Pseudo-Hellenistic Authors (Ψευδο-Ἑλληνισταί)

Life "Pseudo-Hellenistic Authors" is a modern scholarly designation for anonymous or pseudepigraphical philosophical texts composed between the 3rd century BCE and the 2nd century CE. No specific biographical details exist for the anonymous individuals behind these works. They wrote in Koine Greek, the common language of the Hellenistic world following Alexander the Great's conquests [2].

Works This designation refers to a category of texts rather than a single, specific treatise. It encompasses philosophical works from the era that survive under false attributions, such as pseudo-Pythagorean texts or letters misattributed to Socratic schools, as well as anonymous fragments [2].

Significance These pseudepigraphical texts are significant for understanding the dissemination and popularization of philosophy in the Hellenistic period. They often present eclectic blends of doctrines from major schools like Stoicism, Platonism, and Pythagoreanism, reflecting broader intellectual trends [2]. Crucial for the transmission of Greek philosophy, they influenced later Roman thinkers and early Christian writers.

Sources 1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Stanford University): https://plato.stanford.edu 2. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (University of Tennessee Martin): https://iep.utm.edu 3. Encyclopædia Britannica (Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.): https://www.britannica.com 4. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics (Oxford University Press): https://oxfordre.com/classics/ 5. Perseus Digital Library (Tufts University): https://www.perseus.tufts.edu 6. Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (via Perseus): https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0104 7. World History Encyclopedia (World History Foundation): https://www.worldhistory.org 8. ToposText (Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation): https://topostext.org