Plutarch

High Priest of Apollo

The great Plutarch has made his name in history as one of the most famous historians of Antiquity. He is still commonly recited in all historical and Classics departments to this day. His series of Lives, which are expansive dual autobiographies of important figures from Antiquity, constitute an incredible amount of all of our known knowledge about that time period. The great historian has inexhaustibly provided generations of historians with proper knowledge and context to understand the culture of the Gods.

However, in his own time, Plutarch was most importantly a High Priest of Apollo at Delphi, alongside consequently being a writer of great religious and moral significance for the Romans of his day. He pioneered many aspects of cultural, historical and environmental preservation, patronized by the Emperor Vespasian’s circle. In old age, he was also an associate of the Emperor Hadrian who became his benefactor and ally in advancing Greek culture. This aspect of the Greek writer has been commonly forgotten by the masses, a matter we wish to correct in grasping the titanic importance of this friend of the Gods.

FLOWER AMONG THE RUINS

Plutarch was born in Chaeronea, the site of the famous battle of Philip and Alexander three centuries before. His family was notable and wealthy, being equivalent to the Roman equestrian rank. Growing up, he was extremely close to his brothers and worshipped his brother Timon. His grandfather Lamprias also plays a part in his dialogues, showing the esteem the young Greek had for his family.

His father, Autobulus, was a great conversationalist and socialite; he often held dinner parties with influential personalities among the Romans, which his curious son keenly listened in on. Recounts of these evenings would be the subjects of Plutarch's so-called Table Talks books. From a young age, Plutarch was fascinated with people and extremely socially conscious with a prodigious memory for faces, names and conversational details, which his father provided much fuel for:

From the Table Talks and other writings of Plutarch we learn over a hundred names of his relations, friends and acquaintances, men and women. Some of these people are sketched for us in considerable detail; their characters and attainments and interests can be gathered; others are less clear. Most of them naturally bear Greek names, but sixteen have Roman names, and some of these play a very prominent part in the dialogues.¹

In general, his effusive family gatherings provide much of the impetus for his works. He mentions his family celebrated holidays for Socrates and Plato, similar to those held by Proclus four centuries later. Plutarch represents many of his works as celebratory and in the spirit of that type of warmth, something that makes them transcendently readable to this day.

Yet despite the affluence of his surroundings, he was also born into a time of great anxiety and relentless problems in Greece. Centuries of mismanagement had cost the Greek cities and parties that independence from Rome. The peninsula and the islands became staging grounds for some of the most vicious Civil Wars of the late Republic that led to much devastation, feelings of powerlessness and terror. The imperial administration had attempted to remedy this with limited affect. Even from his youth, he noticed this undertone in the deprivation of Greece.

Being stung with a feeling of nationalism, the young boy cultivated a desire to elaborate the strength of Hellenic civilization and culture. He was studious and determined in collecting all of the information about his country that he could fathom. Plutarch however admired Rome and was fascinated with the ascendancy of the once-obscure civilization from Italy, even though parts of it stung him as rough and unrefined.

Nonetheless, he possessed many other talents. He was known to have a great grasp of mathematics, which he was only able to satisfy into his twenties studying in Athens. One of his teachers, Ammonius, who was a priest noted that Plutarch was not an ordinary boy and that if his mind could be turned towards the Gods, he could serve them in a great and illustrious capacity, relentlessly. This prediction was correct.

PRIEST OF APOLLO

Plutarch indeed became the priest of Apollo, a role he casually elaborates in passing, claiming he shared the rule with Euthydemus. The site at Delphi had fallen into some misuse by the time of the Roman Emperors after Augustus. A particular theme in his works is the desire for the renovation of the Temple, which he constantly iterates from a young age. We can see that the renovation of this holy site was a major obsession that he wanted to accomplish at all stages of life.

You know that I have served Pythian Apollo at many Pythian festivals; but you would not say to me "Plutarch, you have sacrificed enough, and taken part in procession and chorus; now that you are old it is time you laid aside your crown and relinquished interest in the oracle, giving your advanced years as the reason..."²

He also presided over the Pythian Games of Apollo, for which Hadrian made him a manager of in his twilight years.

Plutarch’s contributions to the Delphic sanctuary earned him lasting honor. In recognition of his service as Apollo’s priest and his efforts to revitalize Delphi, the Delphians – together with Plutarch’s fellow citizens of Chaeronea – set up a bust of Plutarch and an inscribed stele in the Delphi museum (stele at right) commemorating him. The inscription records that “the Delphians, along with the Chaeroneans, dedicated this Plutarch, following the decrees of the Amphictyony.” Plutarch remained devoted to Apollo’s cult for decades, and his role at Delphi exemplified the continued vitality of Greek religious life under Roman rule.

THEOLOGICAL WORKS

As a priest, he authored many works of a religious nature. A large amount of these are contained within his Moralia (Customs) alongside more secular writings. The most famous is On Isis and Osiris, a work of Egyptian cosmology and metaphysics that was authored after extensive discussions with priests. In this work, however, he also makes many references to other religious practices, such as those of the Persians.

On the E at Delphi is a mystical account on the subject of the letter E carved at the Temple of Delphi, but serves as a greater treatise on the mysteries of Apollo, the God to whom Plutarch was lifelong devoted.

