Choricius of Gaza

Choricius of Gaza (Greek: Χορίκιος) was a Gaza-based Greek sophist and rhetorician of Late Antiquity.[1] With writings dating to the early sixth century, he flourished in the time of Anastasius I (AD 491–518) as a scholar and public orator.[2] He is considered as part of the Rhetorical School of Gaza, of which he later became the chair.[3][4]

Choricius was the pupil of Procopius of Gaza, who must be distinguished from the historian Procopius of Caesarea.

Style and works

A number of Choricius' declamations and descriptive treatises have been preserved. The declamations, which are in many cases accompanied by explanatory commentaries, chiefly consist of panegyrics, funeral orations and the stock themes of the rhetorical schools. His wedding speeches, wishing prosperity to the bride and bridegroom, strike out a new line.[2]

Choricius was also the author of descriptions of works of art after the manner of Philostratus. The moral maxims, which were a constant feature of his writings, were largely drawn upon by Macanus Chrysocephalas, metropolitan of Philadelphia (middle of the 14th century), in his Rodonia (rose-garden), a voluminous collection of ethical sayings.[2]

The style of Choricius is praised by Photius as pure and elegant, but he is censured for lack of naturalness. A special feature of his style is the persistent avoidance of hiatus, peculiar to what is called the school of Gaza.[2]

References
  1. Webb, Ruth. "Choricius of Gaza." In The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity. Oxford University Press, 2018.
  2. Chisholm 1911.
  3. Webb, Ruth. "Gaza, schools and rhetoric at." In The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity. Oxford University Press, 2018.
  4. Cribiore, Raffaella. "education and schools, Greek." In The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity. Oxford University Press, 2018.
  • This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Choricius". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 6 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 269–270.

Further reading
Edition
Translations
  • Fotios K. Litsas, Choricius of Gaza: An Approach to His Work. Introduction, translation, commentary, University of Chicago dissertation, 1980.
  • Robert J. Penella (ed.), Rhetorical Exercises from Late Antiquity: A Translation of Choricius of Gaza's Preliminary Talks and Declamations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009.
Secondary literature
  • Catherine Saliou (ed.), Gaza dans l'Antiquité Tardive: Archéologie, rhétorique et histoire. Salerno: Helios, 2005.



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