Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) - Volume 3.djvu/1063

THEODORUS. whom the Cj'nics (Kvves) followed," was borne by other teachers of the Cynic philosophy, e. g. Car- NEIUS. 31. Of Cyrene, a Pythagorean philosopher of the age of Pericles. According to Proclus (In Euclid. Elejnent. Lib. I. Coinmetitarius, lib. ii. p. 1,9, ed. Gryn. fol. Basil. 1533), he was a little younger than Anaxagoras [Anaxagoras], and was eminent as a mathematician. Apuleius (De Dogmate Flatonis., lib. i. s. De Philos. Natural. hand longe ab init., and Diogenes Laertius (iii. 6, comp. ii. 103) state that Plato went to Cyrene to study geometry under Theodore the mathema- tician, apparently the subject of this article. He is one of those enximerated by lamblichus {De Pytliag. Vita., c. ult.) in his catalogue of the eminent Pythagoreans. (Fabric. Bihl. Graec. vol. i. p. o76, vol. X. p. 385.) 32. Cyrsnaicus, a philosopher of the Cy- renaic school [Aristippus], to one branch, of which he gave the name of " Theodorians,'" 0eo5w- petoi. He is usually designated by ancient writers Atheus (o a06os), the Atheist, a name for which that of Theus (0eos) was afterwards substituted. Pie was apparently a native of Cyrene (comp. Diog. Laert. ii. 103), and was a disciple of the younger Aristippus (ib. ii. 86), who was grandson of the elder (Suidas, s. v. 'ApiaTiinros) and more celebrated Aristippus, by his daughter Arete [Aristippus ; Arete]. Theodore belonged to the age of Alexander and his successors, a circum- stance which, as well as the opposite character of his opinions, distinguishes him from the subject of the preceding notice. He heard the lectures of a number of philosophers beside Aristippus ; as An- niceris [AnnicerisJ, and Dionysius the dialec- tician (Laert. ii. 98), Zeno of Citium, Bryson, and Pyrrhon (Suidas, s. v. QeoSccfios) ; but not Crates, as Fabricius (Bibl. Graec. vol. iii. p. 189) has from |a hasty and inaccurate interpretation of a passage in Diogenes Laertius (iv. 23) erroneously stated. Nor could he have been, as Suidas states (s. v. 2,uKpdTT]s), a hearer of Socrates. He was banished from Cyrene, but on what occasion is not stated (Laert. ii. 103) ; and it is from the saying re- corded of him on this occasion, " Ye men of Cy- rene, ye do ill in banishing me from Cyrene to Greece " (ib.), as well as from his being a disciple )f Aristippus, that we infer that he was a native )f Cyrene. Of his subsequent history we have 10 connected account ; but unconnected anecdotes )f him show that he was at Athens, where he larrowly escaped being cited before the court of reiopagus. The influence, however, of Demetrius ^halereus shielded him (ib. ii. 101) ; and this inci- lent may therefore probably be placed during Deme- liiis' ten years' administration at Athens, b.c. 317 — ;)07 [Demetrius, literary. No. 28]. As Theo- iore was banished from Athens, and was after- wards in the service of Ptolemy son of Lagus, first ing' of the Macedonian dynasty in Egypt, it is ot unlikely that he shared the overthrow and xile of Demetrius. The account of Amphicrates it(d by Laertius (ii. 101), that he was condemned ) drink hemlock and so died, is doubtless an nor. While in the service of Ptolemy, Theodore IS sent on an embassy to Lyslmachus, whom he it'ciided by the freedom of his remarks. One iswor which he made to a threat of crucifixion i'ich Lysimachus had used, has been celebrated X many ancient writers (Cic. Quacst. Tusc. i. -13 ; THEODORUS. 1051 Senec. de Tranq. J«. c. 14 ; Val. Max. vi. 2, ex- tern. 3) : — " Employ such threats to those cour- tiers of yours ; for it matters not to Theodore whether he rots on the ground or in the air." From the court or camp of Lysimachus he returned apparently to that of Ptolemy (Diog. Laert. ii. 102). We read also of his going to Corinth with a number of his disciples (ibid.) : but this was perhaps only a transient visit during his residence at Athens. He returned at length to Cyrene, and lived there, says Diogenes Laertius (ii. 103), with Marius. This Roman name is very questionable ; and Grantmesnil (apud Menag. Obs. in Diog. Laert. I. c.) not improbably conjectures that we should read Magas, who was stepson of Ptolemj'- the son of Lagus, and ruled over Cyrene for fifty years (from B.C. 308 to B.C. 258), either as viceroy or king. The account of Laertius leads to the in- ference that Theodore ended his days at Cyrene. Athenaeus (xiii. p. 611, a) states that he died a violent death, but this is probably only a repetition of the erroneous statement of Amphicrates already noticed. Various characteristic anecdotes of Theo- dore are preserved by the ancients (especially by Laertius, ii. 97 — 103, 116; Plutarch, De Animi Tranquill. 0pp. vol. vii. p. 829, De Exsilio, 0pp. vol. viii. p. 391, ed. Reiske ; Val. Max. L c. ; Philo Jud. Quod omnis probus liber, c. 18, vol. ii. p. 465, ed. Mangey, p. 884, ed. PfeifFer. s. Paris, vol. v. p. 295, ed. Richter, Leipsic, 1828 ; Suidas, s. v. "Upa), from which he appears to have been a man of keen and ready wit, unrestrained either by fear or a sense of decency. It has been already noticed that Theodore was the founder of that branch of the Cyrenaic sect which was called after him " Theodorei " (0eo- dccpeioi), " Theodoreans." The general character- istics of the Cyrenaic philosophy are described elsewhere [Aristippus]. The opinions of Theo- dore, as we gather them from the perplexed state- ment of Diogenes Laertius (ii. 98, foil.) partook of the lax character of the Cyrenaic school. He taught that the great end of human life is to obtain joy and avoid grief, the one the fruit of prudence, the other of folly ; that prudence and justice are good, their opposites evil ; that pleasure and pain are indifferent. He made light of friendship and patriotism, and affirmed that the world was his country. He taught that there was nothing really disgraceful in theft, adultery, or sacrilege ; but that they were branded only by public opinion, which had been formed in order to restrain fools. But the great charge against him was atheism. " He did away with all opinions respecting the Gods," says Laertius (ib.), 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 de- signation of Theodorus " Atheus," by the au- thority of Cicero (de Nat. Deor. i. 1), Laertius (/. c), Plutarch {De Placit. Philos. i. 7), Sextus Empiricus {Pyrrhon. Hypotyp. lib. iii. p. 182, ed. Fabric. 1718, p. 172, ed. Bekker, 1842), and some of the Christian Fathers ; while some other au- thorities (e. g. Clem. Alex. Protrept. ad Genies, p. 7, ed. Sylburg. pp. 20, 21, ed. Pott. vol. i, p. 20, ed. Klotz. Leipsic, 1831) speak of him as only re- jecting the popular theology. The question is dis- cussed and the authorities cited by Reimmann (Hist. AtJieismi, sect. ii. c. xxiv. § 3), and Brucket (flist. Crit. Philos. pars ii. lib. ii. c. iii. § 11)