He is not listed among the rhetors and sophists of Gerasa by Stephanus of Byzantium.
According to Eunapius, who attended his lectures in the period 362–367, Diophantus recruited students from Arabia.
[2] According to Libanius' own account, he went to Athens intending to become a student of Epiphanius of Petra, but was ambushed by enthusiasts of Diophantus who imprisoned him in a cell until he took an oath to become Diophantus' student.
He left behind two sons whom Eunapius describes as devoted to commercial gain and luxurious living.
[3] He must also be distinguished from the Egyptian philosopher and priest of mysteries of the same name cited by Libanius in a letter of 362.