Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) - Volume 3.djvu/663

Rh RIIODK. Hoffmann, Lex. Bill. Scnpt. Graec. s. vv. Poetae, H/iianus)^ and in Gaisford's Poeiae Minores Graeci; and separately edited by Nic. Saal, in an excellent monograph, Bonn, 1831, 8vo. (comp. Schneidewin's Review in Jahn's Jahrbucher for 1833, vol. ix. pp. 129, &c.), and, as already mentioned, in Meineke's Analeeta Alexandrina^ Berol. 1843, 8vo. There are also Essays on Rhianus by Jacobs {Ephem. litt. Schol. Univ. 1833, Sect. ii. pp. 109, &c.), Meineke {Ahhandl. d. Berlin. Acad. 1834), and Siebelis, in a monograph, Budissae, 1829, 4to. [P. S.] RHINTHON ('PiVewj/), of Syracuse or Taren- tum, a dramatic poet, of that species of burlesque tragedy, which was called <pvaK(rypa(pia or IXapo- rpa-ycfSia, flourished in the reign of Ptolemy I. king of Egypt (Suid. s. 7). When he is placed by Suidas and others at the head of the composers of this burlesque drama, we are not to suppose that he actually invented it, but that he was the first to develope in a written form, and to intro- duce into Greek literature, a species of dramatic composition, which had already long existed as a popular amusement among the Greeks of southern Italy and Sicily, and especially at Tarentum. He was followed by other writers, such as Sopater, SciRAS, and Blaesus. The species of drama which Rhinthon cultivated may be described as an exhibition of the subjects of tragedy, in the spirit and style of comedy. It is plain, from the fragments of Rhinthon, that the comic licence extended to the metres, which are sometimes even more irregular than in the Attic comedians (Hephaest. p. 9, Gaisf.). A poet of this description was called ^A.ua|. This name, and that of the drama itself, (pKvaKoypacpla, seem to have been the genuine terms used at Tarentum. Of the personal history of Rhinthon we know nothing beyond the statement of Suidas, that he was the son of a potter. He is said to have written thirty-eight dramas (Suid. s. v. ; Steph. Byz. s. V. Ta'pas), of which we still possess the fol- lowing titles: *Afj.(piTpiu}V^ 'HpawiA^y, 'Icpiyeveia tJ iv Avl, l(iyeveia tj ev Tavpois, 'Opecrrris, Trjkecpos. He is several times quoted by Athe- naeus, Hesychius, and other Greek writers, and bv Cicero (ad Att. i. 20), and Varro (R.R. iii. 3. §9). One of the Greek grammarians tells us that Rhinthon was the first who wrote comedy in hexa- meter verse ; the meaning of which probably is, that in his dramas the dactylic hexameter was largely used, as well as the iambic trimeter (lo. Lydus, de Magistr. R. i. 41). The same writer further asserts that the satire of Lucilius sprung from an imitation of the comedy of Rhinthon, just as that of the subsequent Roman satirists was derived from the Attic comedians ; but to this statement little credit can be attached. The Greek anthology (Brunck, Anal. vol. i. p. 196, No. 12.) contains an epigram upon Rhinthon by Nossis. (Miiller, Dorter., b. iv. c. 7. § 6) ; Osann, Anal. Crit. pp. 69, &c.; Reuvens, Collectan. Litt. pp. Qi), &c.; Jacobs, Animadv. in Anth. Graec. vol. i. pt. i. p. 421 ; Fabric. Bill. Graec. vol. ii. p. 320 ; Clinton, F. II. vol. iii. p. 486.) [P. S.] RHODE ('PoStj), a daughter of Poseidon by Amphitrite, was married to Helios, and became by him the mother of Phaeton and his sisters (ApoUod. i. 4. § 4). It should be observed that the names Rhodos and Rhode are often confounded (Diod. V. 55 ; comp. Rhodos). A second person RHODON. 651 bearing the name of Rhode, was one of the Danaids. (Apollod.ii. 1. §5.) [L.S.] RHODEIA ('PoSeta), a daughter of Oceanus and Thetys, was one of the playmates of Perse- phone. (Hes. TJieog. 351 ; Horn. Hymn, in Cer. 451.) [L.S.] RHODOGU'NE. [Arsaces VI. p. 355, a.] RHODON ('PoSwi/), called, in the Haeresium Indiculus., extant under the name of Jerome, CoRO- DON, a Christian writer of the second century. He was a native of Proconsular Asia, but appears to have removed to Rome, where he was instructed (^o0rjT€u0eis), perhaps converted to Christianity, by Tatian [Tatianus]. Nothing more is known of his history than that he took an active part against the heretics of his day ; being certainly engaged against the Marcionites, with one of whom, Apelles [Apelles], he had a personal discussion ; and probably against the Montanists. Jerome places him in the time of Commodus and Severus, i. e. A.D. 180—211. He wrote: — 1. Adversus Marcionem Opus. From this work Eusebius, in his account of Rhodon, has given one or two brief citations. It was ad- dressed to one Callistion, and contained Rhodon 's account of his conference with Apelles, which is extracted by Eusebius. According to this account Rhodon silenced his antagonist, and held him up to ridicule. Certainly he appears to have possessed too much of that self-confidence and fondness for reviling which has characterized polemical writers. Marcion is termed by him "the Pontic Wolf." The fragments of this work of Rhodon are valuable as showing the diversity of opinions which prevailed among the Marcionites. 2. Eis Tiv e^ariiu.€pov viro- fivriixa^ Commeutarius in Hexa'iimeron., which Jerome characterizes as consisting of " elegantes tractatus." 3. Advermm Phrygas (sc. Cataphrygas s. Monta- nistas) insigne Opus. Jerome thus characterizes a production of Rhodon, perhaps ascribing to him (as some have judged, from a comparison of cc. 37 and 39 of his de Vir. III.) the work against the Mon- tanists in three books, addressed to Abercius or Abircius Marcellus, from which Eusebius has given a long citation (//. E. v. 16). The work is, how- ever, ascribed by Rufinus and Nicephorus Callisti, among the older writers, and by Baronius, Baluze, and Le Quien, among the moderns, to Claudius Apollinaris of Hierapolis [Apollinaris, No. IJ ; by others to the ApoUonius [Apollonius, literary. No. 13] mentioned and cited by Eusebius (H. E. V. 18), and to whom Tertullian [Tertullianus] replied in his lost work de Ecstasi ; and by Vale- sius {Not. ad Euseb. H. E. v. 16), Tillemont, Ceillier, and others, to Asterius Urbanus [Urba- Nus]. The claims of any of these writers to the authorship of the work cited by Eusebius are, we think, feeble. Eusebius, according to some MSS. (for the text is corrupt), cites the author simply as Tis, " a certain writer ;" and it is quite unaccount- able that he should have omitted to mention his name if he had known it ; or that he should have omitted all notice of the work in his account of Rhodon just before, if he had believed it to be his. That Jerome ascribed the work to Rhodon is only an inference: he says, in speaking of Miltiades {de Vir. Illustr. c. 39), that he is mentioned by Rhodon ; and as a notice of Miltiades occurs in the anonymous citation given by Eusebius, it is supposed that Jerome refers to that citation, and that he therefore supposed it to be from Rhcdon.