Peregrinus Proteus
Encyclopedia
Peregrinus Proteus was a Cynic philosopher, from Parium
in Mysia
. Leaving home at a young age, he first lived with the Christians in Palestine
, before eventually being expelled from that community and adopting the life of a Cynic philosopher and eventually settling in Greece
. He is most remembered for committing suicide
by giving his own funeral oration and cremating himself on a funeral pyre
at the Olympic Games in 165. By 180 CE, a statue
of Peregrinus had been erected in his home city of Parium; it was reputed to have oracular powers.
Peregrinus was born in Parium
, c. 95 AD. At a young age he was suspected of parricide
, and was obliged to leave his native home. During his wanderings he reached Palestine
, he came into close contact with the Christian
community, and quickly rose to a position of authority. He suffered a term of imprisonment at the hands of the Roman authorities, during which the Christians gave him much aid. He may have expected to be martyred, but the Governor of Syria
released him. He seems to have become a Cynic at this point, because he returned home and renounced his inheritance, giving away all his money to the people of his home city. He resumed his wandering life, maintaining close relations with the Christians at first, but eventually he offended them in some way, and was expelled from the Christian community. He went to Egypt
to study with the famous Cynic Agathobulus
, where he learned the harsh asceticism of the sect. He made his way to Rome
, where he began a campaign of abuse against the Roman authorities, and especially the emperor Antoninus Pius
. He gained a following among the masses, and it may be at this point that Theagenes
became his chief disciple. Although tolerated at first, he was eventually expelled by the City Prefect
. He next went to Elis
in Greece
, where he continued his anti-Roman preaching. At the Olympic games (either 153 or 157), Peregrinus abused the wealthy philanthropist Herodes Atticus
, whereby the infuriated crowd attacked Peregrinus, and he was forced to take refuge at the altar of Zeus
. In Athens
, Peregrinus devoted himself to the study and teaching of philosophy
, and obtained a considerable number of pupils, amongst them Aulus Gellius
. At the Olympic Games of 161, he announced that he would publicly burn himself to death at the following Olympics:
He carried out his promise: on the final night of the Olympic games in 165, he immolated himself on a funeral pyre
located 20 stadia (3.7 km
) east of Olympia
. Lucian, who was present, witnessed the event, having heard Theagenes
, Peregrinus' most ardent disciple, praise his master's intentions.
It is hard to reconstruct Peregrinus' own motivations for the events of his life, because Lucian, for general and personal reasons, presents a hostile view of Peregrinus. According to Lucian, Peregrinus strangled his father to death; became a Christian so that he could gain wealth; was imprisoned so that he could gain notoriety; gave his inheritance away so that he might gain favour among the people of his home town; studied under Agathobulus so that he could become more obscene; attacked the Romans to become famous; and killed himself to become infamous.
provides a brief, but different, view of Peregrinus. He describes Peregrinus as "a man of dignity and fortitude," and Aulus would regularly visit him in his hut outside Athens where he would listen to things which were "helpful and noble":
and the Jewish revolt in Syria. One of the more complete timelines of Peregrinus Proteus' life comes from Gilbert Bagnani. His timeline for Peregrinus' life goes like so:
Parium
Parium was a Greek city of Adrasteia in Mysia on the Hellespont. It became a Roman Catholic titular see, suffragan of Cyzicus in the Roman province of Hellespontus.-History:...
in Mysia
Mysia
Mysia was a region in the northwest of ancient Asia Minor or Anatolia . It was located on the south coast of the Sea of Marmara. It was bounded by Bithynia on the east, Phrygia on the southeast, Lydia on the south, Aeolis on the southwest, Troad on the west and by the Propontis on the north...
. Leaving home at a young age, he first lived with the Christians in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, before eventually being expelled from that community and adopting the life of a Cynic philosopher and eventually settling in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. He is most remembered for committing suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
by giving his own funeral oration and cremating himself on a funeral pyre
Funeral Pyre
"Funeral Pyre" is The Jam's thirteenth single released on 6 June 1981. Backed by the B-side "Disguises", a cover of a Who track, it reached #4 in the UK Singles chart....
at the Olympic Games in 165. By 180 CE, a statue
Statue
A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, an idea or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger...
of Peregrinus had been erected in his home city of Parium; it was reputed to have oracular powers.
