A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

THEODORUS. THEODORUS. 1051
whom the Cynics (KQves) followed," was borne by Senec. de Tranq. An. c. 14; Val. Max. vi. 2, exother teachers of the Cynic philosophy, e. g. CAR- tern. 3):-" Employ such threats to those courNEIUS. tiers of yours; for it matters not to Theodore
31. Of CYRENE, a Pythagorean philosopher whether he rots on the ground or in the air."
of the age of Pericles. According to Proclus (In From the court or camp of Lysimachus he returned
Euclid. Element. Lib. I. Commentarius, lib. ii. apparently to that of Ptolemy (Diog. Laert. ii.
p. 19, ed. Gryn. fol. Basil. 1533), he was a little 102). We read also of his going to Corinth with
younger than Anaxagoras [ANAXAGORAS], and a number of his disciples (ibid.): but this was
was eminent as a mathematician. Apuleius (De perhaps only a transient visit during his residence
Dogsmate Platonis, lib. i. s. De Philos. Natural. at Athens. He returned at length to Cyrene, and
haud longe ab init., and Diogenes Laertius (iii. 6, lived there, says Diogenes Laertius (ii. 103), with
comp. ii. 103) state that Plato went to Cyrene to Marius. This Roman name is very questionable;
study geometry under Theodore the mathema- and Grantmesnil (apud Menag. Obs. in Diog.
tician, apparently the subject of this article. He Laert. 1. c.) not improbably conjectures that we
is one of those enumerated by Iamblichus (De should read Magas, who was stepson of Ptolemy
Pythag. Vita, c. ult.) in his catalogue of the the son of Lagus, and ruled over Cyrene for fifty
eminent Pythagoreans. (Fabric. Bibl. Grace. vol. i. years (from B. C. 308 to B.C. 258), either as viceroy
p. 876, vol. x. p. 385.) or king. The account of Laertius leads to the in32. CYRaNAIcus, a philosopher of the Cy- ference that Theodore ended his days at Cyrene.
renaic school [ARISTIPPUS], to one branch of Athenaeus (xiii. p. 611, a) states that he died a
which he gave the name of " Theodorians," Oeo0a- violent death, but this is probably only a repetition
pesos. He is usually designated by ancient writers of the erroneous statement of Amphicrates already
ATHEUS (6 &0eos), the Atheist, a name for which noticed. Various characteristic anecdotes of Theothat of THEUS (~eos) was afterwards substituted. dore are preserved by the ancients (especially by
He was apparently a native of Cyrene (comp. Lacrtius, ii. 97-103, 116; Plutarch, De Animi
Diog. Laert. ii. 103), and was a disciple of the Tranquill. Opp. vol. vii. p. 829, De Exsilio, Opp.
younger Aristippus (ib. ii. 86), who was grandson vol. viii. p. 391, ed. Reiske; Val. Max. 1. c.; Philo
of the elder (Suidas, s. v.'Ap[I7LTraros) and more Jud. Quod omnis probus liber, c. 18, vol. ii. p. 465,
celebrated Aristippus, by his daughter Arete ed. Mangey, p. 884, ed. Pfeiffer. s. Paris, vol. v. p.
[ARISTIPPUS; ARETE]. Theodore belonged to 295, ed. Richter, Leipsic, 1828; Suidas, s. v.
the age of Alexander and his successors, a circum- "Hpa), from which he appears to have been a man
stance which, as well as the opposite character of of keen and ready wit, unrestrained either by fear
his opinions, distinguishes him from the subject of or a sense of decency.
the preceding notice. He heard the lectures of a It has been already noticed that Theodore was
number of philosophers beside Aristippus; as An- the founder of that branch of the Cyrenaic sect
niceris [ANNICERIS], and Dionysius the dialec- which was called after him "Theodorei" (~eotician (Lai'rt. ii. 98), Zeno of Citium, Bryson, and pEcoi),), " Theodoreans." The general characterPyrrhon (Suidas, s. v. edScwpos); but not Crates, istics of the Cyrenaic philosophy are described
as Fabricius (Bibl. Graec. vol. iii. p. 189) has from elsewhere [ARISTIPPUS]. The opinions of Theoa hasty and inaccurate interpretation of a passage dore, as we gather them from the perplexed statein Diogenes Laertius (iv. 23) erroneously stated. ment of Diogenes Laertius (ii. 98, foll.) partook of
Nor could he have been, as Suidas states (s. v. the lax character of the Cyrenaic school. He
wicpa'rn-s), a hearer of Socrates. He was banished taught that the great end of human life is to obtain
from Cyrene, but on what occasion is not stated joy and avoid grief, the one the fruit of prudence,
(Laert. ii. 103); and it is from the saying re- the other of folly; that prudence and justice are
corded of him on this occasion, " Ye men of Cy- good, their opposites evil; that pleasure and pain
rene, ye do ill in banishing me from Cyrene to are indifferent. He made light of friendship and
Greece " (ib.), as well as from his being a disciple patriotism, and affirmed that the world was his
of Aristippus, that we infer that lie was a native country. He taught that there was nothing really
of Cyrene. Of his subsequent history we have disgraceful in theft, adultery, or sacrilege; but that
no connected account; but unconnected anecdotes they were branded only by public opinion, which
of him show that he was at Athens, where he had been formed in order to restrain fools. But
narrowly escaped being cited before the court of the great charge against him was atheism. " He
Areiopagus. The influence, however, of Demetrius did away with all opinions respecting the Gods,"
Phalereus shielded him (ib. ii. 101); and this inci- says Laertius (ib.), but some critics doubt whether
dent may therefore probably be placed during Deme- he was absolutely an atheist, or simply denied the
trius' ten years' administration at Athens, B.c. 317 existence of the deities of popular belief. The
-307 [DEMETRIUS, literary, No. 28]. As Theo- charge of atheism is sustained by the popular dedore was banished from Athens, and was after- signation of Theodorus "Atheus," by the auwards in the service of Ptolemy son of Lagus, first thority of Cicero (de Nat. Deor. i. 1), Laertius
king of the Macedonian dynasty in Egypt, it is (I. c.), Plutarch (De Placit. Philos. i. 7), Sextus
not unlikely that he shared the overthrow and Empiricus (Pyrrhon. Hypotyp. lib. iii. p. 182, ed.
exile of Demetrius. The account of Amphicrates Fabric. 1718, p. 172, ed. Bekker, 1842), and some
cited by Laertius (ii. 101), that he was condemned of the Christian Fathers; while some other auto drink hemlock and so died, is doubtless an thorities (e. g. Clem. Alex. Protrept. ad Gentes, p.
error. While in the service of Ptolemy, Theodore 7, ed. Sylburg. pp. 20, 21, ed. Pott. vol. i, p. 20,
was sent on an embassy to Lysimachus, whom he ed. Klotz. Leipsic, 1831) speak of him as only reoffended by the freedom of his remarks. One jecting the popular theology. The question is disanswer which he made to a threat of crucifixion cussed and the authorities cited by Reimimann
which Lysimachus had used, has been celebrated (Hist. Atheiksni, sect. ii. c. xxiv. ~ 3), and Brucker
by many ancient writers (Cic. Quaecst. Tsc. i. 43; ([list. Crit. Philos. pars ii. lib. ii. c. iii. ~ 11)