Procopius of Gaza

Procopius of Gaza (; ) was a Christian sophist and rhetorician, one of the most important representatives of the Rhetorical School of Gaza.

Life and work The only sources for Procopius' life are his surviving letters, and the funeral oration composed and delivered by his pupil, Choricius. Procopius was born in Gaza, one of at least five children, roughly in 465–470. He displayed an inclination for learning in childhood and, after the early death of his father, moved to Alexandria to attend its rhetorical school, possibly studying under Olympiodorus. He achieved recognition during his studies, and continued to correspond with Alexandrian acquaintances throughout his life. After periods of stay in Pamphylia and Caesarea, he opted to return and practice in Gaza, despite offers from the schools of Antioch, Tyre and Caesarea; he eventually succeeded Aeneas as the head of the school of Gaza. He devoted his time to his career and literary activity, and did not marry or have children. At an advanced age he retired to a private life, leaving most of his professional duties to Choricius. His death is approximately dated to 526–530; Choricius reports that he died at the age of 62.

Procopius was the author of numerous rhetorical and theological works. His surviving rhetorical output comprises a panegyric on the Roman Emperor Anastasius I Dicorus (his longest preserved work), two monodies, an epithalamium, two ekphraseis, four dialexeis, and four ethopoeiae. Also preserved are 165 letters, addressed to persons of rank, friends, and literary opponents, which shed light on the condition of the sophistical rhetoric of the period and about the academic circles in Alexandria and Gaza. A number of further works have been lost, including several orations, as well as a collection of paraphrases of select Homeric passages into various rhetorical styles.

Procopius' theological writings consist of commentaries on the Octateuch, the books of Kings and Chronicles, Isaiah, the Proverbs, the Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes. They are amongst the earliest examples of the "catenic" (catena, chain) form of commentary, consisting of a series of extracts from the fathers, arranged, with independent additions, to elucidate the portions of Scripture concerned. Photius (cod. 206), while blaming the diffuseness of these commentaries, praises the writer's learning and style, which, however, he considers too ornate for the purpose.

Scholars have questioned whether Procopius the rhetorician and Procopius the biblical commentator are to be identified as the same person, citing evidence which suggests the epitome of Genesis was composed after the rhetorician's death around 528.