Chairemon of Alexandria
1st Century
Coptic Church
Egypt
A Stoic philosopher, Egyptian priest, and writer of the first century A.D. The exact dates of his life are not known, but he was active in a literary way from about A.D. 30 to A.D. 65. Only fragments of his works on the hieroglyphs, Egyptian history, and the comets have survived in later authors (collected and edited by van der Horst). According to the Suda, he was head of the school of grammarians in Alexandria and perhaps curator of the famous museum before he went to Rome as tutor of the future emperor Nero. His book on the hieroglyphs influenced later authors from Clement of Alexandria and Horapollon down to John Tsetzes in the twelfth century. His works betray a syncretistic mixture of Egyptian religious ideas and Stoic philosophy as well as magical and astrological conceptions.
Martin Krause
Note: The DACB uses the transliteration system of the Encyclopedia of Islam (2nd ed.), dropping the diacritical marks on the kha, dtaa, saad, and daad.
Bibliography:
Adler, A. Sudae lexicon, 5 vols. Leipzig, 1928-1938; repro Stuttgart, 1967-1971.
Horst, P. W. van der. Chairemon: Egyptian Priest and Stoic Philosopher. The fragments collected and translated with explanatory notes. Études préliminaires aux religions orientales dans l'empire romain 10 1. Leiden, 1984.
