AELIUS ARISTIDES. - Rhetorician, b. at Adrianople in Moesia in 117 AD to a wealthy family, d. ca. 189. He studied at Pergamum and Athens. In 137 he visited Rhodes and Egypt, staying at Alexandria where he won his first applause for his speeches. In 155 he came to Italy where he contracted a severe illness that afflicted him for 17 years. He then became a faithful devotee of Asclepius, whose temple at Pergamum he assiduously frequented and from whom he believed he received revelations to cure his poor health. He did not neglect, however, to compose numerous speeches. In 176 he had the honor of speaking in the presence of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus at Smyrna, from whom he later also obtained aid for that same city, destroyed by an earthquake.

53 speeches by Aelius Aristides survive on various subjects, written with a certain classical style, but very superficial and full of academic eloquence. Noteworthy are the XIV, in which he praises Rome, and the XLVI, in a passage of which he inveighs against the Christians, accusing them of insubordination to the established authorities.

Bibliography4 works

BIBL.: W. Schmid, P. Aelius Aristides, in Pauly-Wissowa, II, coll. 886-94; A. Boulanger, Aelius Aristide..., Paris 1923; A. M. Croiset, Histoire de la littérature grecque, V, ibid. [1938], pp. 572-81; P. de Labriolle, La réaction païenne, ibid. 1942, pp. 79-87.

Agostino Amore

@incollection{ec5_elio_aristide, author = {Amore, Agostino}, title = {Elio Aristide}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {V}, pages = {241--242}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1950}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/elio-aristide} }

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