Stephen of Alexandria
Stephanos of Alexandria (Latin Stephanus of Alexandria ) was a late ancient Greek philosopher. His work falls into the late 6th and early 7th century.
Life
Stephanos received his education in the Neoplatonic philosopher oriented school of Alexandria, but his interest seems less Platonism as the works of Aristotle and natural history topics. Maybe he studied with the Neoplatonists Elias, who was a student Olympiodorus the Younger. He was probably after the completion of his training as a teacher of philosophy active in Alexandria.
The Eastern Roman Emperor Heraclius took soon after his gaining power (610 ) the apparently renowned philosophers to Constantinople Opel where Stephanos as " World Teacher " ( oikoumenikós didáskalos ) should give lessons. Stephanos also held talks before the emperor and made him a summary of the astronomical work of Theon of Alexandria. His work in Constantinople Opel - and the concomitant placement of philosophical contents of the Alexandrian school - testifies to the cultural late bloom, the Eastern Roman Empire during the reign of Heraclius again experienced before came the kingdom into a serious crisis after the start of Arab expansion.
The forward by Wanda Wolska - Conus equating the philosopher Stephanos of Alexandria with the physician Stephanos of Athens, which is referred to in manuscripts of his works also as a philosopher is indeed pulled in more recent research as a possibility, but judged partly skeptical.
Works and teaching
Stephanos wrote commentaries on various works of Aristotle, including a interpretatione to De and one to the third book of De anima (both intact ); more commentaries on Aristotle are lost today. In the interpretation of Aristotle, he took not consistently popular among the Alexandrian Neoplatonists harmonization of Aristotle's teachings with the Platonic, but noted differences between them and preferred Aristotle. However, making in his reflections on the Aristotelian doctrine of the soul, the influence of Neoplatonic thinking noticeable. He was undoubtedly a Christian, but he did not thematized in his commentary on Aristotle contrasts between the Christian and Aristotelian world view, but presented the views of Aristotle, that contradict the Christian as such is without to take a position themselves.
In addition, Stephanos wrote astronomical treatises and a work on alchemy.
Wanda Wolska - Conus identified Stephanus of Alexandria with the so-called "pseudo - Elijah", the unknown author of a commentary on the Isagoge of Porphyry. This comment is only fragmentarily preserved Prolegomena to philosophy and an introduction to Isagoge prefixed; the first seven of the 23 lessons ( praxeis ) are missing the Prolegomena to Philosophy.
Text output
- Michael Hayduck (ed.): Stephani in Librum Aristotelis de interpretatione Commentarium. Georg Reimer Verlag, Berlin 1885 ( Commentaria in Aristotelem Graeca vol 18 part 3; critical edition )
- Michael Hayduck (ed.): Ioannis Philoponi in Aristotelis de anima libros Commentaria. Georg Reimer Verlag, Berlin 1897 ( Commentaria in Aristotelem Graeca vol 15;. Contains critical edition S. 446-607 to comment Stephanos for the third book of De anima, which was then still wrong Johannes Philoponus attributed )