c. 317-388

Greco-Roman educator important for his role in preserving writings by Plato (427-347 B.C.) and Aristotle (384-322 B.C.). Themistius produced a number of works in which he paraphrased the earlier philosophers as a means of making their thought accessible to a larger audience. Many of these versions would later reappear in the Arab world, where they exerted enormous influence during the Middle Ages.