Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology/Andronicus of Rhodes

by William Smith

ANDRONI'CUS (Ἀνδρόνικος), of Rhodes, a Peripatetic philosopher, who is reckoned as the tenth of Aristotle’s successors, was at the head of the Peripatetic school at Rome, about B.C. 58, and was the teacher of Boethus of Sidon, with whom Strabo studied. (Strab. xiv. pp. 655, 757; Ammon. in Aristot. Categ. p. 8, a., ed. Ald.) We know little more of the life of Andronicus, but he is of special interest in the history of philosophy, from the statement of Plutarch (Sull. c. 26), that he published a new edition of the works of Aristotle and Theophrastus, which formerly belonged to the library of Apellicon, and were brought to Rome by Sulla with the rest of Apellicon’s library in B.C. 84. Tyrannio commenced this task, but apparently did not do much towards it. (Comp. Porphyr. vit. Plotin. c. 24 ; Boethius, ad Aristot. de Interpret, p. 292 ed. Basil. 1570.) The arrangement which Andronicus made of Aristotle’s writings seems to be the one which forms the basis of our present editions; and we are probably indebted to him for the preservation of a large number of Aristotle’s works.

Andronicus wrote a work upon Aristotle, the fifth book of which contained a complete list of the philosopher’s writings, and he also wrote commentaries upon the Physics, Ethics, and Categories. None of these works is extant, for the paraphrase of the Nicomachean Ethics, which is ascribed to Andronicus of Rhodes, was written by some one else, and may have been the work of Andronicus Callistus of Thessalonica, who was professor at Rome, Bologna, Florence, and Paris, in the latter half of the fifteenth century. Andronicus Callistus was the author of the work Περί Παθῶν, which also ascribed to Andronicus of Rhodes. The Περί Παθῶν was first published by Höschel, Aug. Vindel. 1594, and the Paraphrase by Heinsius, as anonymous work, Lugd. Bat. 1607, and afterwards by Heinsius as the work of Andronicus of Rhodes Lugd. Bat, 1617, with the Περί Παθῶν attached it. The two works were printed at Cantab. 1679 and Oxon. 1809. (Stahr, Aristotelia, ii. p. 129.)