Altercatio Hadriani Augusti et Epicteti philosophi

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Altercatio Hadriani Augusti et Epicteti philosophi is a short Latin dialogue from the 2nd or 3rd century in which Emperor Hadrian asks questions and the Stoic philosopher Epictetus provides the answers. An anonymous author wrote it, and the dialogue is best known for its witty, riddle-like responses rather than deep philosophy. It became very popular in the Middle Ages and was adapted many times, including Christian versions.

What it is about
- The text is a question-and-answer exchange. Hadrian poses seventy-three questions about wisdom and natural phenomena, and Epictetus replies with clever, often brief answers.
- Topics range from everyday natural things (the moon, the sun) to big ideas (death, fortune, what a human is).
- A famous example: when asked “What is death?” Epictetus answers simply, “Perpetual security.” Another well-known image compares a human to a bathhouse with four rooms, representing the stages of life: newborn (warm room), childhood (sweating room), youth (dry sauna), and old age (cold-water room).

Versions and medieval influence
- A later Latin version, Disputatio Adriani Augusti et Epicteti, has about twenty-one questions, most of them taken from the original.
- In the early Middle Ages, a third form appeared, known as the Conversation of Adrian and Epictitus.
- The Altercatio helped shape the medieval tradition of dialogue and question-and-answer literature. It was often Christianized and adapted for religious teaching.
- One famous Christian adaptation is Enfant Sage from 13th-century southern France, where Hadrian speaks to a three-year-old Epitus (a child sage). In English, a later version called Ypotis in the Middle English period also tells Hadrian’s conversation with a child, who is revealed at the end to be Christ in some tellings. Other related medieval dialogues also appeared, drawing on the same format.

Historical context
- Hadrian is remembered as a ruler with an interest in Greek philosophy and learning. He is said to have sought philosophers from various schools and corresponded about philosophy and succession of schools.
- Epictetus was the most famous Stoic of his time. His teachings were collected by his pupil Arrian in the Discourses.
- The friendship between Hadrian and Epictetus is plausible, and Hadrian’s travels in Greece helped fuel his interest in philosophy.

Publication context
- The Altercatio exists in several medieval manuscripts, including a 15th-century illuminated copy kept in the Biblioteca Nacional in Madrid. It survives in Latin and has influenced many later works in wisdom literature and dialogue.

In short, the Altercatio Hadriani Augusti et Epicteti philosophi is a lively, centuries-old Latin dialogue that pairs Hadrian’s curious questions with Epictetus’s clever answers, a favorite among medieval readers and a key link in the tradition of learned, entertaining exchanges.