Michael Psellos 1018 – 1078
Michael Psellos (1018 – 1078) was a Byzantine philosopher of the Medieval era, associated with Platonism and Christian Philosophy.
Michael Psellos was a Byzantine philosopher, statesman, and historian, the leading intellectual of eleventh-century Constantinople, and the principal figure in the Platonist revival that anticipated, by four centuries, the Italian Renaissance return to Plato. His Chronographia gave a brilliant inside account of the imperial court of his age, while his philosophical works, including the De omnifaria doctrina and his commentaries on Plato and on the Chaldean Oracles, defended the rational, Platonic, and Neoplatonic tradition against the suspicions of the more austere monastic theology of his time. He served as Consul of the Philosophers under Constantine IX and trained a generation of Byzantine philosophical scholars.
Key facts
- Nationality
- Byzantine
- Era
- Medieval
- Movements
- Platonism, Christian Philosophy
Selected quotes
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Attributed to Michael Psellos:
“Plato is the river from which our Greek learning has long flowed.”
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Attributed to Michael Psellos:
“Faith without philosophy is a tower built on the air; philosophy without faith is a foundation without a roof.”
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Attributed to Michael Psellos:
“The historian must love the truth more than the prince he serves, or he is no historian at all.”
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Attributed to Michael Psellos:
“The empire is held together by letters as much as by arms.”
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Attributed to Michael Psellos:
“The wise courtier knows when to speak in the dialect of the prince and when to speak in his own.”
Frequently asked about Michael Psellos
- When did Michael Psellos live?
- Michael Psellos was born in 1018 and died in 1078.
- Where was Michael Psellos from?
- Michael Psellos was a Byzantine philosopher of the Medieval era.
- What philosophical movements is Michael Psellos associated with?
- Michael Psellos was associated with Platonism and Christian Philosophy.
- What was Michael Psellos known for?
- Michael Psellos was a Byzantine philosopher, statesman, and historian, the leading intellectual of eleventh-century Constantinople, and the principal figure in the Platonist revival that anticipated, by four centuries, the Italian Renaissance return to Plato.
- How many quotes are attributed to Michael Psellos?
- There are 5 attributed quotations from Michael Psellos in the 1001Philosophers collection, organized by topic.