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8 pages, 246 KB

Open AccessArticle

Dialectic in Early Proclus and the Unity of the Soul

by Georgios Iliopoulos

Philosophies 2025, 10(4), 74; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies10040074 - 24 Jun 2025

Viewed by 1558

In Proclus’ Commentary on the First Alcibiades, we encounter a conception of dialectic that can be interpreted in terms of the philosopher’s reception of Socratic and Platonic ideas while at the same time being compatible with the relevant Aristotelian conception. We will try [...] Read more.

In Proclus’ Commentary on the First Alcibiades, we encounter a conception of dialectic that can be interpreted in terms of the philosopher’s reception of Socratic and Platonic ideas while at the same time being compatible with the relevant Aristotelian conception. We will try to show that this is the case to the extent that dialectic is ascribed a propaedeutic function, aimed both at promoting the search for truth and at practicing and developing persuasive skills that could prove beneficial in theoretical disputes. On this basis, it can become clear that dialectic is related to Proclus’ conception of the soul because it necessarily integrates specific characteristics of partial philosophical disciplines, while, on the other hand, it requires the active participation of the soul as a whole. This means concretely that through the practice of dialectic, the inner differentiation of the soul emerges as a necessary dimension of its coherent unity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ancient and Medieval Theories of Soul)

17 pages, 326 KB

Open AccessArticle

Marsilio Ficino and the Soul: Doctrinal and Argumentative Remarks Regarding His Use of the Elements of Physics and the Elements of Theology

by Sokratis-Athanasios Kiosoglou

Philosophies 2025, 10(1), 14; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies10010014 - 23 Jan 2025

Viewed by 1460

Abstract

The depth and extent of Ficino’s reception and use of Proclus has already attracted much scholarly attention. The present paper builds on and tries to enrich these results, focusing specifically on Ficino’s reception of Proclus’ Elements of Physics and Elements of Theology. [...] Read more.

The depth and extent of Ficino’s reception and use of Proclus has already attracted much scholarly attention. The present paper builds on and tries to enrich these results, focusing specifically on Ficino’s reception of Proclus’ Elements of Physics and Elements of Theology. In the first part I discuss a marginal annotation of Ficino, in which he makes use of arguments about the circular motion of the soul from the Elements of Physics. I provide some clarifications about the annotated text (of Plotinus) and propose one additional possible echo of the Elements of Physics in Ficino’s Platonic Theology and its arguments about the immortality of the soul. The second part of the paper turns to the link between the Elements of Theology and Ficino’s Platonic Theology. Together with some further doctrinal borrowings I suggest that also the structure of the two works bears important affinities. The soul is a central case in point. To ground this claim, I compare specific sections of the two texts. Also, I selectively examine Ficino’s commentary on the Philebus, which is prior to the Platonic Theology and is strongly influenced by the early theorems of the Elements of Theology. Overall, the paper wishes to shed further light on Ficino’s multiform (and not yet fully unveiled) appropriation of Proclus. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ancient and Medieval Theories of Soul)

15 pages, 352 KB

Open AccessArticle

Proclus on ἕνωσις: Knowing the One by the One in the Soul

by Van Tu

Philosophies 2024, 9(4), 100; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies9040100 - 8 Jul 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2645

Abstract

At Plato’s insistence to become as godlike as one can, the Neoplatonists seek their salvation in union with the first principle they call the One, identifying this union as the highest end of philosophy. As with all aspirations, the transition from theoretical ideal [...] Read more.

At Plato’s insistence to become as godlike as one can, the Neoplatonists seek their salvation in union with the first principle they call the One, identifying this union as the highest end of philosophy. As with all aspirations, the transition from theoretical ideal to practical implementation remains a perennial problem: how is it possible for a person, as a mere mortal, to leave the person’s confined ontological station to unite with the divine, transcendent first principle? This paper is an attempt to reconstruct Proclus’ highly distinctive answer to this question of enormous importance through a close examination of his development of the late Neoplatonic notion of the One in the soul (τὸ ἐν ἡμῖν ἓν). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ancient and Medieval Theories of Soul)

13 pages, 497 KB

Open AccessArticle

Origen’s ‘Celsus’: Questions of Identity

by Harold Tarrant

Religions 2024, 15(6), 715; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15060715 - 10 Jun 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1651

Abstract

This article will investigate a certain similarity between Origen’s response to Celsus’ True Logos and the criticisms against Longinus’ interpretation of the early pages of Plato’s Timaeus made in Proclus’ Commentary by a certain Origenes, usually held to be a pagan though without [...] Read more.

