Quintilian

• 1. A Boy From Calagurris

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  Marcus Fabius Quintilianus arrived in the world around 35 AD within the town of Calagurris, now known as Calahorra in La Rioja. His father was a well-educated man who sent him to Rome early during Nero's reign. The young student sought out Domitius Afer, an older model for public ambition. Afer died in 59, yet his influence remained on the boy who listened to him plead cases in law courts. This relationship shaped Quintilian's love for Cicero and set the tone for his future career.

• 2. The School And The Consulship

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  Quintilian returned to Rome after Galba's death in 68 to open a public school of rhetoric. Among his students were Pliny the Younger and perhaps Tacitus. Emperor Vespasian appointed him consul to support education as a means of creating a responsible ruling class. This subsidy allowed Quintilian to devote more time to teaching while he argued cases in court. He retired from these duties in 88 AD during the reign of Domitian, seeking financial security and leisure.

• 3. Twelve Books Written In Silence

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  Around 95 AD Quintilian composed a twelve-volume textbook titled Institutio Oratoria. This work covered theory and practice alongside foundational education from cradle to grave. An earlier text called De Causis Corruptae Eloquentiae has been lost but likely served as a preliminary exposition. Two sets of declamations known as Declamationes Maiores and Minores exist though scholars dispute their authorship. Some believe they represent lecture notes from a scholar trained by Quintilian rather than his own words.

• 4. The Good Man Speaks Well

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  In Book II Quintilian sided with Plato's assertion that the rhetorician must be just. He stated clearly that the perfect orator is first a good man before becoming a good speaker. His theory embraced the message that one cannot be a good speaker for people if one cannot be genuinely good. A good man works for the prosperity of society and serves the people. This moral ideology ruled out any amorally neutral conception of rhetoric.

• 5. A Manuscript Found In Dust

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  Quintilian's influence fluctuated after his death around 100 AD until Poggio Bracciolini rediscovered a complete manuscript in 1416. The Italian humanist found the document buried in rubbish and dust within a filthy dungeon at the Abbey of Saint Gall. Leonardo Bruni wrote to Poggio calling it an unexpected pleasure and valuable acquisition. They believed restoring these writings would bring glory to the present age. Petrarch addressed letters to the dead Quintilian seeking inspiration for a new humanistic philosophy of education.

• 6. Luther And Erasmus Adopt Him

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  Martin Luther claimed he preferred Quintilian to almost all authors because he educates while demonstrating eloquence. Erasmus of Rotterdam studied at Steyn and shaped the implicit depth of humanism through this work. Johann Sebastian Bach composed Das musikalische Opfer with close connection to the Institutio Oratoria during his tenure at Leipzig from 1723 to 1750. John Stuart Mill spoke highly of Quintilian as a force in his early education despite obscure style. Thomas De Quincey praised the Institutions as a chef-d'œuvre surpassing Aristotle in practical model art.

• 7. Child Centered Education Today

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  Modern scholars believe Quintilian is the earliest spokesman for child-centered education theories discussed in his early childhood chapters. His discussions of tropes and figures formed the foundation of contemporary works on figurative language including post-structuralist theories. Jacques Derrida's ideas on the failure of language to impart truth rely on Quintilian's assumptions about function. He remains an integral part of the history of education frequently included in anthologies of literary criticism today.