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Chaeremon of Alexandria

Chaeremon of Alexandria (/kəˈriːmən, -mɒn/; Greek: Χαιρήμων ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, gen.: Ancient Greek: Χαιρήμονος; fl. 1st century AD) was a Stoic philosopher and historian^[1] who wrote on Egyptian mythology from a "typically Stoic" perspective.^[2]

Life[edit]

According to the Suda, he was the head of the Alexandrian school of grammarians, and he may also have been head of the Museion.^[2] He was probably one of the ambassadors to Claudius from Alexandria in 40 AD.^[2] He also taught Nero, probably before 49 AD when Seneca the Younger became Nero's tutor.^[2] He may have been the grandson of the Chaeremon who accompanied the Roman prefect Aelius Gallus on his tour of Egypt in 26 AD.^[1] His father – about whom nothing is known – was called Leonidas, and he was probably born no later than 10 AD.^[1]

One of the poems from Martial's eleventh book of Epigrams mocks Chaeremon; as Martial did not usually attack living figures Chaeremon presumably died before 96 AD when Epigrams XI was published.^[2]

Works[edit]

All of Chaeremon's works are lost, though a number of fragments are quoted by later authors.^[2] Three titles are preserved: the History of Egypt, Hieroglyphika, and On Comets, with another fragment quoted from an unknown grammatical treatise of his.^[2]

Josephus quotes an extensive fragment from Chaeremon's Egyptian history, in which he scornfully recounts and ridicules, in a manner similar to that of Manetho, the departure of the Jews from Egypt. Josephus boasts of having refuted Chaeremon as well as Manetho and others.^[3] Chaeremon's history is also mentioned by Porphyry.^[4] Chaeremon's description of Egypt recalls the ideas which Philo, Clement, Origen, and others introduced into the Old and the New Testament.^[5] The asceticism especially, which he ascribes to the ancient Egyptian priests, is analogous to the description in Philo's work, "De Vita Contemplativa"; still there is no literary connection between the two authors.^[6] Fragments of the "History of Egypt" may still exist in a treatise of Psellus published in 1877.^[7][5]

According to the Suda, ^[8] another work of Chaeremon was entitled "Hieroglyphica," and probably contained interpretations of the hieroglyphics ^[9] while a third work may be the book "On the Comets" mentioned by Origen.^[10] Origen also made use of other writings of Chaeremon that are now lost.^[11][5]

Notes[edit]

Editions and Translations[edit]

• P. Charvet, S. Aufrère, J-M. Kowalski, A. Zucker, Le Quartette d'Alexandrie - Hérodote, Diodore, Strabon, Chérémon, Collection Bouquins, Paris, 2021, (1563 p). Aufrère provides a translation of Chaeremon's Book of Phtomyris or Critics des Aigyptiaka
• van der Horst, Pieter Willem (1987). Chaeremon: Egyptian Priest and Stoic Philosopher. Leiden: Brill.. Pieter van der Horst includes 14 certain and 14 doubtful fragments in his edition of Chaeramon's works.

References[edit]

•  Gottheil, Richard; Krauss, Samuel (1901–1906). "CHÆREMON". In Singer, Isidore; et al. (eds.). The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.
• van der Horst, Pieter Willem (1982). "The Way of Life of the Egyptian Priests According to Chaeremon". Egyptian Festivals: Enactment of Religious Renewal. BRILL. pp. 61–71. ISBN 978-90-04-37804-9. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
• Gates, ed. (2012). "Chaeremon". Oxford Dictionary of African Biography. ISBN 9780195382075.