Sophist

В статье приводятся аргументы в пользу того, что Горгий был хорошо известен своим современникам как философ, включенный в решение элеатовской проблематики. Горгий отнюдь не пародирует элеатов, а, серьезно включаясь в
обсуждение их основных позиций, выявляет и критикует слабые места в их рассуждениях. На этом основании тезис Горгия ouden estin предлагается понимать как «не-сущее существует», отказываясь от наиболее распространенной
интерпретации учения Горгия как радикального нигилизма. Для подтверждения этого положения привлекается текст платоновского диалога «Софист», ряд пассажей из которого и саму структуру изложения аргументов, последовательно повторяющую структуру «О не-сущем» Горгия, можно расценить как свидетельства в пользу именно такой трактовки главного тезиса Горгия.

e article discusses that Gorgias was well known to his contemporaries as a philosopher who had been solving specific Eleatic problems. e Gorgias’ philosophy was not a parody on the Eleatics, but the examination of the Eleatic topics via identifying and criticizing weak points in their arguments. erefore the Gorgias’s thesis ouden estin should be understood as “Nothing does exist” or “Nothing is something that exists”, thus denying common interpretation of his doctrine as a radical nihilism. To confirm this point we draw upon Plato’s Sophist, some passages of which and the structure of arguments, consistently repeating the structure of Gorgias’ On-Not Being can be considered as evidences in favor of such interpretation of this main thesis of Gorgias.

In this study, the families of some sophists and rhetors in Anatolia in the Second Sophistic are discussed. Both epigraphic documents and the ancient sources indicate that with few exceptions, most sophists
and rhetors came from wealthy, powerful and leading families. Most of their families had a relationship with the Roman Empire and obtained Roman citizenship. Some sophists and rhetors rose to Senatorial rank and paved the way for such promotion for their children. They had to take upon themselves some public duties in consequence of their  wealth, prominence amongst the elite classes of society and having relations with the emperors. Both epigraphic documents and the ancient
sources show sophists and rhetors played an active role in public duties and that they fulfilled the obligations incurred by their position quite successfully.

Literary sources, epigraphical documents,
and numismatic evidence show that the sophists, rhetors,
and philosophers that belonged to the most prominent
and the wealthiest families had an excellent
education and so they officiated successfully many
public services and generously spent their money for
the cities in the Second Sophistic Period (Ist to IIIrd centuries
AD). They undertook important municipal magistracies
such as βούλαρχος, βουλευτής, γραμματεύς,
στρατηγός, ἀρχιερεύς, δᾳδοῦχος, ἱερεύς, ἱεροφάντης,
νεωκόρος, νεοποιός, περιθύτης, προφήτης, ἀγορανό-
μος, λογιστής ve ταμίας, γυμνασίαρχος, ἐφήβαρχος,
ἀγωνοθέτης, εἰρήναρχος/εἰρηνάρχης, στεφανήφορος,
πρύτανις/πρυτανάρχης. Also, it is documented that
they took on quite prestigious provincial magistracies
such as ἀγωνοθέτης, ἀρχιερεύς/ἀσιάρχης, and γαλα-
τάρχης. In this article, religious services of sophists,
rhetors, and philosophers in the Second Sophistic Period
are investigated. Philostratos (VS) and epigraphical
documents assert that these persons took on important
religious duties such as arkhiereus, hiereus, dadoukhos,
hierophantes, neokoros, neopoios, perithytes
and prophetes. They fulfilled these tasks in their own
cities as well as in other cities they became citizens. It is
obvious that rhetors were more active in public tasks;
but, the number of sophists who took on religious duty
was more than the rhetors. On the other hand, it is
determined that philosophers generally fell behind
sophists and rhetors about undertaking public duties
and obtaining privileges.

Abstract:
Philostratus describes the Second Sophistic period as a revival of Ancient Greek civilization in Asia Minor under the Roman Empire. Sophists, rhetors and philosophers made a great contribution both to the municipal finance and economics through the archai which required disbursement from the own wealth for the public expenditures and and to the social life in the poleis through the schools they managed. This dissertation contributes significantly to the better understanding of the social and political impact of the sophists, rhetors and philosophers investigating their official duties, benefactions and genealogical ties in the light of the epigraphic and numismatic evidence and the literary sources.  The main literary source on the Second Sophistic Period is Philostratos’ work Bioi Sophiston (Βίοι Σοφιστῶν). For the better comprehension of the spirit of the period which is called “The Second Sophistic”, while it emerged from the yearning for the Ancient Greek World of the third and fourth centuries B.C., this dissertation compares the prominent individuals of both periods and reveals the similarities and differences between them. The outstanding figures active in education, social and political life of this period are classified according to their social strata. The differences between their vocational activities are also
determined.
The epigraphic and numismatic evidence and the literary sources on the sophists, rhetors and philosophers of Anatolian origin between the first and third centuries A.D. shows that they were mostly the members of elite families. Most of them had also the Roman citizenship and close relations with the Roman authorities. Because of their wealth, reputation and close relations with Rome, the cities expected from them to get involved in the public services and finances. The inscriptions and the literary sources reveal also that they took some responsibilities for the sake of their communities and also served as an administrator for the poleis.
Consequently the sophist, rhetors and philosophers being members of the most prominent and the wealthiest families had so excellent education that they undertook so many public services with a remarkable success and distinguished themselves through excellent benefactions.


