Chaeremon of Alexandria
Encyclopedia
Chaeremon of Alexandria (1st century CE) was a Stoic
philosopher, historian
, and grammarian.
Chaeremon was superintendent of the portion of the Alexandrian library that was kept in the Temple of Serapis, and as custodian and expounder of the sacred books he belonged to the higher ranks of the priesthood. In 49 he was summoned to Rome
, with Alexander of Aegae
, to become tutor to the youthful Nero
.
He was the author of a History of Egypt
; of works on Comet
s, Egyptian astrology
, and Hieroglyphics
; and of a grammatical treatise on expletive conjunctions. Chaeremon was the chief of the party which explained the Egyptian religious system as a mere allegory of the worship of nature. His books were certainly not intended to represent the ideas of his Egyptian contemporaries; their chief object was to describe the sanctity and symbolical secrets of ancient Egypt
. Chaeremon's works are now lost, but because later authors quoted from his works, fragments have been preserved.
He can hardly be identical with the Chaeremon who accompanied (c. 26 BCE) Aelius Gallus
, prefect of Egypt, on a journey into the interior of the country.
STOIC
STOIC was a variant of Forth.It started out at the MIT and Harvard Biomedical Engineering Centre in Boston, and was written in the mid 1970s by Jonathan Sachs...
philosopher, historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, and grammarian.
Chaeremon was superintendent of the portion of the Alexandrian library that was kept in the Temple of Serapis, and as custodian and expounder of the sacred books he belonged to the higher ranks of the priesthood. In 49 he was summoned to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, with Alexander of Aegae
Alexander of Aegae
Alexander of Aegae was a Peripatetic philosopher who flourished in Rome in the 1st century, and was a disciple of the celebrated mathematician Sosigenes of Alexandria. He was tutor to the emperor Nero. He wrote commentaries on the Categories and the De Caelo of Aristotle...
, to become tutor to the youthful Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
.
He was the author of a History of Egypt
History of Egypt
Egyptian history can be roughly divided into the following periods:*Prehistoric Egypt*Ancient Egypt**Early Dynastic Period of Egypt: 31st to 27th centuries BC**Old Kingdom of Egypt: 27th to 22nd centuries BC...
; of works on Comet
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
s, Egyptian astrology
Egyptian astrology
Egyptian astrology may refer to:* Ancient Egyptian astronomy* Astrology in Hellenistic Egypt...
, and Hieroglyphics
Egyptian hieroglyphs
Egyptian hieroglyphs were a formal writing system used by the ancient Egyptians that combined logographic and alphabetic elements. Egyptians used cursive hieroglyphs for religious literature on papyrus and wood...
; and of a grammatical treatise on expletive conjunctions. Chaeremon was the chief of the party which explained the Egyptian religious system as a mere allegory of the worship of nature. His books were certainly not intended to represent the ideas of his Egyptian contemporaries; their chief object was to describe the sanctity and symbolical secrets of ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
. Chaeremon's works are now lost, but because later authors quoted from his works, fragments have been preserved.
He can hardly be identical with the Chaeremon who accompanied (c. 26 BCE) Aelius Gallus
Aelius Gallus
Gaius Aelius Gallus was a Roman prefect of Egypt from 26 - 24 BC. He is primarily known for a disastrous expedition he undertook to Arabia Felix under orders of Augustus.-Life:...
, prefect of Egypt, on a journey into the interior of the country.
Further reading
- Pieter Willem van der HorstPieter Willem van der HorstPieter Willem van der Horst is a scholar and university professor emeritus specializing in New Testament studies, Early Christian literature, and the Jewish and Hellenistic context of Early Christianity.-Education and career:...
, (1984), Chaeremon, Egyptian Priest and Stoic Philosopher, The fragments collected and translated. BRILL.