Gregorios Bernardakis

Gregorios N. Bernardakis (Γρηγόριος Ν. Βερναρδάκης, translit. Grigorios N. Vernardakis, Neo-Latin Gregorius N. Bernardakis, b. in Mytilene, Ottoman Empire c. 1848, d. 1925) was a Greek philologist, palaeographer, and university professor. His brother was the dramatist Demetrios Bernardakis.

Biographical sketch
Bernardakis was born in Mytilene, on the island of Lesbos, when it was still a part of the Ottoman Empire. He studied at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and earned his PhD at the age of twenty-three. While still a student there, he published his first book, Σχόλια εις τας δημηγορίας του Θουκυδίδου συνταχθέντα κατά τας αρίστας εκδόσεις ("Scholia on the Speeches of Thucydides according to the best editions", 1867). After graduation, he began his teaching career in Egypt, where he was first posted to the Abetios School in Cairo and afterwards at the Hellenic Gymnasium of Alexandria. Later he completed his philological studies at the University of Leipzig and the University of Berlin, which gave him a chance to engage in palaeography in France and in Italy. Afterwards, he returned to Greece, winding up as principal of the Gymnasium of Mytilene (1880–94) and continuing afterwards to an appointment at the Zariphios School of Philippopolis (1895–98). In 1898, he became a regular professor of Greek literature at the National and Capodistrian University of Athens, where he taught continuously until 1923.

Scholarly works
The principal work for which Bernardakis was known in his philological career was a seven-volume edition (1888–96 Bibliotheca Teubneriana editio minor) of Plutarch's Moralia (Ethics), based on a previously-unknown codex (Codex Athous Gr. 268) which he had found in a monastic library on Mount Athos. He never completed the major edition, a task which was left to his son, Demetrios Bernardakis, and grandson, Panagiotis Bernardakis, who finally finished the family project in cooperation with Heinz Gerd Ingenkamp.

Later editors of the minor edition, Ulrich von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff, Max Pohlenz and Konrat Ziegler disagreed with Bernardakis and the latest (1959) minor edition does not reflect his editorial choices and the full range of manuscripts that he citied. Bernardakis's minor edition contains essays known by the Latin translations of their titles: De liberis educandis, Consolatio ad Apollonium, and Septem sapientium convivium, that are regarded as spurious by most scholars because of stylistic differences from other preserved works of Plutarch, although not all scholars regard the issue as definitively settled. One reviewer of the editions found some minor disagreements with various editorial choices, but found the typeface employed in the major edition a refreshing change from the fonts commonly used in other classical texts, and that overall, the major edition supersedes the previous edition of Vasilis Mandilaras, especially in its treatment of lectiones difficiliores, and koinisms, while still reflecting the moderate Atticism of Plutarch.

Another important work that he authored is the three-volume reference Λεξικόν ερμηνευτικόν των ενδοξότατων Ελλήνων ποιητών και συγγραφέων (Hermeneutic Lexicon of Acclaimed Greek Poets and Writers, 1908–11), with an abridgement published in 1918. The work is still in print in Greece. Likewise, another popular work of his is Σχόλια εις τας δημηγορίας του Θουκυδίδου (Scholia on the Speeches of Thucydides; 1868); he is also known for Symbolae criticae in Strabonem vel censura Cobeti emendationum in Strabonem (Critical Contributions in Strabo, or a Censure of the Emendations of Cobet on Strabo; in Latin, 1877), Cobet replied with the following letter, partially quoted by Ingenkamp in one of his papers: "Responsio ad virum doctissimum Gregorium N. Bernardakis Dr Phil. Perlatus est ad me nuperrime Lipsia libellus inscriptus: “Symbolae criticae in Strabonem cett”. Quem comiter mihi ab auctore dono missum semel et iterum diligenter legi. Plurimum abest ut aegre feram meas emendationes quantumvis acri et severae censurae subiici, praesertim si meus censor et castigator ἀνὴρ ὦν καλός τε καγαθὸς et ardens veritatis amore non proterve et petulanter neque iracunde et contumeliose in me invehatur (non enim curarem) sed docte et acute et ingeniose meas opiniones aut sententias refutare conetur; non enim potest severus esse in iudicando is qui alios in se severos esse iudices non vult. Bernardakis autem in ea re boni viri et humanitate expoliti officio functus est et argumentis magis quam maledictis certat. Si quando excandescit verbisque acrioribus utitur, facilis do veniam, namque et ipse fervidus iuventa olim ita faciebam. Fert autem ipsa rei natura ut eruditi homines inter sese contendant..."

