Talk:Synesius

"He was a man of the highest personal character."

Surely POV? - 68.146.190.96 15:11, 7 May 2007 (UTC) Anyhow, I'm removing this line. In one of his letters [1] he says the following:

The philosophic mind, albeit the discerner of truth, admits the employment of falsehood, for the light is to truth what the eye is to the mind. Just as the eye would be injured by an excess of light, and just as darkness is more helpful to those of weak eyesight, even so do I consider that the false may be beneficial to the populace, and the truth injurious to those not strong enough to gaze steadfastly on the radiance of the real being. If the laws of the priesthood that obtain with us permit these views to me, I can take over the holy office on condition that I may prosecute philosophy at home and spread legends abroad, and allow men to remain in their already acquired convictions.

Although he was a very interesting fellow, and no doubt did some good in his time, I do not consider these to be the words of "a man of the highest personal character," and I'm sure many would agree with me. Presumably this sentence is a holdover from the source encyclopedia. - 68.146.190.96 19:42, 7 May 2007 (UTC)

wearisome and otherwise disagreeable

"His three years' stay in Constantinople was wearisome and otherwise disagreeable ..."

This is an awkward phrase, easily mis-read -- the "otherwise disagreeable" implies that "wearisome" is not disagreeable.

I believe that the intent, spelled out inelegantly but accurately, is " ... wearisome, and disagreeable in other ways ..."

Karl gregory jones (talk) 13:55, 15 January 2020 (UTC)