Theophilus Protospatharius ( el, Θεόφιλος Πρωτοσπαθάριος; ca. 7th century) was the author of several extant Greek medical works of uncertain status, either from Philaretus or Philotheus. Nothing is known of his life or the time when he lived. He is generally called "''

Protospatharius ''Prōtospatharios'' ( el, πρωτοσπαθάριος) was one of the highest court dignities of the middle Byzantine period (8th to 12th centuries), awarded to senior generals and provincial governors, as well as to foreign princes. History Th ...

''", which seems to have been originally a military title given to the colonel of the bodyguards of the emperor of

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

('' Spatharioi''); but which afterwards became also a high court title, or was associated with the government of provinces and the functions of a judge. It is conjectured that he lived in the 7th century; that he was the tutor to Stephanus Atheniensis; that he arrived at high professional and political rank; and that at last he embraced the

monastic Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religion, religious way of life in which one renounces world (theology), worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic ...

life. All this is, however, quite uncertain; and with respect to his date, it has been supposed that some of the words which he uses belong to a later period than the seventh century; so that he may possibly be the same person who is addressed by the title "Protospatharius " by

Photius Photios I ( el, Φώτιος, ''Phōtios''; c. 810/820 – 6 February 893), also spelled PhotiusFr. Justin Taylor, essay "Canon Law in the Age of the Fathers" (published in Jordan Hite, T.O.R., & Daniel J. Ward, O.S.B., "Readings, Cases, Materia ...

, in the ninth. He appears to have embraced in some degree the

Peripatetic Peripatetic may refer to: *Peripatetic school The Peripatetic school was a school of philosophy in Ancient Greece. Its teachings derived from its founder, Aristotle (384–322 BC), and ''peripatetic'' is an adjective ascribed to his followers. ...

philosophy; but he was certainly a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

, and expresses himself on all possible occasions like a man of great piety: in his physiological work especially he everywhere points out with admiration the wisdom, power, and goodness of God as displayed in the formation of the human body. Five works are attributed to him: * , ''De Corporis Humani Fabrica''. The longest of his works, and is an anatomical and physiological treatise in five books. It contains very little original matter, as it is almost entirely abridged from

Galen Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus ( el, Κλαύδιος Γαληνός; September 129 – c. AD 216), often Anglicized as Galen () or Galen of Pergamon, was a Greek physician, surgeon and philosopher in the Roman Empire. Considered to be o ...

's great work, "''De Usu Partium Corporis Humani''," from which however Theophilus now and then differs, and which he sometimes appears to have misunderstood. In the fifth book he has inserted large extracts from

Hippocrates Hippocrates of Kos (; grc-gre, Ἱπποκράτης ὁ Κῷος, Hippokrátēs ho Kôios; ), also known as Hippocrates II, was a Greek physician of the classical period who is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history o ...

' "''De Genitura''," and "''De Natura Pueri''." He recommends in several places the

dissection Dissection (from Latin ' "to cut to pieces"; also called anatomization) is the dismembering of the body of a deceased animal or plant to study its anatomical structure. Autopsy is used in pathology and forensic medicine to determine the cause o ...

of animals, but he does not appear ever to have examined a human body: in one passage he advises the student to dissect an ape, or else a

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the No ...

, or, if neither of these animals can be procured, to take whatever he can get, "but by all means," he adds, "let him dissect something."Theophilus, ''De Corporis Humani Fabrica'', v. 11. §3. * A treatise (Peri ouron), ''De Urinis'', which, in like manner, contains little or nothing that is original, but is a good compendium of what was known on the subject by the ancients, and was highly esteemed in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, serving as a source of

Gilles de Corbeil Gilles de Corbeil (Latin: ''Egidius de Corbolio'' or ''Egidius Corboliensis''; also ''Aegidius'') was a French royal physician, teacher, and poet. He was born in approximately 1140 in Corbeil and died in the first quarter of the 13th century. He ...

's poem ''De Urinis''. * A short treatise , ''De Excrementis Alvinis'' * A ''Commentary'' on the "Aphorisms" of Hippocrates, which is sometimes attributed to a person named Philotheus: ** ''Philothei medici praestantissimi commentaria in aphorismos Hippocratis nunc primum e graeco in latinum sermonem conversa'', first Latin translation by Luigi Corado (?), from Mantoua, 1581
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* A short treatise , ''De Pulsibus''. It appears to be quite different from the work on the same subject by Philaretus, which has been sometimes attributed to Theophilus. Also the source for a poem of Gilles de Corbeil.

Notes

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Protospatharius, Theophilus 7th-century Byzantine physicians Byzantine writers Protospatharioi 7th-century Byzantine writers