Aratus

Aratus

▪ Greek poet
flourished c. 315–c. 245 BC, Macedonia

      Greek poet of Soli in Cilicia, best remembered for his poem on astronomy, Phaenomena.

      He resided at the courts of Antigonus II Gonatas, king of Macedonia, and Antiochus I of Syria. The Phaenomena, a didactic poem in hexameters, is his only completely extant work. Lines 1–757 versify a prose work on astronomy by Eudoxus of Cnidus (c. 390–c. 340), while lines 758–1154 treat of weather signs and show much likeness to Pseudo-Theophrastus' De signis tempestatum. The poem became immediately popular and provoked many commentaries, the most important of which is by Hipparchus (c. 150 BC) and is still extant. In form, the Phaenomena belongs to the Alexandrian school, but the author's Stoicism adds a strong note of seriousness. It was admired by Callimachus and enjoyed a high reputation among the Romans. Cicero (Cicero, Marcus Tullius), Germanicus Julius Caesar, and Avienus translated it; the two last versions and fragments of Cicero's survive. One verse from the famous opening invocation to Zeus became even more famous because it was quoted in the New Testament (Acts 17:28): “For ‘in him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we too are his offspring.'”

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  • Aratus [1] — Aratus, geb. 270 v. Chr., einer der letzten Griechen, befreite im 20. Jahre seine Vaterstadt Sycion von einem Tyrannen und brachte sie in den achäischen Bund. Er eroberte Korinth, führte es nebst Megara, Megalopolis, Hermione, Phlius in den… …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • Aratus — Arātus aus Sikyon in Achaia, griech. Staatsmann, geb. um 271 v. Chr., befreite seine Vaterstadt von dem Tyrannen Nikokles, bewirkte 251 ihren Beitritt zum Achäischen Bunde, dessen tatsächlicher Leiter er bald wurde. Durch einen Konflikt mit… …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Aratus [2] — Aratus, aus Soli in Cilicien, um 270 v. Chr., schrieb das astron. Lehrgedicht »Phainomena«, das unter andern auch Cicero übersetzte; deutsch von Voß …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • Aratus — This article is about the didactic poet. There was also an Aratus of Sicyon and an Aratus, son of Asclepius : For the crab genus, see Aratus (crab).Aratus (Greek Ἄρατος ὁ Σολεύς) (ca. 315 BC/310 BC ndash; 240 BC) was a Greek didactic poet, known… …   Wikipedia

  • ARATUS — I. ARATUS Cnidius, Historiam Aegypti scripsit. II. ARATUS Poeta Solensis, tempore Ptolemaei Philadelphi, in aula Antigoni Gonatae, fil. Demetrii Poliorcetae plerumque versatus. Scripsit, quae exstant φαινόμενα et Διοσήμεια, in quibus situm, motum …   Hofmann J. Lexicon universale

  • Aratus — Aratos von Soloi Aratos von Soloi (* ca. 310 v. Chr.; † 245 v. Chr.) war ein griechischer Autor. Er wurde in Soloi in Kilikien geboren und stammte aus einer vornehmen Familie. Seine Studien führten ihn nach Athen. Dort befasste er sich mit… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Aratus — Aratos Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Aratos ou Aratus est le nom porté par plusieurs personnages de la Grèce antique : Aratos de Sicyone, général de la ligue Achéenne (IIIe siècle …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Aratus, S. (1) — 1S. Aratus, (18. Jan.), ein Martyrer in Aegypten. S. S. Paulus …   Vollständiges Heiligen-Lexikon

  • Aratus, S. (2) — 2S. Aratus, (9. Febr.), ein Martyrer in Aegypten. S. S. Julius …   Vollständiges Heiligen-Lexikon

  • Aratus of Sicyon — Aratus (271 BC 213 BC) was a statesman of the ancient Greek city state of Sicyon in the 3rd century BC. He deposed the Sicyon tyrant Nicocles in 251 BC. Aratus was an advocate of Greek unity and brought Sicyon into the Achaean League, which he… …   Wikipedia

  • Aratus (crater) — Lunar crater Aratus from Apollo 15. NASA photo. Coordinates …   Wikipedia

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