Salustios — Divine Man of Cynicism in Late Antiquity

Summary

In the reconstructed Philosophical History of Damacius, which is our main source of repainting the circle of late platonic philosophers and their world in the 5^th and early 6^th century, the author mentioned Salustios of Emesa. In a few places Damascius gave this person the name of Cynic. He said: “His [Salustios'] philosophy was along the lines of Cynicism” (κυνικώτερον δὲ ἐϕιλοσόϕει), and in another passage: As a Cynic philosopher Salustios (Ὁ Σαλούστιος κυνίζων) did not follow the well-trodden path of philosophy, but the one made jagged through criticism and abuse and especially through toil in the service of virtue. According to his opinion, in the modern historiography Salustios is called the last Cynic philosopher of the antiquity, the last heir of philosophy and spiritual movement which was founded by the famous Diogenes of Sinope in the fourth century BC. He was not only the last one, but also the only Cynic philosopher known by name after 4^th century who is described by sources.

In the times of the Roman Empire cynicism was a vital philosophy, but also it became the widespread social movement which Giovanni Reale named the Phenomena of the Masses. On the one hand, we have the Cynicism of well-educated philosophers like Demetrius — a friend of Seneca, or Dio of Prusa.