Theodorus of Gadara
Theodorus of Gadara was a Greek teacher of rhetoric in the 1st century BC. He came from Gadara (now Um Qais, Jordan) and started a rhetoric school there. He was one of the era’s two most famous rhetoric teachers, the other being Apollodorus of Pergamon. His students were called Theodoreans, while Apollodorus’s students were called Apollodoreans.
He is said to have taught the future Roman emperor Tiberius in rhetoric. Suetonius notes that even as a boy Tiberius had a cruel, calculating nature, and Theodorus reportedly countered him with a sharp line, calling him “Mud kneaded with blood.”
Theodorus took part in sophistic contests in Rome with Potamo of Mytilene and Antipater. The Suda says he had a son named Antonius, who became a senator under Emperor Hadrian. The Suda also lists several books written by Theodorus, among others.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 05:02 (CET).