How did Plutarch’s works influence Byzantine scholars?

Plutarch’s works held a significant place in the intellectual life of the Byzantine Empire, where they were familiar to cultivated scholars who viewed the pagan past and Christian present as a continuous tradition.1

His influence on Byzantine scholars manifested in several key ways:

• Educational and Literary Use: Plutarch’s writings functioned as schoolbooks in the Greek East. While the Moralia was particularly popular, the Lives were also studied; for instance, the 9th-century patriarch Photius read them with his associates.1
• Historical Modeling: During the revival of classicizing history in the late 9th century, Byzantine historians often looked to Plutarch as a model for their interest in human character and the analysis of the causes of events.2
• Manuscript Preservation: Byzantine scholars were instrumental in preserving and transmitting his texts. At the end of the 13th century, Maximus Planudes transcribed Plutarch’s works, creating an edition that significantly influenced the later manuscript tradition.1
• Cultural Transmission: These scholars eventually introduced Plutarch’s works to Italy during the 15th-century revival of classical learning, facilitating the spread of his influence into the Renaissance.1