Diogenes Laërtius · fl. 3rd century CE
Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.34 — Diogenes Laërtius on Zeno
Translation by R. D. Hicks (1925)
Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.34
Reported speech · Diogenes Laërtius on Zeno
That the Republic is the work of Zeno is attested by Chrysippus in his De Republica. And he discussed amatory subjects in the beginning of that book of his which is entitled “The Art of Love.” Moreover, he writes much the same in his Interludes. So much for the criticisms to be found not only in Cassius but in Isidorus of Pergamum, the rhetorician. Isidorus likewise affirms that the passages disapproved by the school were expunged from his works by Athenodorus the Stoic, who was in charge of the Pergamene library; and that afterwards, when Athenodorus was detected and compromised, they were replaced. So much concerning the passages in his writings which are regarded as spurious.
Cite this passage
Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.34 (on Zeno), tr. R. D. Hicks (1925)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/lives-of-the-stoics/7.34
Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Book VII, tr. R. D. Hicks (Loeb, 1925). Text: Perseus Digital Library (CC BY-SA 4.0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesA dispute over Zeno's writings: whether he really authored the Republic, his comments on love, and a claim that a librarian cut out the embarrassing passages and later put them back when he was caught. Textual and reputational detail with no practical advice.
Older wording
- “amatory”
- — about love and sex
- “expunged”
- — deleted or removed
- “spurious”
- — not genuine
Themes and situations
- Virtue and character
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