Sallustius

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For the historian, see Sallust; for other uses, see Sallust (disambiguation).

Sallustius or Sallust (Σαλούστιος) was a 4th-century writer and friend of the Emperor Julian the Philosopher. He wrote the treatise On the Gods and the Cosmos, a kind of catechism of 4th-century Hellenic paganism. The Neoplatonic school of philosophy, whose origin is generally ascribed to Plotinus, accepted Plato’s doctrines from a predominantly mystical point of view. Sallustius' work owes much to that of Iamblichus of Chalcis, who synthesized Platonism with Pythagoreanism and theurgy, and also to Julian's own philosophical writings (Nock 1926:xcvii). The treatise is quite concise, and generally free of the lengthy metaphysical theorizing of the more detailed Neoplatonic texts. Its aim is in part "to parry the usual onslaughts of Christian polemic" in the face of Christianity's growing preeminence, and "me[e]t theology with theology" (Nock 1926:cii).

Sallustius' exact identity is a matter of some uncertainty. By some he is identified as Flavius Sallustius (a native of Spain who was praetorian prefect of Gaul from 361 until 363 and a Consul in 363),[1][2] by others with Saturninus Secundus Sallustius (died after 367 CE,[3] a native of Gaul who was praetorian prefect of the Orient in 361).[4] The latter is said to have been offered the purple, but declined, after Julian's untimely death.[5]

[edit] Editions

Wikisource has original text (in Greek) related to this article:
  • Arthur Darby Nock (ed/trans.). 1926. Sallustius concerning the gods and the universe. Edited with prolegomena and translation. Available in various reprints, for example ISBN 0-89005-550-5 and ISBN 3-487-01413-0.
  • Gabriel Rochefort. 1960. Des dieux et du monde. Edition of the Greek text, with French translation and notes, in the Collection Budé.
  • Thomas Taylor (ed/trans.). 1793. Sallust, On the gods and the world; and the Pythagoric sentences of Demophilus, translated from the Greek; and five hymns by Proclus, in the original Greek, with a poetical version. To which are added five hymns by the translator. Reprinted many times, for example ISBN 0-7661-6735-6.

[edit] External links

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