Paradoxographus Vaticanus (14 – 200 CE)
Also known as Paradoxographus Rohdii, after its first editor E. Rohde. An anonymous compil-
ation of 67 paradoxographical excerpts surviving in a 15th c. mixed Vatican MS (Vat. gr. 12,
ff. 211–215). The material is arranged in three groups: ten unusual zoological phenomena
open the collection, after which 16 water-wonders (11–14, 17–23, 34–36, 38 and 39) and 32
ethnographical curiosities (25–30, 41–43, 45–67) alternate, interspersed with additional
isolated topics (metamorphoses, geological marvels, etc.). The compilation relies heavily on
N D’ Collection of Customs (which provides the vague terminus post quem
of 14 CE) and further contains numerous second- and third-hand citations of sources
(via A P.), ranging from the well-known ( Theopompos FGrHist 115 F11,
16; A HA 1.1 [487a28–32]; A K) to the obscure (the otherwise
unknown A and P, plus Polukleitos of Larissa and D). Its attribution to
I, suggested in the editio princeps, is rejected by most scholars as lacking proof.
Ed.: PGR 331 – 351.
RE 18.3 (1949) 1137–1166 (§32, 1162–1163), K. Ziegler; Giannini (1964) 137–138.
Jan Bollansée, Karen Haegemans, and Guido Schepens
Paraphrasis eis ta Oppianou Halieutika (200 – 500 CE)
Paraphrase of the poem by O A, sometimes attributed to E,
and partially preserved (from Book 3.605 to the end). Appearing in almost all manuscripts
along with the paraphrases of Euteknios, and of similar linguistic features, it shows more
interest in stylistic elaboration than in clear transcription.
Ed.: M. Papathomopoulos, Anônumou Parafrasis eis ta Oppianou Halieutika (1976).
Arnaud Zucker
Parisinus medicus (of Crete?) (70 – 180 CE)
Anonymous text (named for its MS), rediscovered in 1844, though not completely edited
until 1997; a citation of M the Methodist (50.3.10) provides the terminus post, and
an extract in P the terminus ante; the author may be Cretan (12.3.7). The work
covers acute (§ 1 – 16) and chronic (§ 17 – 51) diseases, each division proceeding from head
to foot. It defines each disease, offers a doxographic and often aporetic etiology citing
E, P, D, and H, usually in that (approxi-
mately reverse chronological) order, and thirdly prescribes therapy, a structure resembling
P. M.V. I.15 and -G I. Garofalo (1997: –) rejects
the scholarly tendency to identify the author as H (P.), while accepting
parallels of doctrine and diction. Although the therapeutics are often Methodist in char-
acter, the author’s own etiologies in §34 (cirrhosis) and 40 (bladder-paralysis) refer to
humors and unobservable entities (not possibly Methodist), and §16 on satyriasis cites no
authorities, a suppression of T (contrast C A Acute 3.185– 186
[CML 6.1.1, p. 400]) precluding Methodist authorship. The author is careful to distinguish
between what “the four” (cf. §22.1) say and what s/he infers, and their etiologies are recast to
focus on the affected part(s). Pharmaceutical prescriptions include few animal products
other than ordinary food: only castoreum and bull-gall; and the sole Indian import is
cardamom (note also Arabian products acacia, aloes, and frankincense, and African
products ammi, ammo ̄niakon, bdellium and euphorbia).
PARISINUS MEDICUS (OF CRETE?)