STEPHANOS. NOTES ON ARISTOTLE'S RHETORIC. A CRITICAL EDITION AND TRANSLATION

This dissertation presents the critical edition and first complete English translation of a twelfth-century Byzantine commentary on Aristotle’s 'Rhetoric' attributed by the manuscripts to a certain Stephanos. Although rhetoric and philosophy occupied a central place in Byzantine education and elite culture, many of the relevant texts remain understudied, unedited, or untranslated, and a comprehensive historical and theoretical framework is still lacking. Stephanos’ Notes stand at the intersection of these disciplines, offering privileged insight into the intellectual practices of the Komnenian period. The thesis provides a critically grounded text and the first complete English translation of Stephanos’ commentary, based on full collation of all currently identifiable manuscripts and close examination of the manuscript Vat. gr. 1340, demonstrated to be the archetype of the tradition. The critical edition is preceded by an introductory study that reassesses the intellectual profile of Stephanos. This essay argues that the Notes originate in a scholastic environment and reflect classroom teaching, integrating Aristotelian logic, Hermogenian rhetorical theory, and legal argumentation. It also questions the previous attribution of the commentary to Stephanos Skylitzes, maintaining that internal evidence points toward a different author and a later historical context.