Heraclitus

Heraclitus (; 1st century AD) was a grammarian and rhetorician, who wrote a Greek commentary on Homer which is still extant.

Little is known about Heraclitus. It is generally accepted that he lived sometime around the 1st century AD. His one surviving work has variously been called Homeric Problems, or Homeric Allegories.

In his work, Heraclitus defended Homer against those who denounced him for his immoral portrayals of the gods. Because "everything was joined together (harmosthenai) tranquilly and harmoniously", Heraclitus argues, "[it] was reasonable for all the gods to laugh and rejoice together at this because their individual inclinations were not at variance over immoral acts, but were enjoying peaceful accord". He also interprets the affair as an allegory for the art of metalworking. His work contains a good deal of philosophical knowledge, especially Stoicism.