Hermogenes
- a proper name, e. g. Cic. Att. 12, 25; 13, 24; Suet. Dom. 10 al.; Tigellius Herm., v. Tigellius.—
- II Deriv.: Hermŏgĕnĭānus, a, um, adj., belonging to one Hermogenes: equi, Cod. Theod. 10 6, 1.
(Ἑρμογένης).
1. A son of Crito, the friend of Socrates, and, like his father, a disciple of Socrates. (D. L. 2.121.)
2. A son of Hipponicus, and a brother of the wealthy Callias, is introduced by Plato in his dialogue Cratylus as one of the interlocutors, and maintains that all the words of a language were formed by an agreement of men among themselves. Diogenes Laertius (3.6) states that he was one of the teachers of Plato, but no other writer has mentioned this, although there was no want of opportunities; and it is further clear from the Cratylus, that Hermogenes was not a man either of talent or learning, and that he scarcely knew the elements of philosophy. Although he belonged to the great family of Callias, he is mentioned by Xenophon as a man of very little property: this is accounted by some by the supposition that Hermogenes was not a legitimate son of Hipponicus, but only a νόθος. Plato (Cratyl. p. 391c.), on the other hand, suggests that he was unjustly deprived of his property by Callias, his brother. (Comp. Xenoph. Memor. 2.10.3, Conviv. 1.3, Apol. 2; Groen van Prinsterer, Prosopogr. Plat. p. 225; C. F. Hermann, Gesch. u. System der Plat. Philos. i. pp. 47, 654.)
3. A banker at Rome, who is called by Cicero (Cic. Att. 12.25, 30) his debtor, in B. C. 45. If, as is commonly supposed, he is the same as Hermogenes Clodius, who is mentioned by Cicero in a letter of the sane year (ad Att. 13.23), he was a freedman of Clodius.
4. An architect of Alabanda, in Caria, who invented what was called the pseudodipterus, that is, a form of a temple, with apparently two rows of columns, whereby he effected a great saving both of money and labour in the construction of temples. (Vitr. 3.2.6, 3.8.) His great object as an architect was to increase the taste for the Ionic form of temples, in preference to Doric temples. (Vitr. 4.3.1.) He was further the author of two works which are now lost; the one was a description of the temple of Diana which he had built at Magnesia, a pseudodipterus, and the other a description of a temple of Bacchus, in Teos, a monopterus. (Vitruv. vii. Praef. § 12.)
5. A sculptor of the island of Cythera, who, according to Pausanias (2.2.7), made a statue of Aphrodite, which stood at Corinth.
6. One of the most celebrated Greek rhetoricians. He was a son of Calippus and a native of Tarsus, and lived in the reign of the emperor M. Aurelius, A. D. 161-180. He bore the surname of ξυστήρ, that is, the scratcher or polisher, either with reference to his vehement temperament, or to the great polish which he strongly recommended as one of the principal requisites in a written composition. He was, according to all accounts, a man endowed with extraordinary talents; for at the age of fifteen he had already acquired so great a reputation as an orator. that the emperor M. Amelius desired to hear him, and admired and richly rewarded him for his wonderful talent. Shortly after this he was appointed public teacher of rhetoric, and at the age of seventeen he began his career as a writer, which unfortunately did not last long, for at the age of twenty-five he fell into a mental debility, which rendered him entirely unfit for further literary and intellectual occupation, and of which he never got rid, although he lived to an advanced age; so that he was a man in the time of his youth, and a child during his maturer years. After his death his heart is said to have been found covered with hair. (Philostr. Vit. Soph. 2.7; Suid. Hesych. s. v. Ἑρμογένης; Eudoc. p. 165; Schol. ad Hermog. περὶ στάσεων, in Olearius's note on Philostr. l.c.) If we may judge from what Hermogenes did at so early an age, there can be little doubt that he would have far excelled all other Greek rhetoricians, if he had remained in the full possession of his mental powers. His works, five in number, which are still extant, form together a complete system of rhetoric, and were for a long time used in all the rhetorical schools as manuals. Many distinguished rhetoricians and grammarians wrote commentaries upon them, some of which are still extant; many also made abridgments of the works of Hermogenes, for the use of schools, and the abridgment of Aphthonius at length supplanted the original in most schools. Works
The works of Hermogenes are:-- 1. Τέχνη ῥητορικὴ περὶ τῶν στάσεων
