Gaius Marius Victorinus ( lat.Gaius Marius Victorinus ), or Marius Victorinus , or Quiz Afr ( Latin: Victorinus Afer - African Quiz ) (between 281 and 291 - after 363) - Roman grammar, orator , philosopher - Neoplatonist .
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Biography
Born in Africa , where he was educated with a specialization in rhetoric. Around 340, he moved from Africa to Rome (in connection with which he received the nickname "African"), most likely with the aim of teaching oratory. His career was successful, and over time, he received a lower position in the Senate. The heyday of his career came during the reign of Constance II . Apparently, at the same time he was awarded an honorary statue at the Forum of Trajan in 354 .
The Quiz's conversion from Platonism to Christianity (baptized in 355) made a deep impression on Aurelius Augustine , as can be seen from Book 8 of his Confession [1] . His conversion was of great historical importance and became a harbinger of the rejection of an increasing number of intellectuals from paganism . As subsequent events related to the revival of paganism initiated by the last pagan emperor, Flavius Claudius Julian , showed, Quiz's conversion to Christianity was undoubtedly sincere, although some scholars (Ernst Benz, and after him others) considered it purely rational.
Brought up in the Christian faith , Julian (nicknamed the Apostate Christians) later began to practice paganism and attempted to return him the dominant status in the state. Wanting to eradicate the schools of Christian teachers, in June 362 the emperor issued a decree according to which all state-accredited professors must be approved by the municipal council. In the accompanying explanation of the emperor, disapproval was expressed of Christians who lecture on the poems of Homer and Virgil, while their religion requires the eradication of the religion of Homer and Virgil. Quiz quit his official position as “rhetorician of the city of Rome,” a professor of rhetoric, but not a speaker. Full of energy, the elderly professor continued to write scientific works about the Trinity in order to defend the correct position of the Nicene Creed , according to which God the Son is "consubstantial ( dr. Greek ὁμοούσιος , lat. Consubstantialis ) to the Father ." Having completed a series of works (supposedly begun at the end of the year 357 ), he set about writing the first comments in Latin on the Epistles of Paul . Although there are references to the fact that he also wrote comments on the Epistle to the Romans and the Epistles to the Corinthians, however, only works (with some gaps) on the Epistles to the Galatians, Ephesians and Philippians (comments on the first 16 stanzas of the last are lost) have survived.
Proceedings
Most of the essays Quiz of the pre-Christian period of creativity did not survive. From the point of view of the history of philosophy, the most important of his works can be considered the translations of the Platonic philosophers (at least Plotinus and Porfiry ) and Aristotle (translated and commented on his “Categories” and “ On Interpretation ”), which have been lost [2] . The quiz also commented on Cicero’s rhetorical writings - Topeku (this comment is lost) and On Finding (De inventione; title of the commentary Quiz is Explanationes in Ciceronis rhetoricam). The latter has survived, however, is very vague and needs commenting.
Translations and interpretations of Maria Quiz had a great influence on Augustine and directed him on the path of synthesis of Christianity and Neoplatonism. Boethius sharply criticizes the Quiz, the interpretations of which, in his opinion, are “completely meaningless” (maxime ratione caret) [3] , verbose [4] , demonstrate a lack of understanding of Aristotelian logic [5] . With all this, the influence of the Quiz on Boethius (in his comments of exactly the same antique works that the Quiz had previously commented on) is now considered undoubted [6] . Comments Quiz on rhetoric and dialectics (logic) was highly appreciated by Cassiodor, recommending them along with similar works of Boethius .
Quiz wrote a short treatise De definitionibus ( On Definitions ) [7] , which discusses the various types of definitions used by speakers and philosophers, and recommends “material definitions” preferred by the latter.
A grammar guide written by Victor (tentatively called "Ars grammatica") has not survived to the present day. The preserved beginning indicates a subtle phonetist . Around 400, a four-volume textbook of poetic metrics by Elia Festa Aftonia was added to the beginning of the grammar Quiz. The authority of the Quiz contributed to the fact that in the manuscript tradition his name defeated the unknown Aphony and switched to other, less important, texts of different authors. Thus, in the anthology of Cale (GLK 6), the quiz is attributed to the works on the grammar and metrics of “De arte grammatica”, “De metrica institutione”, “De metris Horatianis”, “De metris omnibus”, “De ratione metrorum commentarius”, “De soloecismo” et barbarismo ”, which are now considered anonymous treatises of the IV or V century.
The quiz was a very original thinker in terms of Christian dogma. His concept of the Trinity is unprecedented in early Christian philosophy, and debate is ongoing about its sources. A detailed theory on this subject was outlined in the work of Porfiry and Quiz by Pierre Ado [8] .
Notes
- ↑ August. Confessio VIII, II, 3-6
- ↑ The text of the commentary on the “Introduction” by Porfiry Quiz is partially restored from quotations inside Boethius's (first) commentary to the same Greek source. (The second comment Boethius made already on his own translation of Porfiry, not satisfied with the old translation of Maria Quiz).
- ↑ Boet. In cic. Top., Col. 1100a.
- ↑ ib., Col.1055c, 1156c.
- ↑ ib., Col.1098b-c
- ↑ Chadwick H. Boethius. Oxford, 2003, p. 115-118.
- ↑ Until the end of the XIX century. this work was attributed to Boethius.
- ↑ Hadot P. Porphyre et Victorinus // Études Augustiniennes, t. 1. Paris, 1968.
Translations
- Against Aria. Book 2. / Per. and foreword. O. E. Nesterova. // Monuments of medieval Latin literature IV-VII centuries. M .: Heritage. 1998.S. 36-54.
Literature
- Hadot P. Marius Victorinus. Recherches sur la vie et ses oeuvres. Paris, 1971.
- Fokin A.R. Christian Platonism Maria Quiz. M., 2007.254 p.
- Fokin A.R. Antique metaphysics and Christian theology in treatises Maria Quiz. // Intellectual traditions of antiquity and the Middle Ages (Studies and translations). M .: Krug, 2010.P.69-106.
- Albrecht M. von . The history of Roman literature. / Per. with him. T. 3.M., 2005.S. 1755-1766.
- Cooper, Stephen Andrew. The Life and Times of Marius Victorinus // Marius Victorinus' Commentary on Galatians: introduction, translation, and notes. - Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. - P. 16–40.
- Gilson, Étienne. Being and some philosophers. - 2nd ed., Corr. and enl. - Toronto: Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, 1952.- P. 32.
- A.R. Fokin. Quiz Mari // Orthodox Encyclopedia . - M .: Church and Scientific Center "Orthodox Encyclopedia" , 2004. - T. VIII. - S. 447-458. - 752 s. - 39,000 copies. - ISBN 5-89572-014-5 .
Links
- Quiz Afr (African), Guy Mari
- Opera Omnia by Migne Patrologia Latina
- FF Bruce . Marius Victorinus and His Works (Eng.) // The Evangelical Quarterly : journal. - 1946. - Vol. 18 . - P. 132-153 .