 |
Didymus ChalcenterusGreek scholar and grammarian
Country:
 Greece |
Content:
- Didymus Chalcenterus: A Prolific Greek Scholar
- "Brazen Guts" and "Book Abyss"
- Aristarchus's Disciple and Homeric Exegete
- Commentator on Classical Literature
- Lexicographical Contributions and Citations
- Other Attributed Works and Authorship Controversy
- - Treatises on agriculture and botany
- Reassessment of Didymus's Scholarship
- Mistaken Identity with Didymus the Musician
Didymus Chalcenterus: A Prolific Greek Scholar
Didymus Chalcenterus, an illustrious Greek grammarian and scholar, flourished during the Hellenistic era alongside Marcus Tullius Cicero and Octavian Augustus. He should not be confused with his contemporary, the Stoic Arius Didymus.
"Brazen Guts" and "Book Abyss"
Didymus earned the nickname "Chalcenterus" ("Brazen Guts") due to his prodigious output. It is said that he penned so many works that he could not recall the contents of his earlier writings, often contradicting himself. Demetrius of Trezen dubbed him the "Book Abyss" for producing an astounding 3,500 treatises. Consequently, he acquired another moniker: "Book Forgetter." Seneca criticized his scholarship, saying:
"Didymus lived and taught in Alexandria and Rome, where he befriended Marcus Terentius Varro. He introduced the Romans to Alexandrian scholarship.
Aristarchus's Disciple and Homeric Exegete
Didymus was a follower of Aristarchus of Samothrace. He authored a treatise on Aristarchus's edition of Homer titled "On Aristarchus's Recension," a fragment of which survives in the Codex Venetus A, a manuscript of the Iliad.
Commentator on Classical Literature
Didymus produced commentaries on numerous works of Greek poets and prose writers. His annotations on Greek lyric poets, particularly Bacchylides and Pindar, and on dramatists are well-known. A substantial portion of the scholia on Pindar and Sophocles originated from Didymus. The Aristophanes scholia also frequently cite him. Moreover, he composed treatises on Euripides, Ion of Chios, Phrynichus, Cratinus, and Menander, as well as works on Greek orators, including Demosthenes, Isaeus, Hyperides, and Dinarchus.
Lexicographical Contributions and Citations
Didymus's compilation of a lexicon became an integral part of the "Lexicon" by Hesychius, an Alexandrian grammarian and lexicographer of the 5th or 6th century CE. Athenaeus cites Didymus extensively, particularly regarding Pramnian wine, olive names, and the Hyacinthia festival.
Other Attributed Works and Authorship Controversy
Aside from the aforementioned works, the following are also attributed to Didymus, though none have survived:
- Treatises on agriculture and botany
- "On All Types of Marble and Timber"However, since the subject matter of these works differs markedly from Didymus's other pursuits, some scholars believe they may have been written by a different individual of the same name.
Reassessment of Didymus's Scholarship
The discovery of a papyrus fragment containing Didymus's commentary on Demosthenes's Philippics shed new light on his work. Analysis revealed that Didymus was not a groundbreaking researcher but rather a meticulous compiler. He extensively quoted from numerous authors and provided annotations on chronology, history, rhetoric, and style.
Mistaken Identity with Didymus the Musician
The identification of Didymus Chalcenterus with Didymus the music theorist mentioned by Ptolemy and Porphyry is now considered erroneous. The latter is credited with the discovery of the "Didymus Comma."