Lucian's satirical biography
The only detailed account of the life of Peregrinus was recorded by Lucian in his satire, The Death of Peregrinus . Although this account is hostile to Peregrinus, the bare facts of his life can be extracted.Peregrinus was born in Parium
Parium
Parium was a Greek city of Adrasteia in Mysia on the Hellespont. It became a Roman Catholic titular see, suffragan of Cyzicus in the Roman province of Hellespontus.-History:...
, c. 95 AD. At a young age he was suspected of parricide
Parricide
Parricide is defined as:*the act of murdering one's father , mother or other close relative, but usually not children ....
, and was obliged to leave his native home. During his wanderings he reached Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, he came into close contact with the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
community, and quickly rose to a position of authority. He suffered a term of imprisonment at the hands of the Roman authorities, during which the Christians gave him much aid. He may have expected to be martyred, but the Governor of Syria
Syria (Roman province)
Syria was a Roman province, annexed in 64 BC by Pompey, as a consequence of his military presence after pursuing victory in the Third Mithridatic War. It remained under Roman, and subsequently Byzantine, rule for seven centuries, until 637 when it fell to the Islamic conquests.- Principate :The...
released him. He seems to have become a Cynic at this point, because he returned home and renounced his inheritance, giving away all his money to the people of his home city. He resumed his wandering life, maintaining close relations with the Christians at first, but eventually he offended them in some way, and was expelled from the Christian community. He went to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
to study with the famous Cynic Agathobulus
Agathobulus
Agathobulus of Alexandria, who lived c. 125 AD, was a Cynic philosopher and teacher of Demonax and Peregrinus Proteus....
, where he learned the harsh asceticism of the sect. He made his way 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...
, where he began a campaign of abuse against the Roman authorities, and especially the emperor Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius , also known as Antoninus, was Roman Emperor from 138 to 161. He was a member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty and the Aurelii. He did not possess the sobriquet "Pius" until after his accession to the throne...
. He gained a following among the masses, and it may be at this point that Theagenes
Theagenes of Patras
Theagenes of Patras, was a Cynic philosopher and close friend of Peregrinus Proteus.He is known principally as a character who appears in Lucian's The Death of Peregrinus , where he is introduced as praising Peregrinus' desire to kill himself by self-immolation:"Proteus," he cried, "Proteus...
became his chief disciple. Although tolerated at first, he was eventually expelled by the City Prefect
Praefectus urbi
The praefectus urbanus or praefectus urbi, in English the urban prefect, was prefect of the city of Rome, and later also of Constantinople. The office originated under the Roman kings, continued during the Republic and Empire, and held high importance in late Antiquity...
. He next went to Elis
Elis
Elis, or Eleia is an ancient district that corresponds with the modern Elis peripheral unit...
in Greece
Roman Greece
Roman Greece is the period of Greek history following the Roman victory over the Corinthians at the Battle of Corinth in 146 BC until the reestablishment of the city of Byzantium and the naming of the city by the Emperor Constantine as the capital of the Roman Empire...
, where he continued his anti-Roman preaching. At the Olympic games (either 153 or 157), Peregrinus abused the wealthy philanthropist Herodes Atticus
Herodes Atticus
Lucius Vibullius Hipparchus Tiberius Claudius Atticus Herodes, otherwise known as Herodes Atticus was a very distinguished, rich Greek aristocrat who served as a Roman Senator and a Sophist. He is notable as a proponent in the Second Sophistic by Philostratus.-Ancestry and Family:Herodes Atticus...
, whereby the infuriated crowd attacked Peregrinus, and he was forced to take refuge at the altar of Zeus
Temple of Zeus
The Temple of Zeus at Olympia was an ancient Greek temple in Olympia, Greece, dedicated to the chief of the gods, Zeus. It was the very model of the fully developed classical Greek temple of the Doric order...
. In Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Peregrinus devoted himself to the study and teaching of philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, and obtained a considerable number of pupils, amongst them Aulus Gellius
Aulus Gellius
Aulus Gellius , was a Latin author and grammarian, who was probably born and certainly brought up in Rome. He was educated in Athens, after which he returned to Rome, where he held a judicial office...
