NEMESIO, bishop of EMESA. — He lived in the fourth–fifth century; author of a book De natura hominis, of Neoplatonic inspiration (Porphyry is frequently cited). The author mentions Eunomius, Apollinaris of Laodicea, and
probably polemicizes against the Christology of Theodore of Mopsuestia. His work is important for the history of ancient philosophy. N. accepts the doctrine of the pre-existence of souls. N.’s anthropology exerted a great influence. St Giovanni Damasceno copied entire pages from N. in his book De fide orthodoxa. Through St Giovanni Damasceno and a Latin translation, N.’s influence made itself felt in scholastic philosophy. Syrians, Armenians, Georgians, and Copts also knew him, at times under the name of Gregory of Nyssa.
BIBL.: edition by Chr. Mathaei, Halle 1802. The reprint in PG 40 is defective. A critical edition is lacking, for which the excerpts of St Giovanni Damasceno and the monk Melitus (ninth century) will be useful. An initial Latin translation was made by Alfanus of Salerno. The text was published by Burkhard, Leipzig 1917 (Bibl. Trubneriana). Another translation, by Giovanni Burgundio of Pisa (d. 1194), formed the basis for the citations of Albertus Magnus and Thomas Aquinas. On the Armenian texts V. BARDENHEWER, OTTO, IV, p. 279; V. also: J. Karst, Littérature géorgienne chrétienne, Paris 1934, p. 38; G. Graf, Gesch. der christl.-arab. Literatur, I (Studi e testi, 118). Vatican City 1944, p. 319; traces among the Syrians: V. J. Dräseke, in Zeitschrift für wissenschaftl. Theologie, 46 (1903), p. 506 ff.; Klinge, in Zeitschrift für Kirchengesch. (1939), p. 363 ff. From the extensive bibliography on N., the following may be cited: E. Skard, s. V. in Pauly-Wissowa, VII, pp. 262–66; B. Domanaki, Die Psychologie des N. (Beiträge zur Geschichte der Philosophie des Mittelalters, 3, 1), Münster 1900; W. W. Jäger, N., Berlin 1914; H. A. Koch, Quellen u. Untersuchungen zu N., ibid. 1921; R. Arnou, in Gregorianum, 17 (1936), p. 116 ff.; E. Skard, in Symbolae Oloventes, 1942, p. 40 ff. (on N. and Galen); and id., ibid., p. 23 ff.; 18 (1937), p. 9 ff.; 1939, p. 46 ff. Erik Peterson