Τέχνη ῥητορικὴ περὶ τῶν στάσεων, was composed by the author at the age of eighteen, and on the principles laid down by Hennagoras. The work treats of the points and questions which an orator, in civil cases, has to take into his consideration; it examines every one separately, and thence deduces the rules which a speaker has to observe. (See the whole reduced to a tabular view in Westermann's Gesch. der Griech. Beredtsamkeit, p. 325.) The work is a very useful guide to those who prepare themselves for speaking in the courts of Justice. We still possess the commentaries which were written upon it by Syrianus, Sosipater, and Marcellinus. Editions
It is printed in the Rhetores of Aldus, vol. i. pp. 1-179, and has been edited separately at Paris (1530 and 1538, 4to. ex off. Wechelii), by J. Caselius (Rostock, 1583, 8vo.), E. Sturm (Argentorat. 1570, with a Latin transl. and scholia), G. Laurentius (Col. Allobrog. 1614, 8vo.), and M. Corales (Venice, 1799, 4to.). Scholia
The extant scholia are printed in Walz, Rhetor. Graec. vols. iv. vi. and vii. 2. Περὶ εὑρέσεως (De Inventione)
Περὶ εὑρέσεως (De Inventione), in four books, contains instructions about the proper composition of an oration, discussing first the introduction, then the plan of the whole, viz. the exposition of the subject, the argumentation, the refutation of objections that may be raised, and lastly, on the oratorical ornament and delivery. Every point which Hermogenes discusses is illustrated, as in the preceding work, by examples taken from the Attic orators, which greatly enhance the clearness and utility of the treatise. It is printed in Aldus's Rhetores, in the editions of G. Laurentius, Wechel, and Sturm, mentioned above, but best in Walz's Rhetor. Graec. vol. iii. We still possess scholia on the work by an anonymous commentator, printed in Aldus s Rhetores, vol. ii. p. 352, &c.
(3.) Περὶ ἰδεῶν (De Formis Oratorüs), in two books, treats of the forms of the oratorical style, of which Hermogenes distinguishes seven, viz. σαφήνεια, μέγεθος. κάλλος, γοργότης, ἦθος, ἀλήθεια, δεινότης, and their subdivisions; he examines them from eight different points of view, and shows how by a skilful application of them the orator is most sure of gaining his end. In this discussion, too, every point is illustrated by examples, chiefly from the orators, accompanied by some very ingenious remarks. Editions
The work is printed in the editions of Aldus and Laurentius, and separately at Paris, 1531, 4to., and with a Lat. transl. and notes by Sturm, Argentorat, 1571, 8vo. The best edition is that in Walz, Rhet. Graeci, vol. iii., who has also published the Greek commentaries by Syrianus and Joh. Siceliota (vols. vi. and vii. Comp. Spengel, Συναγωγὴ τεχ. pp. 195, &c., 227, &c.) 4. Περὶ μεθόδου δεινότητος (De apto et solerti genere dicendi Methodus)
Περὶ μεθόδου δεινότητος (De apto et solerti genere dicendi Methodus), forms a sort of appendix to the preceding work, and contains suggestions for the proper application of the rules there laid down, together with other useful remarks. Editions
It is printed in the editions of Aldus, Wechel, Laurentius, Sturm, and best in Walz's Rhet. Graec. vol. iii., who has also published the Greek commentaries by Gregorius Corinthius (vol. vii.). The work is said to have been left unfinished by the author, and to have been completed by two later rhetoricians, Minucianus and Apsines. (Matth. Camariota, Compend. Rhet. p. 12, ed. Hoeschel, Augsburg, 1594, 4to.) 5. Προγυμνάσματα
Προγυμνάσματα, that is, practical instructions in oratory according to given models. A very convenient abridgment of this work was made by Aphthonius, in consequence of which the original fell into oblivion. But its great reputation in antiquity is attested by the fact, that the learned grammarian, Priscian, made a Latin translation of it, with some additions of his own, under the title of Praeexercitamenta Rhetorica ex Hermogene. (Putschius, Gram. Lat. p. 1329, &c.; Fr. Pithoeus, Rhetor. Lat. p. 322, &c.) Editions
This Latin version of Priscian was for a long time the only edition of the Progymnasmata, until the Greek original was found in a MS. at Turin, from which it was published by Heeren in the Biblioth. für alte Lit. und Kunst, parts viii. and ix. (Göttingen, 1791), and by Ward in the Classical Journal, parts v.--viii. A separate edition was published by G. Veesenmeyer, Nürnberg, 1812, 8vo. It is also contained in Krehl's edition of Priscian, vol. ii. p. 419, &c., but best in Walz's Rhetor. Graec. vol. i. p. 9, &c., who has collated six other MSS. besides the Turin one. Lost Works
Some of the works of Hermogenes are lost, such as a commentary on Demosthenes (εἰς Δημοσθένην ὑπομνήματα, Syrian. ad Hermog. Proleg. ad Ideas, p. 195, ed. Spengel), of which a work on the Leptinea, to which Hermogenes himself alludes (De Method. 24), may have been only a part.
