HERMIAS  . (1) A

Greek philosopher of the Alexandrian school . A disciple of Proclus, he was known best for the lucidity of his method rather than for any original ideas . His chief workswere a study of the Isagoge of Porphyry and a commentary on Plato's Phaedrus . Unlike the majority of logicians of the time, he admitted the absolute validity of the second and third figures of the syllogism . (2) A Christian apologist and philosopher who flourished probably in the 4th and 5th centuries . Nothing is known about his life, but there has been preserved of his writings a small thesis entitled [itavvpµos rwv Ew Othas-64 v . In this work he attacked pagan philosophy for its lack of logic in dealing with the root problems of life, the soul, the cosmos and the first cause or vital principle . There is an edition by von Otto published in the Corpus apologetarum (Jena, 1872) . It is interesting, but without any claim to profundity of reasoning . Two minor philosophers of the same name are known . Of these, one was a disciple of Plato and a friend of Aristotle; he became tyrant of Atarneus and invited Aristotle to his court .

Aristotle subsequently married Pythias, who was either niece or

sister of Hermias . Another Hermias was a Phoenician philosopher of the Alexandrian school; when Justinian closed the school of Athens, he was one of the five representatives of the school who took refuge at the Persian court .