The word rhetor has several meanings, quite similar to each other, but having significant differences. In most cases, this is the name of the speaker - a person with extraordinary eloquence skills. However, this is far from all the information about this word.
In order to understand the full depth of this concept, it is necessary to plunge into history. In particular, to look at ancient times, because it was then that the first famous rhetoricians appeared. But let's talk about everything in order.
What is a rhetorician?
For the first time this concept appeared in ancient Greece, around the 3rd century BC. In the understanding of the Greeks, a rhetorician is an orator, that is, a person who can speak beautifully. Given this people's passion for science and philosophy, such skills were very much appreciated here. Therefore, it is not surprising that over the years the popularity of rhetoric has only grown.
Encouraged by the experience of the Greeks, the Romans also adopted the science of eloquence. However, they slightly changed the essence of the word “rhetorician”: that’s what they called a person teaching oratory. Simply put, teachers of rhetoric.
Popularization of oratory
Probably, it was Ancient Rome that raised the rhetoric to the podium of universal recognition. After all, the school of oratory was not inferior in popularity to medicine and philosophy, which for several hundred years had been considered the guided disciplines in the Roman Empire.
This state of affairs is quite simple to explain, if we recall the foundations of government in this state. By and large, those who knew how to attract as many influential friends as possible had power. And sweet flattery and inspired speech is the best way to achieve this goal.
That is why the rhetorical school only grew stronger every year. Everyone who dreamed of a career as a politician or officer wanted to get into it. And, more importantly, many of those who arrived eventually managed to achieve their goals.
Who is the great rhetorician?
The collapse of the Roman Empire buried many of the achievements of this state. But this did not happen with rhetoric. It was very quickly adopted by the Christian patriarchs. In particular, a decree was adopted in Constantinople, which introduced a special position in the church world. And it was called the Great Rhetor.
It was a very honorable dignity, which only those who passed a series of tests could receive. But much more important is what he obligated. So, the great rhetorician is a priest who was supposed to monitor the spread of the word of God. Moreover, his duties included participating in various kinds of discussions, disputes and debates.
Therefore, this person had to be well educated and be able to speak beautifully. That is, he had to be savvy in oratory.
The development of rhetoric in other countries
Over the years, the popularity of rhetoricians as teachers of the word only increased. Almost every nobleman studied the art of the word or gave his children to study. After all, such skills were extremely necessary in order not to fall face in the mud when talking with a nobility.
Ultimately, oratory was introduced in almost all countries. Thanks to this, rhetoric as a science has become more mature with each passing year. Moreover, people appeared whose way of expressing thoughts simply astounded the imagination of people. To such personalities, students stood in long lines, just to get at least a drop of the skill that their mentors had.
Naturally, initially only the elite had access to this knowledge. But over the years, the laws were simplified, and the middle class was also able to learn new things. For example, in Russia since the 18th century rhetoric has become a compulsory subject in a theological seminary.
Rhetoric today
Today, this science has not lost its greatness. Now in many universities of the country there is the subject of “rhetoric”. For some, this discipline is a passing one, while for others it is the basis of the foundations. For example, journalists should have a perfect command of the art of speech, both verbally and in writing.
Also, the rhetoric services are very popular among various business coaches and coaching masters. After all, the whole work of these specialists is to talk with their students. And if the trainer is not able to interest the audience in his speech, it is likely that no one will come to him in the future.
Famous rhetoricians of the past
Probably the greatest honor still achieved the ancient rhetoricians. This is due to the fact that it was they who brought the rhetoric from a simple passion into real science, which has not died out to this day. Therefore, it will be very appropriate to recall the most famous rhetoricians of the past.
Lucian (120-180 CE) is an ancient Greek rhetoric writer, better known as Lucian of Samosata. Despite his Syrian roots, Lucian considered himself a real Greek. Unfortunately, the originals of his works have not reached our days, but his contemporaries claim that he wrote quite a lot of works on rhetoric. Subsequently, these works became a good example for his followers and students.
Curtius Ruf Quintus (about the 1st century AD) - an ancient Roman historian and rhetorician. It was he who wrote the book describing the life story of Alexander the Great. At the same time, many noted that his writing talent could inspire everyone who read his manuscripts.