John of Alexandria (Ἰωάννης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς)

Life John of Alexandria was a physician and medical commentator active in the 6th–7th centuries CE. He belonged to the Alexandrian medical school and worked within the tradition of the iatrosophists, professors who produced commentaries on authoritative texts, particularly those of Galen [2].

Works His only known work is a fragmentary Commentary on Hippocrates' Epidemics, covering Books 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7. It survives in Greek manuscripts [1][2].

Significance John is important for understanding the transmission of classical medicine in late antiquity. His commentary exemplifies the Alexandrian pedagogical method, which centered on the works of Hippocrates and Galen [1]. This tradition of systematizing Greek medical knowledge was crucial for its later passage into the Arabic and medieval Latin worlds [2].

Sources 1. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics (Oxford University Press): https://oxfordre.com/classics/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-8392 2. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Stanford University): https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/byzantine-philosophy/