4. YÜZYIL ANTAKYA’SINDA BİR SOFİST: LIBANIUS’UN TOPLUMSAL RETORİĞİ ÜZERİNE

Libanius has a distinctive place among the important intellectual figures of the 4th century world. His originality as a sophist is hidden in his rhetoric that reflects the intellectual, political, cultural and social aspects of his age. At the same time, as an educator, he was an influential figure who had an extensive communication network with the people of his city and could influence the administrators. Libanius was a sophist who put forward his views on events taking place at different social levels, could express his suggestions and demands regarding the decisions and practices of the ruling class, and built his speeches by feeding on social realities. In this sense, Libanius was a mirror of the 4th century Antioch in which he was born and which he reflected in his rhetoric. In this context, the main goal of the article is, first of all, to draw the intellectual portrait of Libanius and to provide information about the thinker's basic interests, tendencies and works. Then, it is to present an evaluation of Libanius' findings in his speeches that shed light on the social relations practices of 4th Century Antioch and convey its cultural and class texture.