. At the Olympic Games of 161, he announced that he would publicly burn himself to death at the following Olympics:
He said that he wanted to put a tip of gold on a golden life; for one who had lived as HeraclesHeraclesHeracles ,born Alcaeus or Alcides , was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus...
should die like Heracles and be commingled with the aether. And I wish, said he, to benefit mankind by showing them the way in which one should disregard death; wherefore all men ought to play PhiloctetesPhiloctetesPhiloctetes or Philocthetes according to Greek mythology, the son of King Poeas of Meliboea in Thessaly. He was a Greek hero, famed as an archer, and was a participant in the Trojan War. He was the subject of at least two plays by Sophocles, one of which is named after him, and one each by both...
to my Heracles.
He carried out his promise: on the final night of the Olympic games in 165, he immolated himself on a funeral pyre
Funeral Pyre
"Funeral Pyre" is The Jam's thirteenth single released on 6 June 1981. Backed by the B-side "Disguises", a cover of a Who track, it reached #4 in the UK Singles chart....
located 20 stadia (3.7 km
KM
KM, Km, or km may stand for:*Kilometre *Kernel methods*Kettle Moraine High School*Khmer language *Kuomintang , a centre-right political party in the Republic of China on Taiwan...
) east of Olympia
Olympia, Greece
Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi. Both games were held every Olympiad , the Olympic Games dating back possibly further than 776 BC...
. Lucian, who was present, witnessed the event, having heard Theagenes
Theagenes of Patras
Theagenes of Patras, was a Cynic philosopher and close friend of Peregrinus Proteus.He is known principally as a character who appears in Lucian's The Death of Peregrinus , where he is introduced as praising Peregrinus' desire to kill himself by self-immolation:"Proteus," he cried, "Proteus...
, Peregrinus' most ardent disciple, praise his master's intentions.
It is hard to reconstruct Peregrinus' own motivations for the events of his life, because Lucian, for general and personal reasons, presents a hostile view of Peregrinus. According to Lucian, Peregrinus strangled his father to death; became a Christian so that he could gain wealth; was imprisoned so that he could gain notoriety; gave his inheritance away so that he might gain favour among the people of his home town; studied under Agathobulus so that he could become more obscene; attacked the Romans to become famous; and killed himself to become infamous.
Gellius's account
Aulus GelliusAulus Gellius
Aulus Gellius , was a Latin author and grammarian, who was probably born and certainly brought up in Rome. He was educated in Athens, after which he returned to Rome, where he held a judicial office...
provides a brief, but different, view of Peregrinus. He describes Peregrinus as "a man of dignity and fortitude," and Aulus would regularly visit him in his hut outside Athens where he would listen to things which were "helpful and noble":
He used to say that a wise man would not commit a sin, even if he knew that neither gods nor men would know it; for he thought that one ought to refrain from sin, not through fear of punishment or disgrace, but from love of justice and honesty and from a sense of duty.
Modern Reconstructions
Several modern historians have attempted to outline Peregrinus' life using the works of Lucian and other sources that have fixed historical dates such as the completion of Herodes Atticus' aqueductAqueduct
An aqueduct is a water supply or navigable channel constructed to convey water. In modern engineering, the term is used for any system of pipes, ditches, canals, tunnels, and other structures used for this purpose....
and the Jewish revolt in Syria. One of the more complete timelines of Peregrinus Proteus' life comes from Gilbert Bagnani. His timeline for Peregrinus' life goes like so:
ca. 95 birth at Parium
114-116 in Armenia
ca. 120 at Parium: death of his father
120-130 goes to Palestine and Syria: joins Essene-Ebionite Church at PellaPellaPella , an ancient Greek city located in Pella Prefecture of Macedonia in Greece, was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia.-Etymology:...
132 imprisoned on the outbreak of the Jewish revolt
134 released by Julius Severus
135 after his return to Parium resumes his travels
ca. 140 excommunicated as an Ebionite: goes to Egypt
ca. 150 goes to Rome
ca. 152 expelled from Rome
153 attacks Herodes Atticus at Olympia
157 is reconciled to Herodes
165 his death at Olympia