“Rhetoric knows the future like god”: the relationship between philosophy and rhetoric according to a Byzantine scholar of the 12th century

The problem of the correlation between philosophy and rhetoric, which was widely discussed in the late antiquity, regains relevance in Byzantium in the 11th - 12th centuries. The task of this article is to determine what position on this issue was held by Michael Italikos († before 1157), a Byzantine scholar, rhetorician and Neoplatonist philosopher. It has been already noted that in two of his works Italikos articulated two opposing views: in one he argued that philosophy is useless and far inferior to rhetoric, while in the other he exalted philosophy being capable not only of investigating abstract subjects but also of caring for the human good. The paper analyzes these and other texts in which Italikos argues about philosophy and rhetoric. It is demonstrated that Italikos awarded primacy to philosophy but also valued eloquence highly. It is concluded that the ideal of Michael Italikos, as well as other authors of that period, was a synthesis of philosophical thought and rhetorical elegance. Examples are given from his works, showing how this synthesis was realized in practice. This position is contradicted by only one small essay by Italikos, where he asserts the superiority of rhetoric over philosophy. This text, quite unusual in the context of the late antique and Byzantine tradition, is probably an example of rhetorical play that does not reflect the author’s views.