Thomas
(Θωμᾶς).
1. Magister, a rhetorician and grammarian, who flourished about A. D. 1310.
He appears to have been a native of Thessalonica, and to have lived at the court of the emperor Andronicus Palaeologus I., and to have held the offices of marshal (Magister Officiorum) and keeper of the archives (Chartophylax); but he afterwards retired to a monastery, where he assumed the name of Theodidulus, and devoted himself to the study of the ancient Greek authors. Works Lexicon of Attic Wards (κατὰ Ἀλφάβητον ὀνομάτων Ἀττικῶν Ἐκλογαί
His chief work was a Lexicon of Attic Wards (κατὰ Ἀλφάβητον ὀνομάτων Ἀττικῶν Ἐκλογαί, compiled from the works of the elder grammarians, such as Phrynichus, Ammonius, Herodian, and Moeris; but with very little judgment. The work has some value on account of its containing much from the elder grammarians, which would otherwise have been lost ; but, when Thomas deserts his guides, he often falls into the most serious errors. Editions
His Attic Lexicon was first published by Zach. Caliergus, Rom. 1517; and soon after by Fr. Asulanus, who had not seen the former edition, in the Aldine collection of Greek Lexicographers, entitled Dictionarium Graecum, Venet. 1524, fol. ; reprinted 1525, fol.; then by Michael Vascosanus, with the Attic Lexicons of Phrynichus and Moschopulus, Lutet. 1532, 8vo.; the next edition was that of Nicolas Blancard, who made many rash changes in the text; a very excellent edition, enriched with a body of notes by Dan. Heinsius, J. Chr. Wolf, and many other scholars, was published by Johan. Steph. Bernard, Lugd. Bat. 1757, 8vo.; and, lastly, the work has been recently reedited by Ritschl, with valuable Prolegomena, under the following title :--Tomaic Magistri sive Theoduli Montachi Eeloga Vocum Atlicarum Ex Recensione et cum Prolegomenis Friderici Ritschelii. Halis Sax. 1831, 1832, 8vo. Scholia
He wrote Scholia upon Pindar, Euripides, and Aristophanes, the remains of which are merged in the collections of ancient scholia, and also lives of those authors, which are prefixed to some of the editions of their works. Letters and Orations
His other writings consist of letters and orations, the latter being partly scholastic essays in imitation of the ancient orators, partly encomniums on the great men of former days, such as that upon Gregory of Nazianzus, partly laudatory addresses to his contemporaries, and partly relating to passing events. Editions
An edition of the Orations and Epistles, which were then known, was published in Greek and Latin, Upsal. 1693, 4to., by Laurentius Norrmann, who had edited the Laudatio Gregori alone two years before, Upsal. 1691, 4to.; and two other orations, namely that to Andronicus Palaeologus de Regis Officiis, and the to it, de Subditorum erga Regem Officiis, have been published in the Nova Collectio Veterum Scriptorumn of Angelo Maio (vol. iii. pp. 145, foll., pp. 173, foll. 1827, 4to.), who gives the titles of several unedited letters and orations of Thomas, which he promises to publish. Some Excerpta from Thomas Magister are printed in the Anecdota of L. Bachmann, vol. 2.1828, 8vo. Further Information
Cave, Hist. Litt. s. a. 1311, Appendix, p. 15, ed. Basil.; Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. vi. pp. 181, Schröckh, Christl. Kirchengesch. vol. xxx. p. 298; Schöll, Gesch. d. Griech. Litt. vol. iii. pp. 152, 207; Hoffmann, Lex. Bibliogr. Script. Graec.
2. Thomas, a monk of Crete, whose selection from the Lexicon of Suidas exists in MS. in several libraries, appears to be a different person from Thomas Magister. (Fabric. Bibl. Gr. vol. vi. p. 417.)
3. A patrician and marshal of the Byzantine circus (πατπίκιος καὶ λογοθέτης τοῦ δρόμου), wrote an epitaph on a certain Anastasius, who had gained many victories in the horse-races; which is preserved in the Anthology of Planudes. (Anth. Planud. p. 408, Steph., p. 543, Wechel.; Brunck, Anal. vol. iii. p. 124; Jacobs, Anth. Graec. vol. iv. p. 94, vol. xiii. p. 961.)
4. The Planudean Anthology also contains an epigram in praise of Demosthenes, Thucydides, and Aristeides, as the three greatest of Greek rhetoricians, by a certain Thomas Scholasticus, the same person, perhaps, as Thomas Magister, with whom Planudes was contemporary. Nay, it is possible that Thomas Patricius (No. 3) may also have been identical with Thomas Magister, who may have held the office in the circus before his retirement to the monastery. (Anth. Plan. p. 376, Steph., p.514, Wechel.; Brunck, l.c. p. 125; Jacobs, l.c. p. 95; Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. iv. p. 497.)
A few other insignificant persons of the name are mentioned by Fabricius, Bibl. Graec. vol. xi. pp. 719, 720. [P.S]
(Θωμᾶς), a physician of the emperor Justinian, who was also a privy counsellor (ἀσηκρήτοις, or a secretis), and stood high in his favour. He was put to death for the part he took in the riots at Constantinople called Νίκα, A. D. 532. (Chron. Pasch. pp. 338, 340.) [W.A.G]