Theodorus the Atheist
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Theodorus the
Life
Theodorus was a disciple of Aristippus the Younger,[2] grandson of the elder and more famous Aristippus.[3] He heard the lectures of a number of philosophers beside Aristippus; such as Anniceris, and Dionysius the dialectician,[4] Zeno of Citium, and Pyrrho.[5]
He was banished from Cyrene, but for what reason is not stated;
Philosophy
Theodorus was the founder of a sect which was called after him Theodoreioi (Θεοδώρειοι), "Theodoreans". The opinions of Theodorus, as can be gathered from the perplexed statement of Diogenes Laërtius,
Theodorus was attacked for atheism. "He did away with all opinions respecting the Gods," says Laërtius,[17] but some critics doubt whether he was absolutely an atheist, or simply denied the existence of the deities of popular belief. The charge of atheism is sustained by the popular designation of Atheus, by the authority of Cicero,[18] Laërtius,[2] Pseudo-Plutarch,[19] Sextus Empiricus,[20] and some Christian writers; while some others (e.g. Clement of Alexandria)[21] speak of him as only rejecting the popular theology.
Theodorus wrote a book called On the gods (Περὶ Θεῶν). Laërtius had seen it, and said that it was not to be dismissed,[17] adding that it was said to have been the source of many of the statements or arguments of Epicurus. According to the Suda,[22] he wrote many works both on the doctrines of his sect and on other subjects.
Contra Hipparchia
According to the Suda, Hipparchia of Maroneia wrote many letters addressed to Theodorus.[22] Although none of them survive, there are anecdotes of her encounters with Theodorus:
When she went into a symposium with Crates, she tested Theodorus the Atheist by proposing a
sophism like this: "That which if Theodorus did, he would not be said to do wrong, neither should Hipparchia be said to do wrong if she does it. Theodorus hitting himself does not do wrong, nor does Hipparchia do wrong hitting Theodorus." He did not reply to what she said, but pulled up her garment.[22]
Hipparchia was neither offended nor ashamed by this "as most women would have been".[23] We are also told that when Theodorus, quoting a line from The Bacchae of Euripides, said to her: "Who is the woman who has left behind the shuttles of the loom?" she replied
I, Theodorus, am that person, but do I appear to you to have come to a wrong decision, if I devote that time to philosophy, which I otherwise should have spent at the loom?[24]
See also
Notes
- ^ Dorandi 1999, p. 52.
- ^ a b Laërtius 1925, § 86.
- ^ Suda, Aristippos
- ^ Laërtius 1925b, § 98.
- ^ Suda, Theodoros
- ^ a b c Laërtius 1925, § 103.
- ^ Filonik 2013, pp. 75–76.
- ^ a b Laërtius 1925, § 101.
- Tusculanae Quaestiones, i. 43
- ^ Seneca, de Tranq. An.
- ^ a b Laërtius 1925, § 102.
- ^ Laërtius 1925, § 97–103.
- ^ Plutarch, De Animi Tranquill., vii.; De Exsilio, viii.
- ^ Valerius Maximus, vi. 2, extern. 3
- ^ Philo, Jud. Quod omnis probus liber, c. 18, vol. ii., vol. v.
- ^ Laërtius 1925, § 98 ff..
- ^ a b Laërtius 1925, § 97.
- ^ Cicero, de Natura Deorum, i. 1
- ^ Pseudo-Plutarch, De Placit. Philos., i. 7
- ^ Sextus Empiricus, Pyrrhon. Hypotyp., lib. iii.
- ^ Clement of Alexandria, Protrept. ad Gentes
- ^ a b c Suda, Hipparchia.
- ^ Laërtius 1925c, § 96.
- ^ Laërtius 1925c, § 98.
References
- Dorandi, Tiziano (1999). "Chapter 2: Chronology". In Algra, Keimpe; et al. (eds.). The Cambridge History of Hellenistic Philosophy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 52. ISBN 9780521250283.
- Filonik, Jakub (2013). "Athenian impiety trials: a reappraisal". Dike. 16 (16): 75–76. .
- Lives of the Eminent Philosophers. Vol. 1:2. Translated by Hicks, Robert Drew(Two volume ed.). Loeb Classical Library. § 65–104.
- Lives of the Eminent Philosophers. Vol. 1:2. Translated by Hicks, Robert Drew(Two volume ed.). Loeb Classical Library. § 98.
- Lives of the Eminent Philosophers. Vol. 2:6. Translated by Hicks, Robert Drew(Two volume ed.). Loeb Classical Library. § 96–98.
Attribution:
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1870). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.
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