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Search results for sigma,180 in Adler number:
Headword:
Sebêrianos
Adler number: sigma,180
Translated headword: Severianus
Vetting Status: high
Translation: Damascius says [this]. [Severianus came] from Damascus, of one of the foremost families, son of Auxentios the son of Kallinikos, descended from Roman ancestors who settled in the Alexandrian country. He obtained an education befitting his natural acuity, in poetry and rhetoric; but also spending time on the laws of the Romans, he seemed to surpass his contemporaries. He was stubborn in his character and rushed to accomplish whatever came to his mind; he outstripped his deliberation with action. And because of this his life was a failure in many ways. For at first he was eager to turn to philosophy and, presenting himself to Proklos, to entrust himself to him.[1] At that time Proklos was in his prime and was flourishing at
Athens. But his father became a hindrance to him; for he wanted him to give judgments and to make money from this profitable profession. His father soon died, but he himself setting out for
Athens beheld a dream of this kind: he seemed to be sitting on the ridge of some mountain as if on a chariot and to be (as it were) driving the mountain. But fate led him according to necessity and also his own choice (which was bad), into another way of life, one which seemed to be lofty and magnificent, but [was actually] harsh and pointless. He himself chose this, and the experience of the outcome proved it -– for instead of philosophy and fortunate leisure he drove himself into politics and public administration. Being fond of controversy by nature and unwilling to be defeated in whatever he undertook, and ambitious, more than any other I know, yet through honorable deeds and words and bringing virtue out of his soul, he spent no time on money-making, nor was he spontaneously prone to injustice or greed, but he was always offensive and contentious towards his superiors, and did not think it right for any of the greater magistrates to go beyond what the accepted bounds of justice. In judging he was very harsh. And sometimes indeed, being led astray by anger and by the desire not to be regarded lightly, he brought about some deaths which brought pollution and misfortune; to these he attributed the cause of the misfortune in life which came upon him later. He even gave offense to Ardabur (the son of Aspar, a barbarian man who had great influence with the emperor) who was general of the eastern forces, he gave great difficulties to this man and to his father.[2] Having endured more and worse sufferings and violence he gained no benefit from this interference, but being excessively pious and Greek, the wretched man did not yield in spite of many threats and fears. To me he explained the greater and more political speeches of Isokrates,[3] not in the technical and sophistic manner, but in the wise and philosophical. Then I saw a man of good sense and able in intelligence for political explanations, but also an excellent judge of what was said. He sharpened my younger brother Julian so much for literature that he was prepared to memorize both poetry and the approved passages of the orators. As the wages of his eagerness he offered the prize which befits a companion: dinner. The works of the other poets he accepted in moderation, but when he took
Callimachus[4] into his hands, there was no way he did not ridicule the Libyan poet; being very much irritated, often he even spat into the book.
Zeno the emperor promised him the greatest authority after the emperor if he became an adherent of the prevailing [religion].[5] But not even thus did he persuade him, nor was he likely to persuade. To us he read the letter which conveyed the promise and failed to persuade. And he censured Arkadios of Larissa by a letter. For Severianus was a masterful and wise letter-writer, as it is possible for anyone to learn who happens on the man's letters.
