KVINTILIJAN – PRAVNIK I PROFESOR

Abstract

Marcus Fabius Quintilianus (around 35 – 96 AD) was born in Spain, but came to Rome as a boy where he startеd his education. He first worked as a lawyer and then opened a public school of rhetoric, soon to become one of the most prestigious schools of that kind. Although he often criticized the existing educational system, he was not the opponent of the ruling regime. Probably this was the reason for the Emperor Vespasian to appoint Quintilian to the position of the rhetoric teacher (paid from the state budget). However, at that time the interest for rhetoric started to decrease, i.e. free speech began to lose its foundation. Probably this led Quantilian to become a writer and produce his first piece of work which was not preserved, De causis corruptiae eloquentiae, where he spoke about the causes for the decline of rhetoric. Quantilian retired from teaching and started writing his most prominent work Institutio oratoria. This textbook was the result of his twenty-year long teaching experience. Although many critics believe that this work was not the original contribution to rhetoric, it cannot be denied that it represented a comprehensive overview of the rhetoric study of that time. Moreover, Quantilian attempted to present the ethical foundations of rhetoric contrary to the beliefs that it was merely a means of negotiations. Nevertheless, two aspects of exploring Quantilian’s work were the most significant: theoretical and pedagogical. Since he was a teacher for a long period, a list of his pupils is extensive, including distinguished names, such as Pliny the Younger and Juvenal. The goal of this paper is to introduce Quintilian as a jurist, rhetorician, lawyer and author of one of the most significant legal textbooks, as well as to introduce the contents of the book. This textbook retained its contemporary nature and, indeed, some of its chapters could be used as parts of a modern textbook on public speaking. The author presented this paper using historical and legal method.