Pseudo-Plutarch

Pseudo-Plutarch is the conventional name given to the actual, but unknown, authors of a number of pseudepigrapha (falsely attributed works) attributed to Plutarch but now known to have not been written by him.

Some of these works were included in some editions of Plutarch's Moralia. Among these are:

  • the Lives of the Ten Orators (Ancient Greek: Βίοι τῶν δέκα ῥητόρων; Latin: Vitae decem oratorum), biographies of the Ten Orators of ancient Athens, based on Caecilius of Calacte, possibly deriving from a common source with the Lives of Photius
  • The Doctrines of the Philosophers (Ancient Greek: Περὶ τῶν ἀρεσκόντων φιλοσόφοις φυσικῶν δογμάτων; Latin: Placita Philosophorum)[1]
  • De Musica (On Music)
  • Whether Fire or Water is More Useful[2]
  • Greek and Roman Parallel Stories (Ancient Greek: Διηγήσεις Παράλληλοι Ἑλληνικαὶ καὶ Ῥωμαϊκαί), also known as the Parallela Minora[3] (Minor Parallels)
  • Pro Nobilitate (Noble Lineage)[4]
  • De fluviis[5] (On Rivers / About the Names of Rivers and Mountains; Greek: Περὶ ποταμῶν καὶ ὀρῶν ἐπωνυμίας)
  • De Homero (On Homer)
  • De Unius in Re Publica Dominatione (On the Rule of One in the Republic)
  • Consolatio ad Apollonium (Consolation to Apollonius)

These works date to slightly later than Plutarch, but almost all of them date to late antiquity (3rd to 4th century AD). D. Blank has recently shown that Pro Nobilitate was written by Arnoul Le Ferron (Arnoldus Ferronus) and first published in 1556.[4]

One pseudepigraphal philosophical work, De Fato (On Fate; included in editions of Plutarch's Moralia), is thought to be a 2nd-century Middle Platonic work.

Stromateis (Στρωματεῖς, "Patchwork"), an important source for pre-Socratic philosophy, is also falsely ascribed to Plutarch.[6]

Some works ascribed to Plutarch are likely of medieval origin, such as the "Letter to Trajan".

  1. ^ The writer of this work depended on the (lost) work of the Peripatetic philosopher Aetius (see John Burnet (3rd edition, 1920), Early Greek Philosophy: Section B: Note on the Sources Archived 2009-02-16 at the Wayback Machine).
  2. ^ Sandbach, F. H. (1939). "Rhythm and Authenticity in Plutarch's Moralia". The Classical Quarterly. 33.
  3. ^ Pseudo-Plutarch. The Parallela Minora (Parallela Graeca et Romana). republished online from Vol. IV of the Loeb Classical Library edition, 1936. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Blank, David (2011). "'Plutarch' and the Sophistry of 'Noble Lineage'". In Martínez, Javier (ed.). Fakes and Forgers of Classical Literature. Madrid: Ediciones Clásicas. pp. 33–60. ISBN 9788478827251.
  5. ^ "Plutarch". The Mineralogical Record - Library. Archived from the original on August 18, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  6. ^ Marietta, Don E. (1998). Introduction to Ancient Philosophy. M.E. Sharpe. p. 190. ISBN 9780765602152.