Thémistios ou les enjeux d'une philosophie du progrès.

The idea of progress in mankind has grown up from the critic of religious traditions, thanks to Xenophanes, Anaxagoras and Socrates' master Archelaus who is quoted by the political philosopher and orator Themistius. The main feature of his major orations is the use of themes from Roman history. The scholiast of oration 1 was probably aware of this progress in oratorical skill, which began to be perceptible when in May 357 Themistius delivered oration 3 as a chief of a Constantinopolitan legation for the imperial Vicennalia. From now on the theme of progress was frequently dealt with, namely progress of mankind (the paper furnishes a less intricate explanation of a famous passage about the development of Greek tragedy), but also a progress of governing through CtXav0p0mia, the imperial virtue par excellence, which induces to welcome every kind of population on Roman territory. Important is on this aspect Themistius' contribution to the formation of Byzantine political ideology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]