- Carel Gabriel Cobet, Responsio ad virum doctissimum Gregorium N. Bernardakis Dr Phil., 1877 "A response to the most learned man, Gregorios N. Bernardakis, Doctor of Philosophy. Most recently a little book was conveyed to me at Leipzig inscribed "Critical Contributions in Strabo, etc"., which was sent to me, as a gift by the author, and which I read at once, and then carefully a second time. Far be it from me that I should scarcely be able to endure my emendations to be cast aside, however sharp and severe the censure, particularly if my censor and castigator – being a fine and fair man, and one burning with love for truth and not for violence – not only impudently but angrily and abusively inveighed against me (for that, I should not care), but rather [my concern is] for the learned one with well-honed talent who attempted to refute my opinions, or rather my ideas; for it is not possible to be harsh in judging when the other does not wish himself to be among harsh judges. Bernardakis, for that matter has done more with evidence than with curses, it is certain, and with a certain humanity and gentlemanliness even to his pillaging. If sometimes he is kindled to use sharper words, it is easy that I should absolve him, for indeed it is by that same youthful fervor that I was once-upon-a-time possessed that he does it..."" and other works.

List of publications

 * Σχόλια εις τας δημηγορίας του Θουκυδίδου συνταχθέντα κατά τας αρίστας εκδόσεις (Athens: 1867)
 * Symbolae criticae in Strabonem vel censura Cobeti emendationum in Strabonem (Lipsiae, B.G. Teubner: 1877)
 * Symbolae criticae et palaeographicae in Plutarchi vitas parallelas et moralia (Lipsiae, B.G. Teubner: 1879)
 * Plutarchi Chaeronensis moralia, vol. I, recognovit Gregorius N. Bernardakis (Lipsiae, B.G. Teubner: 1888)
 * Plutarchi Chaeronensis moralia, vol. II, recognovit Gregorius N. Bernardakis (Lipsiae, B.G. Teubner: 1889)
 * Plutarchi Chaeronensis moralia, vol. III, recognovit Gregorius N. Bernardakis (Lipsiae, B.G. Teubner: 1891)
 * Plutarchi Chaeronensis moralia, vol. IV, recognovit Gregorius N. Bernardakis (Lipsiae, B.G. Teubner: 1892)
 * Plutarchi Chaeronensis moralia, vol. V, recognovit Gregorius N. Bernardakis (Lipsiae, B.G. Teubner: 1893)
 * Plutarchi Chaeronensis moralia, vol. VI, recognovit Gregorius N. Bernardakis (Lipsiae, B.G. Teubner: 1895)
 * Plutarchi Chaeronensis moralia, vol. VII, recognovit Gregorius N. Bernardakis (Lipsiae, B.G. Teubner: 1896)
 * Λεξικὸν ἑρμηνευτικὸν τῶν ἐνδοξότατων Ἐλλήνων ποιητῶν και συγγραφέων (Ἀθήναι, Αδελφών Περρή·1908)
 * Ἀπάντησις πρὸς ὄσα ἐργαφίσαν ἐν τὴν Ἀθήνα, κατά τοῦ ἑργμηνεύτικου λέξικου (Ἀθήναι, Π. Δ. Σακελλάριος·1912)
 * Λεξικὸν ἐρμηνευτικόν τῶν ἐνδοξότατων Ἐλλήνων ποιητῶν και συγγραφέων, Ek. B' (Ἀθήναι, Π.Α. Πετράκου·1918)