Testimonies by Philon of Byblos

Name: Testimonies
Author: Philon of Byblos

Period: Ῥωμαϊκή Roman

Dialect: Κοινή Koine

Domain: Βίος Biography

Domain: Γραμματική Grammar

Genre: Συναγωγή Collection / Anthology

The Testimonies is a grammatical and philological work by the scholar Philon of Byblos, composed in Koine Greek around 100 CE. Only a fragment of the text survives, known through six passages preserved in later Byzantine reference works. The content of these fragments suggests the original was a scholarly collection providing explanations, definitions, and authoritative citations regarding word usage, etymology, and literary references. Its original full structure and scope are now unknown. Philon was a grammarian and historian active during the Roman Imperial period, a time of revived interest in linguistic purity and cultural heritage. The work is a technical reference, likely intended for fellow scholars and students engaged in the sophisticated literary culture of the era. It reflects Philon’s broader role as a bridge between Greek and Near Eastern intellectual traditions. The work survives only through quotations in later grammatical compilations, with no independent manuscript tradition.

Philon of Byblos Testimonies in Greek in PDF

Philon of Byblos Testimonies in Greek in MD

Σοῦδα Φίλων Βύβλιος· γραμματικός. οὗτος γέγονεν ἐπὶ τῶν χρόνων τῶν ἐγγὺς Νέρωνος, καὶ παρέτεινεν εἰς μακρόν· ὕπατον γοῦν Σεβῆρον τὸν Ἐρέννιον χρηματίσαντα αὐτὸς εἶναί φησιν, ὅταν ἦγεν η καὶ ο ἔτος, ὀλυμπιάδι δὲ κ καὶ διακοσιοστῆι. γέγραπται δὲ αὐτῶι Περὶ κτήσεως καὶ ἐκλογῆς βιβλίων βιβλία ιβ· Περὶ πόλεων καὶ οὓς ἑκάστη αὐτῶν ἐνδόξους ἤνεγκε βιβλία λ· Περὶ τῆς βασιλείας Ἀδριανοῦ ἐφʼ οὗ καὶ ἦν ὁ Φίλων· καὶ ἄλλα.

Σοῦδα Ἕρμιππος Βηρύτιος· ἀπὸ κώμης μεσογαίου· μαθητὴς Φίλωνος τοῦ Βυβλίου, ὑφʼ οὗ ὠικειώθη Ἐρεννίωι Σευήρωι ἐπὶ Ἀδριανοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως, ἔκδουλος ὢν γένος, λόγιος σφόδρα. καὶ ἔγραψε πολλά. ἔγραψε καὶ Περὶ ὀνείρων.

Σοῦδα Παῦλος Τύριος· ῥήτωρ, γεγονὼς κατὰ Φίλωνα τὸν Βύβλιον· ὃς ἐπὶ Ἀδριανοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως πρεσβεύσας μητρόπολιν τὴν Τύρον ἐποίησεν.

Σοῦδα Ἡρωδιανὸς Ἀλεξανδρεύς· γραμματικός, υἱὸς Ἀπολλωνίου ... τοῦ ἐπικληθέντος Δυσκόλου. γέγονε κατὰ τὸν Καίσαρα Ἀντωνῖνον τὸν καὶ Μάρκον, ὡς νεώτερον εἶναι καὶ Διονυσίου τοῦ τὴν Μουσικὴν ἱστορίαν γράψαντος καὶ Φίλωνος τοῦ Βυβλίου.

Πορφύριος ἡ Φοινικικὴ ἱστορία ... ἣν Σαγχουνιάθων μὲν τῆι Φοινίκων γλώττηι συνέγραψεν, Φίλων δὲ ὁ Βύβλιος εἰς τὴν Ἑλλάδα γλῶσσαν διʼ ὀκτὼ βιβλίων ἡρμήνευσεν.

Σοῦδα Σερῆνος· ὁ καὶ Ἀθηναῖος, ὁ Αἴλιος χρηματίσας· γραμματικός. Ἐπιτομὴν τῆς Φίλωνος πραγματείας Περὶ πόλεων καὶ τίνες ἐφʼ ἑκάστης ἔνδοξοι, βιβλία γ.

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