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Biography of Lucian
Lucian Satirist
Born: Samsat, Turkey
Died: Egypt
Full name: Lucian of Samosata
Nationality: Roman
Influenced by: Plato, Socrates, Homer, Menippus, Epicurus, Menander
Lucian, is an ancient Greek writer of satirical prose. Atheist. Also translated Lucian. Born in Samosata, Syria, under the Roman Empire.
Lucian of Samosata was a Hellenized Syrian satirist, rhetorician and pamphleteer who is best known for his characteristic tongue-in-cheek style, with which he frequently ridiculed superstition, religious practices, and belief in the paranormal. Wikipedia
Biography
Lucian lived in a time when slavery in Rome was beginning to decline, but the Roman Empire remained serene. At that time, Greek religion, mythology, philosophy and various literary genres, and even the Attica dialect of the classical era were all revived, and sophistry was widely popular. Under the rule of the Roman Empire, oratory was divorced from life, lost its social and political significance in the past, and simply pursued artistry and fun. Lucian’s early works, such as “The Man Who Lost His Legacy” and “Ode to the Flies”, were completely under the influence of this trend of thought.
“The Teacher of Speech” was an important turning point in his creative path. Since then, he has inherited the legacy of the classical era, organically combined philosophical dialogue and old Greek comedy, and formed his main genre—comedy satirical dialogue.
The works at this stage include “Zeuxis”, “On the House” and other aesthetic commentary works, and “Prometheus”, “The Dialogue of the Gods”, “The Dialogue of the Sea”, etc., centered on satirizing the Greek gods content conversation. The Prostitute’s Dialogue, which focuses on poverty and human dignity and pays attention to psychological description, also belongs to the works of this period.
In the process of exploring philosophical creeds, he wrote his most mature works, such as Dialogues in the Underworld, Zeus Interrogated, Icaro Menipus, Dreams, Timon, etc. . In these works, he condemned the social system at that time; the deceitful methods of various idealist philosophies, religious superstition, unkindness for the rich, violent politics, social inequality, moral degeneration, etc. became the object of exposure and criticism, and there were many positive characters. A poor laborer and a free-thinking philosopher. The author’s tendency to describe Rome as the center of all evil can be seen from the work “Negrinos”. Lucian was deeply influenced by the Sinician philosopher Menipus in the 3rd century BC.
He borrowed the words of Menipus, accusing various philosophers of “praising and despising wealth, but he was firmly tied to wealth” (“Menepos”). In his mind, the Free-spirited philosophers were “selfish and argumentative”, the Platonists were “arrogant and vain”, and the Stoic philosophers were “greedy and fierce” (Hermotimus) . Many works show that the author once endorsed the democratic tendencies of the Sinician doctrine, but he did not condone those who simply understood the Sinician view and only used its superficial features for personal gain (“Selling Philosophy”, “Old Times”). Nikos”). Later he turned to Epicurean materialism.
In the dialogue “Zeus Playing Tragedy,” he asks an Epicurean follower to refute the Stoic theories about God and the history of God’s creation of the world. In his later work, Alexander, he praised Epicurus for creating “the best book of all”. As an atheist, Lucian was hostile to all religions, whether it was polytheism in decline or Christianity in the new. The Death of Peregrine is regarded as an important document in the study of early Christian history. “How Should History Be Written” is a response to the numerous historical writings at that time. In this essay, he expressed his opposition to copying and imitation, against unnecessary embellishment and exaggeration, and advocated respect for facts. His prose style is fresh, his language is vivid and full of jokes.
Main Idea
Lucian is an atheist. Lucian said, if there is a god, why is the world so chaotic? If gods are worthy of reverence, why are the Greek gods headed by Zeus so funny. They compete with each other for status, they fight with each other, they fall in love with each other indiscriminately, and they compete with each other for style. This god ties up that god, and that god sends this god to be a slave. They are not holy at all.
Because he satirized religion and pointedly raised various social problems at that time, his works were opposed by many people. Christian writers say he slandered Christ and was torn to pieces by a pack of dogs. However, the existence of numerous manuscripts and commentaries suggests that he had a considerable following.
Influences
He influenced Byzantine satirists and later many important thinkers and writers of the European Renaissance and Enlightenment, such as Erasmus, Thomas More, Shakespeare, Voltaire, Goethe and others. Marx spoke highly of his “Dialogues” for the comic satire of the Greek gods. Engels called him the “Ancient Voltaire”.
