We are saddened to announce the passing of Christopher Rowe. We share below a text written by Ugo Zilioli, accompanied by a photo selected by Heather Rowe.
Christopher Rowe (1944-2025) was an eminent British classicist and one of the most prominent scholars of ancient philosophy at international level in the last forty years. His translations of Plato and Aristotle, together with his in-depth analyses and commentary, are widely read by scholars working in different continents and philosophical traditions.
Christopher studied Classics at Cambridge University, where he also obtained a doctorate with a dissertation on Aristotle’s Ethics, a project to which he returned later in life. Just before being awarded his PhD, he was hired in 1966 by the University of Bristol, where he remained for almost thirty years, serving also as the Chair of Greek. In 1995 he was offered the Chair of Greek at Durham University, where he remained in post until his retirement in 2010. He held an Honorary Professorship at Durham University until his death.
While surely being an important scholar in ancient philosophy when he was at Bristol University, it was his time at Durham that made him a figure of international relevance. The Chair of Greek at Durham University (which, sadly, doesn’t exist anymore) was traditionally held by Classicists working in ancient philosophy, such as Skemp, Ferguson-Smith and Stokes. In line with this excellent tradition, Christopher managed to make ancient philosophy at Durham even more relevant. He attracted a large number of international students, including me, to Durham, where we all worked happily under his wise guidance. Always available to his students, he was able to mix scholarship of the highest level with a human touch often lacking in scholars of such importance.
Christopher translated and commented on some dialogues of Plato, mainly for CUP and OUP (Phaedo, Apology, Euthyphro, Crito, Theaetetus, Statesman, Republic) as well as the Nicomachean Ethics (in collaboration with Sarah Broadie, who provided the philosophical commentary). Together with George Boys-Stones, he provided a full translation of the main sources on the Socratics (The Circle of Socrates, Hackett). His translations are outstanding for their accuracy and for making even the most difficult Greek flow naturally in current English. Christopher also worked closely with his close friend Terry Penner on a book on the Lysis (CUP 2005); he wrote his long-awaited book on Plato in 2007 (Plato and the Art of Philosophical Writing, CUP). Both books were written while holding a prestigious 5-year Leverhulme Fellowship. More recently, going back in a perfect circle to where he started, he provided a critical edition for the Eudemian Ethics for OUP (2023), accompanied by a full scale commentary in a separate volume (Aristotelica: Studies on the text of Aristotle’s Eudemian Ethics).
In addition to being an excellent teacher and scholar, Christopher was a tireless organiser, travelling widely to make ancient philosophy a lively subject. He lectured in so many different countries that it would be impossible to list them all in a few lines. He was one of the founding members of the International Plato Society, for which he also served as President. He was the editor of Phronesis for a long time, thus helping young and senior scholars to get published with original pieces of scholarship. He also served as President of the Classical Association in the UK.
However brief this note is, I hope to have included all the major achievements Christopher managed to obtain as a teacher, scholar and organiser. He is going to be much missed by his colleagues, students and friends across the globe. Let me end with a personal note. I met him for the first time in a crowded room at Durham University in 1998, when I started my doctorate there. I was trying to figure out who Christopher Rowe was when I met his eyes for the first time. The sparkle that occurred there between us was the start of a long friendship that lasted almost thirty years. I am going to miss him greatly.