Sophonias (commentator)
Encyclopedia
Sophonias was a Byzantine
monk
who wrote commentaries
or paraphrases of the works of Aristotle
including De Anima
, Sophistici Elenchi, Prior Analytics
, and the Parva Naturalia
, which are still extant.
Little is known about Sophonias, except that he was probably the monk sent by Michael IX Palaiologos
on an abortive mission to arrange a marriage between Michael and a western princess around 1295.
In his works Sophonias has interwoven the statements of Aristotle with the scholia of Michael of Ephesus
. Some later manuscripts of the Parva Naturalia commentary ascribe the work to Themistius
, but Sophonias' authorship, first proposed by Valentin Rose
, may be regarded as certain, and the method of composition does not resemble Themistius' at all. Sophonias wrote paraphrases of Aristotle's Categories
, Prior Analytics, Sophistici Elenchi, De Anima, De Memoria and De Somno. He considered innovative his practice of writing a running explanatory account of every passage in Aristotle, incorporating amplifications of Aristotle's paraphrasers or those critical remarks of the commentators that he thought necessary to understand the text. The value of the works of Sophonias is that they contain excerpts from the best of the earlier commentators.
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
who wrote commentaries
Commentaries on Aristotle
Commentaries on Aristotle refers to the great mass of literature produced, especially in the ancient and medieval world, to explain and clarify the works of Aristotle. The pupils of Aristotle were the first to comment on his writings, a tradition which was continued by the Peripatetic school...
or paraphrases of the works of Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
including De Anima
On the Soul
On the Soul is a major treatise by Aristotle on the nature of living things. His discussion centres on the kinds of souls possessed by different kinds of living things, distinguished by their different operations...
, Sophistici Elenchi, Prior Analytics
Prior Analytics
The Prior Analytics is Aristotle's work on deductive reasoning, specifically the syllogism. It is also part of his Organon, which is the instrument or manual of logical and scientific methods....
, and the Parva Naturalia
Parva Naturalia
The Parva Naturalia are a collection of seven works by Aristotle, which discuss natural phenomena involving the body and the soul:* Sense and Sensibilia * On Memory...
, which are still extant.
Little is known about Sophonias, except that he was probably the monk sent by Michael IX Palaiologos
Michael IX Palaiologos
Michael IX Palaiologos or Palaeologus , , reigned as Byzantine co-emperor with full imperial style 1294/1295–1320...
on an abortive mission to arrange a marriage between Michael and a western princess around 1295.
In his works Sophonias has interwoven the statements of Aristotle with the scholia of Michael of Ephesus
Michael of Ephesus
Michael of Ephesus or Michael Ephesius wrote important commentaries on Aristotle, including the first full commentary on the Sophistical Refutations, which established the regular study of that text.-Life:...
. Some later manuscripts of the Parva Naturalia commentary ascribe the work to Themistius
Themistius
Themistius , named , was a statesman, rhetorician, and philosopher. He flourished in the reigns of Constantius II, Julian, Jovian, Valens, Gratian, and Theodosius I; and he enjoyed the favour of all those emperors, notwithstanding their many differences, and the fact that he himself was not a...
, but Sophonias' authorship, first proposed by Valentin Rose
Valentin Rose (classicist)
Valentin Rose was a German classicist and textual critic.-Personal life:Valentin Rose was the son of mineralogist Gustav Rose , and a nephew to famed mineralogist Heinrich Rose and to the pharmacist Wilhelm Rose , of whom he published a brief remembrance...
, may be regarded as certain, and the method of composition does not resemble Themistius' at all. Sophonias wrote paraphrases of Aristotle's Categories
Categories (Aristotle)
The Categories is a text from Aristotle's Organon that enumerates all the possible kinds of thing that can be the subject or the predicate of a proposition...
, Prior Analytics, Sophistici Elenchi, De Anima, De Memoria and De Somno. He considered innovative his practice of writing a running explanatory account of every passage in Aristotle, incorporating amplifications of Aristotle's paraphrasers or those critical remarks of the commentators that he thought necessary to understand the text. The value of the works of Sophonias is that they contain excerpts from the best of the earlier commentators.
External links
- Greek texts: In parva naturalia, In libros de anima paraphrasis