Abstract

“Presocratics” is a name given to authors who preceded or were contemporary with Socrates, and whose sayings were later quoted as contributions to the history of philosophy. This chapter reviews the information furnished by Christian authors on the teachings of Empedocles, Parmenides, Xenophanes, Anaxagoras and Heraclitus, concluding with Pythagoras as the pagan archetype of the holy man.