Cornelianus

Who is Cornelianus?

Sulpicius Cornelianus was a Roman rhetorician. He lived in the reign of the Roman Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus. This puts him in the late 2nd century. Cornelianus acted as secretary to Marcus Aurelius.

The grammarian Phrynichus Arabius speaks of Cornelianus with high praise; Phrynichus dedicated his Ecloga to him, and describes him as worthy of the age of the great orator Demosthenes.

Fronto is our source for the fact that Cornelianus was named Sulpicius.

It has been argued that Cornelianus is the author of a surviving treatise in Greek entitled Philetaerus, which had previously been attributed to the great 3rd century grammarian Herodian. Herodian, too, was on good terms with Marcus Aurelius.