Michael Apostolius the Proverb-Writer (Μιχαὴλ Ἀποστόλιος ὁ Παροιμιογράφος) A Byzantine Greek scholar of the 15th century CE, Michael Apostolius was a student of Cardinal Bessarion. Following the fall of Constantinople in 1453, he traveled to Italy, working as a scribe and teacher within circles dedicated to preserving Greek learning. His career was contentious, involving polemics against the Latin Church and George of Trebizond that led to a period of imprisonment in Rome. He eventually returned to the eastern Mediterranean and is believed to have died in Crete [1][2].

Works His major work is the Συναγωγὴ παροιμιῶν (Collection of Proverbs), a substantial compilation of Greek proverbs [1][2].

Significance Apostolius is significant primarily for this proverb collection, a key source for Byzantine paremiography and popular wisdom, preserving many sayings that might otherwise have been lost. As a scribe and scholar, he contributed to the transmission of Greek texts to the Italian Renaissance, exemplifying the role of Byzantine intellectuals who carried Greek learning to the West after 1453 [1][2].

Sources 1. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics: https://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-8222 2. Encyclopædia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Michael-Apostolius