Talk:Olympiodorus the Younger

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Could someone please make a notation of how this Olympiodorus (out of at least four writers by that name) became called "The Younger"? There is a Christian writer of the same century by this name. There is an alchemical writer (who may be earlier), and there is an earlier historian by this name. Thanks.--Zeusnoos 14:41, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

There are several Olympiodoruses. Olympiodorus the Younger is the philosopher and astrologer and he is the most prominent of the various men named Olympiodorus. There are plenty of contemporary references, pagan and Christian, to him, and he is always called "the Younger Olympiodorus" or O. the Younger." He is identified, for example, in a short article in the Encyclopaedia Britannica called "Olympiodorus the Younger": http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9057064.

There are articles on him in many such reference works, (a Google search also finds an Encarta article) and he is always called "The Younger." He is called this because "Olympiodorus the Elder" was also a famous philosopher who taught in Alexandria, in the 5th century. (There is no Wiki article on this man.) He was most well-known for being the teacher of Proclus. It is because of his existence that Olympiodorus of THIS article was called "the Younger."

The alchemist you refer to is Olympiodorus of Thebes who was actually a contemporary of O. the ELDER, in the 5th c., and there is a Wiki article on him. At least, there is a treatise on alchemy extant which is generally attributed to him. He is best-known as a historical writer.

There is some confusion about yet another Aristotelian Olympiodorus who lived in Alexandria in the same century as O. the Younger. In fact, he may be the same man, but we'll probably never know.

By the way there IS a disambiguation page for Olympiodorus.

As for a Christian Olympiodorus, well you got me there. I don't know of him, although he may well have existed. But we have to be careful not to confuse him with O. the Elder, O. the Younger or O. of Thebes, since, absolutely, none of these guys was Christian. The 6th c. O. were persecuted by the Christians in the purges of Alexandria.

(For information on the several Olympiodoruses, also in the Britannica, see: http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/NUM_ORC/OLYMPIODORUS.html ) NaySay 16:37, 21 March 2006 (UTC)