Themistius’ Self-Fashioning as a Philosopher in its Contexts. Philosophy, Rhetoric and Public Action

At the imperial court in Constantinople, Themistius reaped success with encomia in which he played the role of a truth-loving philosopher. In other, 'private', orations, he reflected upon this strategy and on whether the many roles he played (philosopher, orator, politician) could be reconciled. How Themistius sees himself, what image of himself he presents and in particular how he justifies this persona with arguments from the philosophical tradition is the theme of my dissertation. These arguments often appear to be rudimentary or can be recognized only in allusions to predecessors. The underlying arguments/assumptions must be uncovered by reading the orations before their diachronic (Plato, Aristotle, orators of the Second Sophistic) and synchronic horizons (Synesius, Julian, Neoplatonists). My research will clarify (1) what philosophy, rhetoric, and sophistry mean to Themistius and what are their mutual relations; (2) what philosophy of political participation Themistius advocates and why he considers Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle to be his predecessors; (3) what is Themistius' contribution to the century-old debate on the relation between philosophy and rhetoric.