During the 5th and 4th centuries BC, rhetoric, or the art of beautiful and correct speaking, was considered one of the important civic skills in Athens, and Isocrates was renowned as one of the greatest orators of classical Greece. His principles became the foundation of education in most European schools until the 18th century.
Isocrates of Erchia was born in 436 BC, during the time of Pericles when Athens experienced its greatest cultural flourishing. His traditional education was provided by his father Theodorus, who ran a flute workshop, and his interest in philosophy led him to the most famous sophists of that time: Prodicus, Gorgias of Leontini, Protagoras of Abdera, Thrasymachus of Syracuse, and the rhetorician Theramenes. He was greatly influenced by his contemporaries Plato and Aristotle, and especially by Socrates whom he highly respected. In Phaedrus, Plato describes Isocrates as a young man with a bright future ahead of him: It seems to me that he possesses a gift far superior to the speeches of Lysias and that he is formed of nobler character, so there would be no In a wonder, if by working with the same speeches as now, he had advanced ahead of children, ahead of all those who had ever taken up speech, and if even that had not been enough for him, a divine longing would have led him furthest, because by nature there is some frenzy for wisdom in the soul of that man.
Athens emerged significantly weakened from the long Peloponnesian War. Isocrates’ father loses most of his property and as a result, Isocrates becomes a logographer, and ten years later he founds a school of rhetoric. He lived modestly and died at the age of ninety-eight. His adopted son Afareus erects a bronze statue near the temple of Zeus, with an inscription, as a sign of gratitude:
Honoring mighty Zeus,
His noble parents and the gods above,
Afareus erected this statue
To Isocrates, his father.
At first, his students were only Athenians, but later people from other cities also joined. He did not accept more than nine students at a time, and it is believed that he had around a hundred in total. Among the better-known students are rhetoricians Iseus, Hypereides, and Hermarchus. d and I Likurg, historians Efor and Teopomp, Athenian military commander Timotej, and Cypriot tyrant Nikokl.
He emphasized three key elements for oratory: natural talent, practice, and the application of knowledge in everyday life. He demanded prior knowledge of grammar and mathematics from his students, and the school curriculum included writing essays, classical prose and poetry, as well as philosophy, mathematics, and history. The program also included attending court and other legislative bodies so that students could listen to the best speakers.
Isocrates’ approach to working with students was based not only on the theory of rhetoric but also on the practical application of ethics and philosophy. He believed that philosophy helps a person better understand ethical and political problems, while rhetoric serves clearer and more convincing expression of opinions.
According to Isocrates, a speaker should represent the Greek ideal of freedom, have self-control, and possess virtues. These ideas would later strongly influence Roman rhetoricians such as Cicero and Quintilian. Jana. Isocrates emphasized that rhetoric is more than just the interweaving of certain rules: it is an art that primarily requires an ethically correct attitude towards issues of one’s own life and community. Only in that way, says Isocrates, can young people be properly educated.
When asked how he, with a weak and unsuitable speaking voice, can teach others about rhetoric, he replied, “The whetstone does not cut, but it can sharpen the knives.”
Poets Hesiod, Theogony, and Pindar were already a thing of the past in Isocrates’ time, but recognizing the power of Greek poetic tradition, Isocrates includes them in his speeches, creating prose that will leave a significant mark in ancient literature. In his letters to students, he also frequently reminds them of the moral lessons of the celebrated gods and heroes. For example, he writes to young Nikocles, the future tyrant of Cyprus: A certain number of poets from the past have left us advice that can guide us in how to live. Poets are the subject of study for those who wish to truly understand the art of rhetoric.
The pursuit of education is to become better. Do not think that you can ignore respected poets or wise individuals, but rather read poetry and learn from a wise person. Poets are like good containers of knowledge that is useful for a noble and elevated life. Poetry is worthy of every praise, it has the ability to make its subjects immortal.
Quoting verses from the Iliad in which Achilles’ teacher Phoenix speaks, he taught his students to be “both speakers and workers.”
Works of Isocrates
Out of the sixty works by Isocrates known in antiquity, twenty-one have survived to the present day. These include court speeches, advice to rulers, political debates, and two educational works: “Against the Sophists,” written in 390 BC, and “Antidosis,” written between 355 and 353 BC. In “Antidosis,” Isocrates defends his life and work, and both of these works were composed as defenses during trials. It is presumed that Isocrates was defending himself against accusations of corrupting his students by teaching them to speak against the court and the law.
In “Against the Sophists,” written after he opened his school, Isocrates distinguishes his teaching methods from those of the sophists. He aimed to distance himself from those who attempted to impress and persuade their audience solely through their rhetoric. He emphasized the importance of truthfulness in education, stating that if all teachers spoke the truth and did not make extravagant promises, they would not be accused of ignorance.
Isocrates criticized the sophists for making grandiose claims to young students, promising to make them successful and first among the immortals, without considering the nature of their teachings. He believed that true excellence in rhetoric came from the ability to discover and express the essence of a subject, rather than making bold but empty boasts.
Isocrates argued that students should have the desire and effort to become better citizens and leaders. He believed that the value of education extended far beyond monetary contributions, as well-educated citizens contribute to the proper governance of the state. Isocrates asserted that one’s ability to speak and act effectively in all circumstances, particularly in unexpected, difficult, and crisis situations, was of utmost importance.
He emphasized that those who excelled in this art and sought the best ways to do so were worthy of being called philosophers. Isocrates also emphasized the importance of morality and stated that he was willing to be punished if any of his students had a negative influence on society. He believed that a teacher should be judged based on the actions of their students, and if their lives reflected the knowledge they had acquired, then the teacher had fulfilled their role and deserved praise.
This perspective stood in contrast to the sophist Gorgias, who believed that he was not responsible for how his students used their education. Isocrates encouraged his students to work for the benefit of the whole city, avoiding self-serving court arguments and seeking protection from politicians for personal gain or glory.
Isocrates composed several speeches on the freedom and independence of Greece, in which he presents his political ideal of uniting all Hellenes, which is why he is considered a precursor of Hellenism. His panhellenism was not just a political idea, but included an educational system and ethical ideal. In the Panegyric, he says: Our city has surpassed others in thought and rhetoric to such an extent that the students of Athens have become the teachers of all others; it has made the name ‘Greek’ belong not only to a people but also to a way of thinking. Athens has made it possible for those who share our worldview to be called Greeks, rather than just sharing a common ancestry.
In his speech On Peace in 356 BC, he recommends that the Athenians recognize the right to independence for all Greek city-states, and in his work Aeropagitikos, he laments the decline of Athenian democracy and advocates for a return to the rule of Solon and Cleisthenes. In his speech, he emphasizes that he does not believe in a democracy that “assigns equal rights to everyone,” but in one that “gives each person what they need.” “Good”, and under “necessary”, it considers what is based on natural talents and a desire for hard work.