Greek Original:Sebêrianos: phêsi Damaskios. apo Damaskou, tôn eis ta prôta genous anêkontôn, Auxentiou tou Kallinikou huios, eis Rhômaious anago- menos progonous, epôikêkotas patrida tên Alexandreian, paideias te tuchôn pros têi oxutêti tês phuseôs, poiêtikês te kai rhêtorikês, eti de kai tês peri nomous tous Rhômaiôn diatribousês, diapherôn edoxen einai tôn hêlikiôtôn. sterros de to êthos ôn, kai haper an dianoêtheiê, tauta prattein espoudakôs ephthane tôi praktikôi to bouleutikon. kai dia touto ho bios autôi pollachêi diesphalê. prouthumêthê men gar ex archês epi philosophian trapênai kai tôi Proklôi pherôn heauton epidounai: êkmaze de tote kai ênthei ho Proklos Athênêsin. egeneto de autôi ho patêr empodôn: êbouleto gar auton dikas legein kai chrêmatizesthai ton epimisthion touton chrêmatismon. ho men dê patêr autôi hôs tachista teleutai ton bion, autos de epi tas Athênas hormêsas oneiron etheasato toionde: edokei epi rhachei tinos orous epikathêsthai hôsper ochêmati kai hoion elaunein to oros. exêge de auton ara hê heimarmenê kai to chreôn, eti de to authaireton, hoti esti kakon, eis bion allon, hupsêlon men einai dokounta kai megalophuê, trachun de tina kai anênuton: ho kai autos epekrine, kai hê peira tês ekbaseôs apodedeichen: anti gar philosophias kai apragmosunês eudaimonos eis tên politeian heauton kai eis archas exeôse pherôn. phusei de ôn philoneikos kai aêttêtos eph' hoti an hormêseie, kai philodoxos, hôs ouk oid' ei tis heteros, all' epi timiois ergois te kai logois kai tên aretên eis to exô proagousi tês psuchês, peri men chrêmatismon ou dietriben oude hopôstioun, oude pros adikian autothen kai pleonexian epiphoros ên, proskroustikos de kai hamillêtikos aei pros tous huperechontas, kai oudeni tôn meizonôn archontôn axiôn para ta nomizomena dikaia einai existasthai. dikazôn de pikrotatos ên. kai ei dê pote exagomenos hupo thumou kai to akataphronêtos einai spoudazôn, phonous te eirgasato tinas ouk euageis oude eutucheis kai es toutous anephere tên aitian tês husteron epigenomenês autôi tou biou kakopragias. epei kai Ardabouriôi proskrousas, onti men huiei tou panu Asperos, barbarou men anthrôpou, ta megista de para basilei dunamenou, stratêgounti de tôn heôiôn tagmatôn, polla men ekeinôi parescheto pragmata kai patri tôi ekeinou: pleiô de kai atopôtera peponthôs kai hubristheis outhen apônato tês pollês tautês enstaseôs. hierôtatos de eis huperbolên kai Hellên, kai pollôn men apeilôn kai phobôn ouk enedôken ho alitêrios. emoi de kai exêgeito logous Iso- krateious, tous meizous kai politikôterous, ou ton technikon te kai sophistikon, alla ton emphrona kai philosophon tropon: hote kai eidon anthrôpon eurroun te hama kai amphilaphê tên dianoian pros tas politikas exêgêseis, eti de kritên ariston onta tôn legomenôn. ton de emou neôteron adelphon Ioulianon houtô parôxunen eis philologian, hôste kai ekmathontos êneicheto ta te poiêtika tôn te rhêtorôn tous eudokimountas: misthon te edidou tês prothumias philotimian, prosêkousan hetairôi hestiasin. ta men oun tôn allôn poiêtôn apedecheto metriôs, ton de Kallimachon eis cheiras labôn, ouk estin hoti ou kateskôpte ton Libun poiêtên: aniômenos de epi mallon, êdê pollachou kai tôi bibliôi proseptue. toutôi katepêngeilato Zênôn basileus, ei genoito tôn kratountôn, tên meta basilea megistên archên. all' oude hôs epeithen, oude emellêse peisein. kai hêmin de hupanegnô tên epangellomenên epistolên kai mê peithousan. kai Arkadiôi de tôi apo Larissês di' epistolês epetimêse. kai gar epistellein deinos ên ho Sebêrianos kai emphrôn, hôs esti mathein entuchonta tais tou andros epistolais.
Notes:
Keywords: biography; Christianity; dreams; economics; ethics; food; geography; history; imagery; law; medicine; military affairs; philosophy; poetry; politics; religion; rhetoric
Translated by: Catharine Roth on 26 November 2005@01:17:38.
Vetted by:David Whitehead (typo and other cosmetics; modified keywords) on 27 November 2005@05:00:45.
David Whitehead (another x-ref) on 13 February 2008@07:17:25.
Catharine Roth (added reference and cross-references) on 24 April 2008@15:43:21.
David Whitehead (more notes and keywords) on 22 December 2013@08:59:46.
No. of records found: 1
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