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

THEODOTUS. THI EODOT US. 1073
allegiance of Egypt. (Polyb. v. 40, 46, 61, 62.) cxiii.; Plut. Pomp. 77, 80; Appian. B. C. ii. 84,
From this time Theodotus enjoyed a high place in 90). [E. H. B.]
the favour of the Syrian king. In the campaign THEO'DOTUS I. and II., kings of Bactria.
of Ba c. 217 we find him commanding a body of [DIooDOTUS.]
10,000 select troops, and just before the battle of THEO'DOTUS (Oedso'os), literary. 1. A
Raphia he gave a singular proof of daring by pene- disciple of Socrates, who, in his Defence, according
trating with only two companions into the heart to Plato, speaks of him as already dead. He was
of the Egyptian camp, in order to assassinate the son of Theosdotides, and the brother of NicoPtolemy himself. Mistaking the king's tent, he stratus. (Plat. Apol. p. 33, e.)
slew his physician instead, but effected his escape 2. A Phoenician historian, who lived before
in safety, and returned to the Syrian camp. (Id. v. Josephus, and wrote a history of his native country,
66, 79, 81.) Again in B. c. 215 we find him ex- in the Phoenician tongue, which was translated
hibiting equal audacity in supporting the daring into Greek by a certain Laetus, if we adopt the
project of Lagoras to scale the walls of the city of correction of Reinesius in the passage of Tatian,
Sardes, the success of which seems to have been in where the MSS. give Xaeros or "AorTos (Tatian.
great measure owing to his skill and ability. (Id. adv. Graec. 58, p. 128, ed. Worth; Joseph. c. Apion.
vii. 16-18.) i. 23; Euseb. Praep. Ev. x. 11; Vossius, de Hist.
6. A Syracusan who joined in a conspiracy Grace. p. 504.)
against the life of the tyrant Hieronymus. Being 3. A poet, from whose poem upon the Jews (v'
seized and put to the torture, he concealed the Tr4 7repl'Iovaaiwv) some verses respecting the city
names of all his real accomplices, and accused of Sichem are quoted by Eusebius. (Praep. Er.
Thrason, the leader of the opposite party, who was ix. 22.)
put to death in consequence. (Liv. xxiyv. 7.) It According to a scholiast on Ovid (lb. 467) there
is difficult to conceive that the life of Theodotus was a poet of this name who was cruelly put to
himself would be spared, but we find him (or death by the tyrant Mnesarchus, and to whose fate
another person of the same name) mentioned shortly Ovid alludes (I. c.); but this is evidently mere
after anlong the conspirators who assassinated guess-work. (See Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. ii. p. 324,
Hieronymus at Leontini, B. C. 214. On that oc- vol. x. p. 516.)
casion he hastened with Sosis to Syracuse (Id. xxiv. 4. A sophist and rhetorician, -who flourished
21), and his name is associated with the latter under M.A urelius Antoninus, by wvhom he is spoken
during the transactions that followed [SosIs]. His of as &ywvwooTrr r-cv roAhrl-icv Ao'y7wv Ical'Tosubsequent fate is unknown. plK7S fP eAoS. He was at first a hearer of Lollianus
7. A Thessalian of the city of Pherae, who was and Herodes Atticus, and afterwards their rival.
an exile from his native country and settled at He taught at Athens by the express appointment
Stratus in Aetolia. He was one of the deputies of M. Antoninus, from whom also he received
sent by the Aetolians to Rome in B. C. 198. 10,000 drachmae as his remuneration. His life is
(Polyb. xvii. 10.) related by Philostratus. ( Vit. Soph. ii. 2, pp. 566,
8. An Epeirot, who during the war between feoll.)
the Romans and Perseus, king of Macedonia, zea- 5. A grammarian, cited in the EtymologicuL
lously espoused the cause of the latter, and in Maiezum, s v.'Opilyavov.
conjunction with Antinous succeeded in inducing 6. Of Byzantium. a tanner and heresiarch, ill
his countrymen the Molossians to abandon the the second century of our era, from whom the sect
Roman alliance for that of Perseus. In B. C. 170 of the Theodotiani took their name. The heresy
he conceived the design, which was only frustrated of Theodotus related to the person of Christ. For
bv accident, of intercepting the consul A. Hostilius particulars respecting him and his followers, see
iMancinus on his passage through Epeirus, and Fabricius (Bibl. Gracc. vol. vii. pp. 124, folL,
bIetraying him into the hands of the Macedonian pp. 149, 180, vol. x. p. 515), Cave (Hist Litt. s. a.
king. After the defeat of Perseus, when the 192, p. 87, ed. Basil.), and the authors quoted by
Roman praetor L. Anicins invaded the Molossian those writers.
territories, Theodotus and Antinous shut themselves 7. Bishop of Antioch, from A. D. 423-427, ceup in the fortress of Passaron, but finding the lebrated by Theodoret (H.E. v. 38) as "the pearl
inhabitants disposed to surrender, they sallied of self-command," and distinguished in church
forth, attacked the Roman outposts, and perished history for his success in bringing back the majority
fighting bravely. (Polyb. xxvii. 14, xxx. 7; Liv. of the Apollinarists to orthodoxy. He wrote a
xlv. 26.) book against those heretics, entitled tcanr':uvoou09. A rhetorician of Samos, or, according to others, aaoToy, of which a fragment exists in MS. (Cave,
of Chios, who was the preceptor of the infant king Hist. Litt. s. cca. 423, p. 405; Fabric. Bibl, Grace.
of Egypt, Ptolemy XII. He appears to have ex- vol. ix. p. 281, vol. x. p. 515.)
ercised much political influence, and when after 8. Bishop of Ancyra, in Galatia, an ecclesiastic
the battle of Pharsalia (B. C. 48), Pompey sought of some distinction in the fifth century. He was
refuge in Egypt, it was Theodotus who was the first present at the council of Ephesus, in A. D. 431,
to suggest that the illustrious fugitive should be and vehemently supported Cyril in his attacks
put to death. By this base advice he hoped to upon Nestorius. He was the author of numerous
gain the favour of Caesar, and when the conqueror homilies and controversial works, the titles of which
arrived in Egypt, hastened to meet him, bearing it is not worth while to insert here; they are fully
the head and signet ring of his rival. But Caesar given by Fabricius. Of these works some are
turned from him with disgust, and would have put published in the Acts of the Councils, some exist
him to death, had he not succeeded in making his in MS., and others are wholly lost. Cave praises
escape. At a subsequent period he was less for- the ease and clearness of his style, and his controtunate, being apprehended and executed in Asia, versial powers. (Cave, Hist. Litt. s. a. 430, p. 415;
bv order of M. Brutus in B. C. 43. (Liv. Epit. Fabric. Bib, Grace. vol. x. pp. 512, foll.)
VOL. IIT. 7