Solitarius, Philip

Solitarius, Philip a Greek monk, who lived in the latter part of the 11th century, in Constantinople, is the author of a mystico-ascetical work, written in the form of a dialogue, and entitled Δίοπτρα, The Mirror. It is a representation of the ascetic views of the Greek mysticism of the time. The work found favor, was commentated by Michael Psellus, and translated into Latin prose by the Jesuit Jacob Pontanus (Ingolstadt, 1604). The Latin translation was republished in the Biblioth. Patr. Colon. tom. 12, and in the Biblioth. Patrum Max. Lugdun. tom. 21. The Latin translation, however, is, according to Lambeciuus, very deficient. Of the Greek text only a few fragments have been printed by Oudin, Lambeciuis, and Cotelerius. See Cave, De Scrinptor. Eccles. page 638; Plitt-Herzog, Real- Encyklop. s.v. (B.P.)