Hermogenes of Tarsus
Encyclopedia
Hermogenes of Tarsus was a Greek rhetorician, surnamed the polisher (Greek ). He flourished in the reign of Marcus Aurelius (AD 161-180).

His precocious ability secured him a public appointment as teacher of his art while he was only a boy, attracting the note of the emperor himself; but at the age of twenty-five his faculties gave way, and he spent the remainder of his long life in a state of intellectual impotence.
According to legend, he probably fell victim to a disease which resulted in meningitis, such as measles or yersinia. Philostratus of Lemnos notes he continued in this pitiable state until dying at an advanced age. The Suda
Suda
The Suda or Souda is a massive 10th century Byzantine encyclopedia of the ancient Mediterranean world, formerly attributed to an author called Suidas. It is an encyclopedic lexicon, written in Greek, with 30,000 entries, many drawing from ancient sources that have since been lost, and often...

records a rumor that after his death his heart was found to be enormous and covered in hair.

During his early years, however, he had composed a series of rhetorical treatises, which became popular text-books, and the subject of subsequent commentaries. We still possess some sections:
  • on legal issues (staseis)
  • on the invention of arguments
  • on various kinds of style
  • on the method of speaking effectively
  • on rhetorical exercises (progymnasmata
    Progymnasmata
    Progymnasmata are rhetorical exercises gradually leading the student to familiarity with the elements of rhetoric, in preparation for their own practice speeches and ultimately their own orations.Both Hermogenes of Tarsus and Aelius Festus Aphthonius wrote treatises containing progymnasmata...

    ).


There seems to have been yet another Hermogenes of Tarsus, remembered for being put to death by Emperor Domitian because of some allusions in his History.

Editions and translations

In the Renaissance the famous publisher, book- and type designer Aldus Manutius
Aldus Manutius
Aldus Pius Manutius , the Latinised name of Aldo Manuzio —sometimes called Aldus Manutius, the Elder to distinguish him from his grandson, Aldus Manutius, the Younger—was an Italian humanist who became a printer and publisher when he founded the Aldine Press at Venice.His publishing legacy includes...

 introduced the Hermogenean rhetorical corpus to the Western European reader. The works of Hermogenes appeared in the Aldine
Aldine Press
Aldine Press was the printing office started by Aldus Manutius in 1494 in Venice, from which were issued the celebrated Aldine editions of the classics . The Aldine Press is famous in the history of typography, among other things, for the introduction of italics...

 series. The 19th century Hugo Rabe edition of the Opera Hermogenis, with Latin introduction, is based upon various editions, a.o. the Aldine edition.

Michel Patillon has translated the entire Hermogenic corpus into French, with copious annotations. Malcolm Heath has translated On Issues (Greek ) into English, and Cecil W. Wooten has translated On Types of Style (Greek into English. A Dutch translation of Peri Ideon appeared in late 2006.

Work on Hermogenes' influence

Mikael Johansson has tried to apply the unique rhetorical schemes of Hermogenes on some of the declamations of Libanius
Libanius
Libanius was a Greek-speaking teacher of rhetoric of the Sophist school. During the rise of Christian hegemony in the later Roman Empire, he remained unconverted and regarded himself as a Hellene in religious matters.-Life:...

.

Annabel Patterson wrote a book about Hermogenean style, rhetorical categories, and its influence on Renaissance writers, such as Shakespeare. Hugh Blair also mentions Hermogenes in his work on rhetoric.
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