Andronico of Rhodes

ANDRONICO di RODI. - Peripatetic philosopher of the 1st century B.C., tenth scholarch of the Lyceum. His name is connected with the edition of Aristotle’s school writings, from which the collection we possess essentially derives. For this he was able to make use of the Master’s own library, which, inherited by Teofrasto and passed by him to Neloo di Scepi (Troade), and finally sold to Apellicone, an officer of Mitridate, fell in 86 into the hands of Silla, who transported it to Rome. Modern philology has refuted the legend according to which, before A.’s edition, the school writings of the Stagirite were unknown. Copies of those works were, as several testimonies show, in the library of Alessandria, nor could the Lyceum have lacked them. Since the manuscripts brought by Silla to Rome were in all probability Aristotle’s own, even if not all in his own hand, A.’s work must have consisted of collation and critical revision. Besides the edition of Aristotle, he also prepared that of Teofrasto. For both he compiled catalogues of the works, which have come down to us only in part. We possess no work by A. A De affectibus and a paraphrase of the Ethica Nicomachea have been falsely attributed to him by tradition.