Syria'nus
（
Συριανός) a Greek philosopher of the Neo-Platonic school, was a native of Alexandria, and the son of Philoxenus. We know little of his personal history, but that he came to Athens, and studied with great zeal tinder Plutarchus, the Head of the Neo-Platonic school, who regarded him with great admiration and affection, and appointed him as his successor.
The most distinguished of his disciples was Proclus, who regarded him with the greatest veneration, and gave directions that at his death he should be buried in the same tomb with Syrianus.
Works
Suidas attributes to Syrianus the following writings :--
There is, however, a good deal of difficulty about this list.
The very same series of works is assigned by Suidas himself to Proclus (
s. v. Προκλ.), and we can hardly suppose that Syrianus wrote a commentary on a work of his successor, as Suidas states.
On the other hand, Suidas makes no mention of works which we find Syrianus stated by other authorities to have written, or even of works by him which are still extant. No reliance whatever, ever, therefore, can be placed on the list of Suidas.
Commentaries on Aristotle
Syrianus wrote commentaries on various parts of Aristotle's writings.
1. On the books
(Fabr.
Bibl. Gr. iii. p. 230.)
2. On the book De Iaterpretatione.
(Fabr.
Bibl. Gr. iii. p. 213.)
3. A Commentary on the Metaphysics
A Commentary on the Metaphysics is still extant.
Editions
Latin Translations
The Latin translation of the third, thirteenth, and fourteenth books, by Hieron. Bagolini has been published (Venet. 1558).
Greek Editions
various portions of the Greek text are printed in the Scholia on Aristotle, edited by Brandis.
A commentary on the
Timaeus
From various references in the commentary of Proclus on the Timaeus of Plato, we learn that Syrianus also wrote a commentary on the same book, as well as
συμφωνίας γράμματα, answering to the work of the same kind mentioned in the list of Stuidas.
Commentaries on the of Ptolemaeus
Theodorus Meliteniotes, in his
Prooemium Astronomiam (printed in Fabricius,
Bibl. Gr. vol. x. pp. 401, &c.), mentions commentaries on the
Magna Syntaxis of Ptolemaeus, by the philosopher Syrianus (
l.c. p. 406).
On Ideas
There is also extant a treatise by Syrianus on ideas (
Συριανοῦ εἰς τὸ περὶ ἰδεῶν).
Editions
Published by Leonh. Spengel (
Συναγωγὴ τεχνῶν. pp. 195-206).
A Commentary on the Στάσεις of Hermogenes
Editions
Published in Greek in 1509 by Aldus (
Rhetores, vol. ii.) and in 1833 by Walz (
Rhetores, vol. iv.).
Commentaries on the Metaphysics
The most valuable remains that we possess. however, are the commentaries on the Metaphysics of Aristotle.
In explaining the propositions of Aristotle, he appends the views held by his school on the subject in word in hand, and endeavours to establish the latter against the former. One of his fundamental principles is, that it is a proposition of general applicability, that the same cannot be both affirmed and denied at the same time of the same thing; but that in any sense involving the truth of either the affirmation or the denial of a proposition, it applies only to existing things, but not to that which transcends speech and knowledge, for this admits neither of affirmation nor of denial, since every assertion respecting specting it must be false. (
In Met. ii. fol. 13, b.) On the whole, the doctrines laid down in this work are those of the Neo-Platonic school generally.
Further Information
Fabr.
Bibl. Gr. ix. p. 356, &c.; Ritter,
Gesch. der Philos. vol. iv. p. 697.)
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