Philostratos, Roma yönetimi altındaki Anadolu topraklarında Eski Hellen kültürünün yeniden uyanışını, II. Sofistik Hareket olarak adlandırmıştır. Bu dönemde sofist, retor ve filozoflar üstlendikleri resmi görevlerle, zenginlikleriyle ve açtıkları okullarda verdikleri derslerle kentlerine hem ekonomik hem de sosyal yönden katkılar sunmuşlardır. Bu tez çalışmasında dönemin epigrafik, nümizmatik ve edebi kaynaklar aracılığıyla bilinen sofist, retor ve filozofların toplumsal ve siyasal rolleri, resmi görevleri, kentlerine sağladıkları faydalar ve aile bağları saptanıp bu kişilerin kamusal alandaki etkinlikleri ve sosyal statüleri saptanmaya çalışılmıştır.
II. Sofistik Dönem’in önemli kişilikleri olan sofist ve retorlarla ilgili ilk bilgiler Philostratos’un Bion Sophiston (Βίοι Σοφιστῶν) adlı eserinden elde edilmektedir. MÖ. V.–IV. yüzyıl Yunan Dünyasına duyulan özlemin sonucu olarak ortaya çıktığı için II. Sofistik olarak adlandırılan bu dönemin ruhunu daha iyi kavrayabilmek amacıyla bu akıma mensup sofistlerle Klasik Dönem’in sofistleri karşılaştırılmış ve iki dönem arasındaki benzerlikler ve farklılıklar ortaya konmuştur. Bu dönemde eğitim alanında, toplumsal ve siyasal hayatta ön plana çıkan sofist, retor ve filozoflar sınıfsal olarak birbirinden ayırt edilmeye ve mesleki olarak aralarındaki farklılıklar saptanmaya çalışılmıştır.
MS. I-III. yüzyıllar arasında Anadolu kökenli sofist, retor ve filozoflarla ilgili epigrafik belgeler ve antik kaynaklar derlendiğinde çok azı dışında bu kişilerin, toplumun en seçkin ve soylu ailelerden geldikleri tespit edilmiştir. Pek çoğunun ailesi Roma İmparatorluğu ile ilişki içinde olup Roma vatandaşlık hakkını elde etmiştir. Bazı sofist ve retorlar, senator sınıfına yükselmiş ve çocukları için de böyle bir kariyerin yolunu açmışlardır. Hem zengin ve ünlü olmaları hem de imparatorlarla yakın ilişkiler kurmuş olmalarından dolayı kentler bu kişilerin kamusal görevleri de üstlenmelerini beklemiştir. Yazıtlar ve antik kaynaklar bu kişilerin bulundukları elit tabaka içinden sıyrılıp gerek kendi kentlerinde gerekse vatandaşı oldukları kentlerde pek çok kamusal görevi başarılı bir şekilde yerine getirdiklerini belgelemektedir.
Sonuç olarak edebi kaynaklar, epigrafik ve nümizmatik belgeler sofist, retor ve filozofların aile bağları ve aldıkları eğitimin sonucu olarak kamusal yükümlülükleri ait oldukları toplumsal sınıf içinde dikkat çekici bir şekilde başarıyla yerine getirmiş olduklarını göstermektedir.

One of the prominent shophists lived in 4th and 5th Hegira centuries (11th & 12th AD centuries) is Ibn Bakooyeh Shirazi. In a poetic verse that Saadi (14th AD century) mentioned Baba Koohi as pseudonym for Ibn Bakuyeh Shirazi and within a phrase written by Isa Ibn Joneid Shirazi (15th AD cen.) at Tazkereh-E- Hezar Mazar (literally Hgiography of Thousand Tombs) book with title of BabaKoohi as well as what Reza Gholi Khan Hedayat mentioned in Tazkereh Reyaz Al-Arefin book (literally Hagiography of Mystics’ Gardens) in 20th AD century and ascribed a verse collection to a poet with Babakoohi as his pen name i.e. Ibn Bakuyeh Shirazi who had been most likely buried in Neishaboor City; all of these have caused him to be considered as the same person with another one under title of Babakoohi whose tomb situated at north Shiraz and a poet who was living during 16th AD century, based on the reliable and strong reasons. But, there are some signs by means of reliable works based on which Ibn Bakooyeh is a person rather than one was buried at north Shiraz and one who is known as Babakoohi so that the poems collection that was ascribed to him really does not belong to him.