Philippic

A philippic (/fɪˈlɪpɪk/)

Philip of Macedon

, which later came to be known as The Philippics.

Greece

The original "philippics" were delivered by

Athenian statesman and orator in Classical Greece, who delivered several attacks on Philip II of Macedon in the 4th century BC. Experts have questioned his intentions behind the philippics.^[2]

A First, Second, and Third Philippic have been ascribed to Demosthenes. A Fourth Philippic is also extant, but is of disputed authorship.

Rome

Cato the Elder is also associated with the concept of the Philippic. Just as Demosthenes had been warning of the militaristic intentions of Philip of Macedon, so Cato warned the Romans of the potential threat posed by the Carthaginians. Plutarch recorded a common ending to Cato's speeches: "Carthago delenda est" or 'Carthage must be destroyed'.

Marcus Junius Brutus the Younger and Cicero is genuine [ad Brut. ii 3.4, ii 4.2], at least the fifth and seventh speeches were referred to as the Philippicae in Cicero's time.^{[citation needed]} They were also called the Antonian Orations by Latin author and grammarian Aulus Gellius

.

After the death of Caesar, Cicero privately expressed his regret that the murderers of Caesar had not included Antony in their plot, and he bent his efforts to the discrediting of Antony. Cicero even promoted illegal action, such as legitimatizing the private army of Gaius Octavius, or Octavian. In all, Cicero delivered fourteen Philippics in less than two years. Cicero's focus on Antony, however, contributed to his downfall as he failed to recognize the threat of Octavian to his republican ideal.

Cicero's attacks on Antony were neither forgiven nor forgotten, with the result that Cicero was

Lepidus

.

According to Roman historian

Pro Ligario

, in which Cicero defends Ligarius before Caesar, was the vehicle of his renown.

References

^ "Definition of philippic | Collins English Dictionary". Archived from the original on 2012-05-18. Retrieved 2025-03-26.
^ Kennedy, George A. (2019). A new history of Classical Rhetoric. Belgrade: Princeton University Press, Karpos. p. 75.

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[1] "Definition of philippic | Collins English Dictionary". Archived from the original on 2012-05-18. Retrieved 2025-03-26.

[2] Kennedy, George A. (2019). A new history of Classical Rhetoric. Belgrade: Princeton University Press, Karpos. p. 75.

[2]

Greece

Rome

See also

References