Hermias of Alexandria Hermias of Alexandria (Ἑρμείας ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς) was a minor 5th-century CE author known only for a single surviving work. No biographical details about his life are recorded. His name indicates an Alexandrian origin, and his work suggests he was literate and familiar with philosophical ideas circulating in late antique Alexandria [1].

Works His sole known work is The Irrisio (Mockery) of the Pagan Philosophers (Irrisio gentilium philosophorum), a 92-line Greek hexameter poem [1][2].

Significance Hermias’s significance rests entirely on this poem, a document of early Christian apologetic literature. It satirically critiques the doctrines of major Greek philosophers from a Christian perspective, serving as an example of how educated Christians engaged with the classical tradition [1][2]. The work is a concise, derisive contribution to a polemical genre, though it had limited historical influence and was rediscovered by modern scholarship.

Sources 1. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics: Hermias (3), author of Irrisio gentilium philosophorum: https://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-3022 2. Perseus Digital Library: Text of Hermias, Irrisio gentilium philosophorum: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:2008.01.0621