Another work, which is likewise lost, was entitled σύγγραμμα περὶ προοιμίου. (Schol. in Hermog. ap. Walz, vol. iv. p. 31, ap. Aldum, ii. p. 176.)
Suidas and Eudocia (p. 165) further mention a work of Hermogenes in two books, Περὶ κοίλης Συρίας, which is not noticed anywhere else, and of which no trace has come down to us. Assessment
All the extant works of Hermogenes bear strong marks of the youthful age of the author; for it is clear that his judgment and his opinions have not yet become settled; he has not the consciousness of a main of long experience, and his style is rather diffuse, but always clear and unaffected. He is moderate in his judgment and censure of other rhetoricians, has a correct appreciation of the merits of the earlier Greek orators, and every where shows symptoms of a most careful study of the ancients. These excellencies, which at once place him on a level with the most distinguished teachers of rhetoric, are reasons enough to make us regret that his brilliant career was cut off so early and so fatally. Further Information
Comp. Westermann; Gesch. der Griech. Beredtsamkeit, § 95; Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. vi. p. 69, &c.
7. The author of a history of Phrygia, in which he also made mention of the Jews. (Schol. ad Apollon. Rhod. 2.722; Joseph. c. Apion. 1.23; comp. Plut. de Fluv. 17.)
8. Of Tarsus, an historian of the time of the emperor Domitian, who put him to death on account of certain expressions in his history, and those who had copied the work for sale were nailed on the cross. (Suet. Domit. 10.)
9. A painter, perhaps a native of Carthage, who. lived at the time of Tertullian, about the end of the second and the beginning of the third century of our era, and is known to us only through Tertullian, who attacked him most severely, and wrote a work against him. (Adversus Hermogenem.) He seems to have been originally a pagan, but afterwards to have become a convert to Christianity. The cause of the hostility is not very clear; we learn only that Hermogenes married several times, for which Tertullian calls him a man given to voluptuousness and a heretic. It would also seem that Hermogenes, who was a man of high education and great knowledge, continued to study the pagan philosophers after his conversion to Christianity; and attempted to reconcile scriptural statements with the results of philosophical investigations, though, according to Tertullian's own statement, Hermogenes did not advance any new or heretical opinion on the person of Christ. His enemy also calls him a bad painter, and says, illicite pingit, but to what he alludes by this expression is uncertain: some think that Hermogenes painted subjects taken from the pagan mythology, which Tertullian would surely have expressed more explicitly. The philosophical views which Tertullian endeavours to refute seem to have been propounded by Hermogenes in a work (ad v. Hermog. 2), for his enemy repeatedly refers to his argumentationes. (Comp. August. de Haeres. xli.; Tertull. de Monogam. 16; Theodoret. Fab. Haeret. 1.19.) Theodoretus and Eusebius (Hist. Eccles. 4.24) state, that Theophilus of Alexandria and Origen also wrote against Hermogenes, but it is uncertain whether this is the same as the painter. [L.S]
a notorious detractor of Horace, who at first seems to have been well disposed towards him, for in one passage (Sat. 1.3. 129) he calls him optimus cantor et modulator (comp. Sat. 1.9. 25), whereas shortly afterwards (Sat. 1.10. 80) he speaks of him as an opponent and an enemy. The scholiasts of Horace attempt to give the reasons why Hermogenes disliked Horace; but there is no necessity for trusting to their inventions, for Horace himself gives us sufficient materials to account for it. Hermogenes appears to have been opposed to Satires altogether (Hor. Sat. 1.4. 24, &c., 2.1. 23); he was a man without talent, but yet had a foolish fancy for trying his hand at literature. (Sat. 1.10. 18.) He moved in the society of men without any pretensions, and is described as a singing-master in girls schools. (Sat. 1.10. 80, 90, &c.) Horace therefore throughout treats him with contempt. It is a very ingenious and highly probable conjecture that, under the fictitious name of Pantolabus (Sat. 1.8, 111, 2.1, 21), Horace alludes to Hermogenes, for the prosody of the two names is the same, so that one may be substituted for the other. (Comp. Weichert, Poet. Lat. Reliquiae, p. 297, &c.; Kirchner, Quaestion. Horatianae, p. 42, &c. [L.S]
