόνευσα, καὶ ἔστιν ἀπὸ τούτων τοῖς ἀναγινώσκουσι λογίζεσθαι ὁποῖος ἐκεῖνος ἀνὴρ ἐγένετο.

These are just a few of the things I could have mentioned, but they can give my readers a clear idea of the sort of man he was. The Dream or, Lucian’s Career Outline

Childhood: good with making wax animals

Attempt at sculpture; failure; beating

Dream

- Choice between Sculpture and Culture

Report of Dream

- boring to others, but it had a point ’s dream Xenophon Anabasis 3.1.12

Now when the time of perplexity came, he was distressed as well as everybody else and was unable to sleep; but, getting at length a little sleep, he had a dream. It seemed to him that there was a clap of thunder and a bolt fell on his father's house, setting the whole house ablaze. He awoke at once in great fear… Heracles’ Choice by of Ceos; in Xenophon Memorabilia 2.1.21–34

fair to behold plump, soft free by nature impudent eyes

pure body, modest eyes, paler and more blushing, self-controlled in appearance straighter than is natural

ἡ δι᾽ ἀρετῆς ὁδός ἡ διὰ κακίας ὁδός the path through virtue the path through vice

truer beauty and good shortest path, no work, but much hard toil every pleasure Virtue Heracles Vice Lucian’s Choice

Ἑρμογλυφική τέχνη Παιδεία Sculpture Culture

hard-working, manly, fair of face, beautiful of dress covered in dust and appearance

wealth, power, no hard work, free from envy, never travels enemies fear and envy you

learn virtues of the soul, love beauty, gain knowledge

much travel, recognized everywhere, immortal fame The Death of Peregrinus Genre

vita (biography)

epistle (letter)

Addressee: Κρόνιος = Cronius

Is Cronius a Platonist? a Pythagorean? Or is this a translation of “Saturn”: Saturnalia?

Saturnalia: late December holiday featuring inversion slaves become masters, jokes, etc. important for satirists; Lucian writes a Saturnalia Epistolary introduction

Narrative framework: Theagenes the Cynic ranting syncrisis: Proteus (Peregrinus) and anonymous narrator: life of Peregrinus

Lucianic narrator: death of Peregrinus coda: Alexander’s story about Peregrinus ill Anonymous Narrator caught in adultery (radish!), seduced boy, killed father cf. St. Aristides Apologia (AD 125) found Christians and deceived them arrested and released: too eager for death (not worth it) lived with Christians until ate forbidden food went to Egypt, practiced ἄσκησις and ἀναίδεια went to , kicked out of Rome went to Greece, incited rebellion, offended locals, almost killed, eventually delivers encomium reversing offense Anonymous Narrator needed more attention: proclaimed own death to be like a tragic performance (or Heracles), almost in theater itself at Olympic festival philosophically unsound act undertaken for attention, not benefit of man might encourage the wicked to despise death not a thing to be emulated by children bad imitation of Indian gymnosophists might back out at the last minute

Peregrinus’ followers (Cynics) should follow him Lucianic Narrator gave long speech about life, dangers, philosophy promised to kill self, to despise death like Heracles stupid people: “Save yourself for the !” others:

several days after the festival, 2¼ miles away jumps into the fire Epistolary Interruption

Αὖθις ὁρῶ γελῶντά σε, ὦ καλὲ Κρόνιε, τὴν καταστροφὴν τοῦ δράματος.

Again I see you laughing, my good Cronius, at the climax (catastrophe) of the drama.

He even called on the spirit of his father… Lucianic Narrator

Cynics attending death threaten Lucian; he threatens to throw them in the fire.

Love of glory: the ἔρως that admirable men cannot escape

Lucian’s tales of the account: - for the wise, an unadorned account - for fools, marvelous details added details quickly repeated, become tradition Comparison/Contrast

Compare and contrast The Dream, or Lucian’s Career and The Death of Peregrinus

Is it right to seek glory and fame? Comparison/Contrast

Compare and contrast Demonax and The Death of Peregrinus

What makes for a good Cynic? What makes for a bad Cynic? Alexander or The False Prophet Glycōn Glycōn-Chnobis

Abraxas Genre

vita (biography)

epistle (letter)

Addressee: Celsus the Epicurean

What do Epicureans believe about the divine? Outline Epistolary Introduction

Description: physical, mental

Youth: lover (quack, followed Apollonius of Tyre) joined up with Cocconas the chorus-writer

Creation of Glycon cult Alexander’s deeds as head of Glycon cult chreiæ: false prophecies

Death: gangrene and maggots

Epistolary close: praise of Epicurus Hope and Fear

[Alexander and Cocconas] easily perceived that human life is at the mercy of the two great tyrannies of hope and fear, and that anyone who could exploit both of them would very quickly get rich.

Why do people visit like ? Glycon Cult

long Greek history with tame snakes: Olympias, mother of of Macedon

buried bronze tablets at temple of Apollo in Chalcedon announcing the coming of Asclepius Cocconas dies — bitten by snake enter Alexander, dressed in purple and carrying a sword feigns foaming at mouth; makes snake-head-puppet

hides and discovers egg containing snake soon brings out larger snake and fake snake-head Oracles charges fee (1d. 2o.) per makes profit on volume (70,000 to 80,000 oracles per year)

petitioners give questions on sealed scrolls Alexander opens scrolls secretly, reads questions writes answers on outside of scrolls seals and returns scrolls

oracles revised after the fact Lucian tries deceiving the oracle with Aramaic Σαβαρδαλαχου μαλαχααττηαλος ἦν Relations with Others

hated by Christians around (25)

hates and hated by Epicureans burns Epicurus’ Basic Doctrines Romans okay with him — seems helpful, and Romans are deeply superstitous Rutilianus is in his pocket protected by Roman governors attempts to assassinate Lucian Analysis

How does Alexander lie? Is it like or unlike Lucian’s method of deception?

Is Lucian lying? Is this story real?

Is this a vituperation of the Glycon cult or a praise of Epicurean (and Lucian’s) philosophy?

Where did all the dogs go?

What do we learn from the story? What is its moral?