LIBA'NIUS (Lat., from Gk. A (flci KM A.D. 314-393). One of the latest and most eminent of the Greek sophists or rhetoricians. He was horn at Antioch. in Syria, studied at Athens un der various teachers, and first set up a school in Constantinople. where his prelections were so attractive that he emptied the benches of the other teachers of rhetoric, who had him brought before the prefect of the city on a charge of `magic.' and expelled. He then proceeded to Nieomedia. hut after a residence of five years was forced by intrigues to leave it, and returned to Constantinople. Here. however, his adversa ries were in the ascendent ; and after several vi cissitudes, the sophist.hroken in health and spirit, settled down in his native city of Antioch in 354, where, after a long career as a teacher. he died. Libanins was the instructor of Saint Chrysostom and Saint Basil, who always re "mined his friends, though Lihanius was him self a pagan. He was a warm friend of the Em
peror Julian, who corresponded with him. His works are numerous and mostly extant, con sisting of orations, declamations. narratives, let ters, etc. The most complete edition of the ora tions and declamations is that by Reiske (4 vols., Altenburg, 1 TS4-07), and of the letters by Wolf (Amsterdam, 1738). No complete English trans lation of the works of Lihanius exists, but sixteen of his letters to Julian have been translated by buncombe. The of the Emperor i.. pp. 303-332 (3(1 ed., London. 1798): monodies On Vicomedia and On the of Apollo at Daphne are published by the same author (ii., pp. 227-251). Libanins's rum tel Oration On the Emperor Julian is translated by King, Julian, the Emperor (London. lss8). Consult: Petit, Essai sac la rie et la correspon dam, du sophiste Eibanius (l'aris, 1 s(u;) ; and Sievers, Das !Awn des Libonius (Berlin, 180S).