(Ἑρμογένης), of Pontus, was praefectus praetorio Orientis A. D. 359. He is probably the Hermogenes mentioned by Libanius as the best of all the magistrates of his time, though commonly supposed to be rough and severe. This character of Hermogenes agrees with that given by Ammianus, who says that when Constantius desired to establish an inquisitorial tribunal (A. D. 359), on occasion of some troubles in Egypt, Hermogenes was not appointed, "as being of too mild a temper." Hermogenes died soon after, and was succeeded in his praefecture by Helpidius. [Helpidius.] This Hermogenes is to be distinguished from the officer of the same name sent to depose Paulus, bishop of Constantinople (A. D. 342), and murdered in the tumult excited by that proceeding; as well as from the ex-praefect of Egypt, to whom the emperor Julian addressed a letter; and from the proconsul of Achaia, to whom the sophist Himerius addressed one of his discourses. It is uncertain from which of these persons (if from any) a part of the horses, of Cappadocian breed, in the imperial stud were called " Equi Hermogeniani," by which name they are mentioned in edicts of Valentinian I. and of Arcadius. (Amm. Marc. 19.12, 21.6; Liban. de Vita sua, Opera, vol. ii. p. 39, 40, ed. Morel; Phot. Bibl. cod. 165; Julian. Epist. 23, Opera, p. 389, ed. Spanhem. fol. Lips. 1696; Cod. Theod. 10. tit. 6.1; 15. tit. 10.1; Tillemont, Hist. des Emp. vol. iv.) [J.C.M]
(Ἑρμογένης)
1. The name of several ancient physicians, whom it is difficult to distinguish with certainty. 1. A physician in attendance on the emperor Hadrian at the time of his death, A. D. 138. (D. C. 69.22.)
2. A physician mentioned in an epigram of Lucilius in the Greek Anthology (11.257, vol. ii. p. 59, ed. Tauchn), which has been imitated by Martial (6.53), and also in another epigram in the same collection attributed to Nicarchus (11.114, vol. ii. p. 29).
3. One of the followers and admirers of Erasistratus, mentioned by Galen (De Simplic. Medicam. Temper. ac Facult. 1.29, vol. xi. p. 432), who is supposed to be the same physician who is said in an a ancient Greek inscription found at Smyrna to have been the son of Charidemus, and to have written a great number of medical and historical works. If his father was the physician who was one of the followers of Erasistratus [Charidemus], he lived probably in the third or second century B. C. He is perhaps the same person said in another inscription to have been a native of Tricca in Thessaly. (Mead, Dissert. de Numis quibusdam a Smyrnaeis in Medicorum Honorem percussis, Lond. 1724, 4to.; Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. xiii. p. 180, ed. vet.) [W.A.G]
(Ἑρμογένης). (1) A Greek rhetorician of Tarsus in Cilicia, who flourished in the middle of the second century A.D. He came to Rome as a rhetorician as early as his fifteenth year, and excited universal admiration, especially on the part of the emperor Marcus Aurelius. In his twenty-fourth year he lost his memory, and never recovered it, though he lived to a great age. After his death his heart is said to have been found to be covered with hair. His work on rhetoric, which still exists, enjoyed a remarkable popularity, and was for a long time the principal text-book of rhetoric; it was also epitomized, and was the subject of numerous commentaries. The work itself consists of five sections: (i.) On points at issue in legal causes; (ii.) On the art of discovering arguments; (iii.) On the various forms of oratorical style; (iv.) On political orations in particular, and on the art of eloquent and effective speaking; (v.) The last section consists of rhetorical exercises (Προγυμνάσματα), which were cast into a fresh form by Aphthonius, and translated into Latin by Priscian, with the title Praeexercitamenta. It is printed in Halm's Rhetores Latini, p. 551. See Hoppichler, De Hermogene Progymnasmatum Scriptore (1884).
(2) Hermogĕnes Tigellius. (See Tigellius.)
(3) An architect of Alabanda, who is said to have devised the so-called pseudo-dipterus form of temple. See Templum.
- sculptor: Paus. 2.2.8
- Olympic victor, surnamed Horse: Paus. 6.13.3