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

SOTION. SOZOMENUS. 889
SOTE'RIDAS (ZcT77piaas), a grammarian of 641]; Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. i. p. 874, vol. iii.
Epidaurus, the husband of Pamphila, under whose pp. 52, 505, 576.) [C. P. M.]
name he published an historical work in three SOZO'MENUS, HERMEIAS, SALAMAbooks. He also wrote a work on Orthography NES, or SALAMINIUS (2aAazdpvsls'Ep~?eLas
(dpOoypapi'av), Homeric questions (C'nTia'Es'OuLh - wLco^'evos, Phot. Bibl. Cod. 30; comp. Sozomen,
pulds), a Commentary on Menander (u6rsu'v?/a H. E. lib. vi. c. 32:'Epe-fav:w2o'dcseos, od Kcal
ElS MCvavYpo,), on Metres (Irepi et'pwvV), on,aAaiAvtos, Niceph. Callist. H. E. lib. i. c. i.),
Comedy (repl xcw/lwgias), and on Euripides (Eis with the additional epithet SCHOLASTiCUS; usually
Ebpn7ri'77v). called in English SOZOMEN; a Greek ecclesiastical
Snidas has two articles on Soteridas, which so historian of the fifth century. He was probably a
nearly resemble each other, that there can be no native of Bethelia or Bethel, a populous village in
doubt of their referring to one and the same person, the territory of Gaza in Palestine. His grandespecially when we bear in mind the constant father was the first of his family who embraced
practice of Suidas to make different articles out the Christian religion, being influenced thereto by
of the statements of different writers concerning the wonderful recovery of Alaphion, a person of proone person, without troubling himself much about perty in the same village, and a demoniac, who had
their consistency. The above account is taken been relieved bythe prayers of the monk Hilarion,
from the one of Suidas's articles which appears to after he had resorted in vain to Jewish and
be copied from the better authority. In the other Heathen exorcists. The grandfather of Sozomen,
(and s. v: flairpim.) he makes Soteridas the father, with some of his kindred, fled from Bethelia
instead of the husband, of Pamphila; but the fact during the reign of Julian, fearing the violence of
of his writing under her name appears more con- the heathen multitude: but they appear to have
sistent with his being her husband than her father. returned; and the grandfather being a person of
Also, the Commentary on Menander is called, in some education, and skilled in the exposition of
the second article, a Commentary on Homer and the Scriptures, and especially in solving difficulties,
Menander; a curious conjunction, unless the was much esteemed by the Christians of Ascalon,
Homer referred to be the poet of the Tragic Gaza, and the neighbouling parts (Sozom. H.~.
Pleiad. These variations are of little consequence lib. v. c..15). That Sozomen was born and educated
in themselves; but they furnish a good example of at Bethelia is inferred from his familiarity with the
the sort of materials out of which much of the locality (ibid.), and from his intimacy, when quite
minor Greek literary history has to be constructed. young, with some persons of the family of Alaphion,
(Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. ii. p. 496, vol. vi. p. who were the first to build churches and monas379.) [P. S.] teries near Bethelia, and were pre-eminent in
SO'TION (:wCo'cov). There appear to have been sanctity (ibid.); a description which, as Valesius
three or four philosophers of this name. The fol- notices, appears to identify them with the four
lowing alone are worth noticing: — brothers, Salamanes, Physcon, Malachion or Mal1. A native of Alexandria, who flourished at chion, and Crispion, mentioned by him in another
the close of the third century B. c. (Clinton, Fasti place (lib. vi. c. 32). Valesius supposes Sozomen
Hellen. vol. iii. p. 526.) Nothing is known of his to have derived that great admiration of the mopersonal history. He is chiefly remarkable as the nastic life which he shows in various parts of his
author of a work, entitled AtaJoxal, on the suc- work from his early intercourse with these monks;
cessive teachers in the different philosophical and it was perhaps from the first-mentioned of them
schools. It is quoted very frequently by Diogenes that he derived his own name of Salamanes. That
Ladrtius (ii. 12, 26. v. 86, &c.), and Athenaeus (iv. the early life of Sozomen was spent in the neighp. 162, e., &c.) It consisted of at least 23 books bourhood of Gaza, appears also from his familiar
(Diog. Lahrt. prooem. 1. 7). He was also, appa- acquaintance with the deportment of Zeno, the
rently, the author of a work, 7repl irc TVlewvoc aged bishop of Maiuma, the port of that city (lib.
Ui.AWh (Athen. viii. p. 336, d.), and of a work vii. c. 28). The statement of some writers that
entitled Aoe'cAetot EA;eyXoi (Diog. Lahirt. x. 4). Sozomen was a native of Cyprus is an error, arising
2. Also a native of Alexandria, who lived in apparently from the corrupt form aAaylsvyos, Snathe age of Tiberius. He was the instructor of laminius, inwhich Nicephorus has given his name.
Seneca, who derived from him his admiration of According to Valesius, whom Cave follows, SozoPythagoras (Seneca, Epist. 108). It was perhaps men studied civil law at Berytus; but we have
this Sotion who was the author of a treatise on not been able to trace any reference to this ciranger, quoted by Stobaeus (Floril. xiv. 10, xx. 53, cumstance in Sozomen's history: he practised at
lxxxiv. 6-8, 17, 18, cviii. 59, cxiii. 15). Plutarch the bar at Constantinople, and was still engaged in
also quotes him (Alex. c. 61), as the authority for his profession when he wrote his history (lib. ii. c.
certain statements respecting towns founded by 3). Of his subsequent life nothing appears to
Alexander the Great in India, which he had heard be known. As he mentions, in the prefatory
from his contemporary Potamon the Lesbian. epistle to his history, an incident which probably
Vossius conjectures that it is the same Sotion who occurred in A. D. 443, he mnust have survived that
is quoted by Tzetzes (Chiliad. vii. 144) as the year; and Ceillier thinks that, from the manner in
authority for some other statements relating to which he speaks of Proclus of Constantinople (lib.
India, which he probably drew from the same ix. c. 2, ad fin., IlpoKAov ed7rtrporesdovros rm)'
source. KwvnTtrraw vou'7roIXEws EcKAOaifav, " in the episcopate
3. The Peripatetic philosopher, mentioned by of Proclus of Constantinople"), he must have
A. Gellius (V.. A. i. 8) as the author of a written after the death of that prelate in A. D. 446;
miscellaneous work entitled Kepas'Atla0heOas, is but we think the words do not necessarily lead to
probably a different person from either of the pre- that conclusion.
ceding. (Vossits, de Itist. Graec. p. 233, &c.; The only work of Sozomen which has come
Schbll, Gesch. ldergriech. Lit. vol. ii. pp. 221, 576, down to our time is his'EICKArlOlacrrrtC?) ioropia,