On Superstition was a work designed to attack the stupidity of superstition but also the ways in which excessively backward and primitive groups of humans, alongside evil people in advanced societies, misrepresent the Gods. Difference between superstition and the true creed of the Gods is emphasized, as Plutarch elaborates on the psychology of such matters. Human sacrifice is extensively decried as evil.

On the Daimonion of Socrates is set during the liberation of Thebes by Epaimonidas, as students gather at the house of Simmias, a disciple of Socrates. Here they discuss the nature of the Guardian Daemon, where they concede that Socrates achieved excellence in always following its guidance.

Many of Plutarch’s works, however, did not survive Christianity.

TIMOXENA

Plutarch was close to his wife, Timoxena, an aristocratic woman of a learned nature. They had five children, three of which survived to adulthood. One of his most poignant dialogues was to console her after the loss of their daughter. In this Consolation to his Wife, Plutarch gently advises Timoxena not to grieve excessively, finding comfort in the belief that their child’s soul was pure and that they had given her only love in her short life. The letter also mentions the earlier loss of a young son named Chaeron, indicating the couple faced personal sorrow.

His dialogues often reference feminine virtue. He was one of the most prolific writers on the subject of great women, which he catalogues in The Virtues of Women. In this dialogue, he also affirms his belief that women are equally as valuable and great as men in bravery, courage, virtue and ability, if permitted. It is sometimes assumed that The Virtues of Women were meant to evolve into a feminine equivalent of the Lives.

SOCIAL THEORY

Plutarch cultivated a very wide circle of friends and acquaintances, from musicians, to doctors, to travelling Syrian princes. He surrounded himself with Stoics, Epicureans, Hedonists, Pythagoreans and many others. Inspired by the example of Socrates, class, status, sex and other characteristics did not have much import for him so much as the ability to communicate and express, although as a technical Roman equestrian, he had to be careful at times. Unlike many philosophers on the Zevic Personalities, he did not have tendencies antagonistic to socializing.

The priest travelled extensively, following from the example of Herodotus. Plutarch’s indepth descriptions of Egypt and other exotic locales constitute much of our information about these countries as they existed. He also had friends who detailed their travels to India and Britain, something that he notes in his works in incisive detail alongside the depictions of his travels. His observations that were noted down have been corroborated by archeological evidence.

Plutarch’s public service extended beyond Chaeronea to the wider region and the ancient traditions of Greece. Notably, he played a key role in the Amphictyonic League, the centuries-old council that managed major sanctuaries like Delphi. In the early 2nd century CE, Plutarch was appointed epimelētēs (manager) of the Amphictyonic League for at least five terms between 107 and 127 CE.

Socially and politically, Plutarch was part of the Greek provincial aristocracy that prospered under the Roman Empire by taking on local leadership while cooperating with imperial governance. These local elites often engaged in euergetism, using their wealth to benefit their cities with public buildings, festivals, and endowments, in exchange for honor and status.

HISTORICAL THEORY

Growing up surrounded by so many powerful egos, Plutarch developed a theory of history that contended that much of flow of states is down to extremely powerful personalities and their influences on society. This is the germ of the so-called Great Man Theory. Prior historians such as Herodotus, Xenophon and Callisthenes had certainly highlighted the powerful influence of Great Men (Xenophon authored a biography of Cyrus), but Plutarch felt that the character, morality and acts of such men warranted a microscopic investigation and comparison to others.

In this, he was very much influenced by the recent memory of the Emperor Augustus, as well as his interactions with Emperor Vespasian. Alexander, who had once stridden with his great horse across the hometown of the High Priest, also reverberated down the ages to him, the subject who would constitute his greatest masterwork of the Lives.

PARALLEL LIVES

His Magnum Opus, the Parallel Lives are a renowned collection of biographies pairing notable Greek and Roman historical figures to highlight their virtues, character, and moral lessons. Composed around the early 2nd century CE, each pair typically contrasts one Greek and one Roman figure, such as Alexander the Great with Julius Caesar, or Demosthenes with Cicero, to emphasize similarities or differences in their moral conduct, political careers, and personal decisions. Plutarch’s primary goal was moral instruction, guiding his readers toward ethical reflection through the practical examples set by famous leaders and statesmen.

Each pair of biographies concludes with a brief comparative analysis in which Plutarch explicitly compares the moral qualities, successes, and failures of the two individuals. These comparisons emphasize universal moral principles, illustrating virtues like courage, wisdom, temperance, and justice, as well as vices such as ambition, cruelty, and greed. Plutarch meticulously blends narrative, anecdotes, and philosophical reflections, ensuring each biography is both educational and entertaining, highlighting the complex interplay between individual character and historical circumstances.

Beyond its philosophical objectives, Parallel Lives is now one of the most influential works of classical literature, shaping perceptions of ancient heroes for centuries. Renaissance and early modern European thinkers heavily drew from Plutarch's portrayals when considering leadership, ethics, and civic responsibility. The compelling portraits of these historic figures provided readers with timeless lessons on human nature and morality, thus cementing Plutarch’s reputation as one of antiquity’s greatest biographers, whose work continues to inspire ethical reflection even today.

Unfortunately, however, some of the fifty Lives are lost. Epaiminondas and Scipio Africanus only exist in fragments.

LIVES OF THE ROMAN EMPERORS

Another project of Plutarch was the Lives of the Roman Emperors from Augustus to Vitellius. These are a mostly lost set of works, with only Galba and Otho’s Lives surviving.