This article will investigate a certain similarity between Origen’s response to Celsus’ True Logos and the criticisms against Longinus’ interpretation of the early pages of Plato’s Timaeus made in Proclus’ Commentary by a certain Origenes, usually held to be a pagan though without compelling evidence. Origen begins by assuming that ‘Celsus’ was an Epicurean of that name, even though it has long been obvious that ‘Celsus’ has adopted a Platonist point of view and that Origen’s answers often rely on Plato’s authority; in Proclus, Origenes regularly regards Longinus’ explanations as turning Plato into a hedonist by having him aim at the reader’s pleasure, and at one point Longinus even made reference to Epicurus. The paper uses recent work on the presence in Porphyry and Lucian of alternative names, whether inside philosophic schools or as a nom de plume, to argue that Origen could not be sure of his opponent’s identity, but that as he wrote he came to suspect that ‘Celsus’ was in fact his younger contemporary Longinus, the initial teacher of Porphyry himself. Hence the allusions to his ‘philological’ tendencies. If this is correct, then there is additional reason to identify Origen with Origenes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Patristics: Essays from Australia)

8 pages, 414 KB

Open AccessArticle

Being and Essence of Creation in Liber de Causis and Aquinas’s Reception

by Lingchang Gui

Religions 2023, 14(11), 1407; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14111407 - 10 Nov 2023

Viewed by 2110

Abstract

Derived from Proclus’s Elementatio Theologica, Liber de Causis (LDC), with the concept of “creation” at its core, provides a substantial monotheistic adaptation of the former that was absorbed and criticized by medieval philosophers represented by Aquinas. Taking Aquinas’s classical distinction [...] Read more.

Derived from Proclus’s Elementatio Theologica, Liber de Causis (LDC), with the concept of “creation” at its core, provides a substantial monotheistic adaptation of the former that was absorbed and criticized by medieval philosophers represented by Aquinas. Taking Aquinas’s classical distinction between being and essence as the axis of inquiry, this paper first points out that, in contrast to Proclus, LDC not only introduces the concept of creation but also includes in this concept the distinction between being and essence. By reviewing the different readings of Avicenna and Aquinas on the division, this paper then sketches out two different tendencies in the medieval Arab and Latin worlds to either accept the concept of creation in LDC that both being and essence of individua are given from the One via intelligence or to take a further monotheistical transformation, which declaims the One bestowing the being of creations directly. Through this case study, this paper attempts to show the influence of LDC on Aquinas’s thought and demonstrate the civilizational transitions, fusions, and exchanges that characterized medieval philosophy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medieval Theology and Philosophy from a Cross-Cultural Perspective)

14 pages, 376 KB

Open AccessArticle

A New Direction in Neoplatonic Linguistics: Aristotle as an Adherent of a ‘Specialist Name-Giver’ by Ammonius of Hermeias

by Maria Chriti

Religions 2022, 13(2), 172; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13020172 - 16 Feb 2022

Viewed by 2784

Abstract

This paper discusses the new linguistic treatment which is formulated for the first time in Neoplatonism, when Ammonius of Hermeias tries to compromise the linguistic views of Plato and Aristotle in his commentary on Aristotle’s On Interpretation. Ammonius integrates doctrines of Plato, [...] Read more.

This paper discusses the new linguistic treatment which is formulated for the first time in Neoplatonism, when Ammonius of Hermeias tries to compromise the linguistic views of Plato and Aristotle in his commentary on Aristotle’s On Interpretation. Ammonius integrates doctrines of Plato, Aristotle and Proclus, who was his teacher in Athens. According to Ammonius, Aristotle does not contradict Plato, who believes in the ‘divine name-giver’, the one that attributed the original names to beings; on the contrary, Aristotle confirms what Socrates says in the Cratylus, where he reproaches both his interlocutors for their extreme views. Ammonius examines several aspects of language, capturing Aristotle’s non-adherence to such an extremity. As he wishes to exempt Aristotle from Proclus’ censure, his position does not rest on assumptions, but he goes so far as to investigate Aristotle’s own linguistic behavior. Ammonius manifestly opts for reasoning the reconciliation between Plato and Aristotle, but he is thus led to put the concept of a ‘specialist name-giver’ in Aristotle’s mouth, without clarifying that he is talking about mankind, excluding the divine, although Aristotle never talks about a ‘specialist’, but just about the need to create names, based on the agreement between the members of a linguistic community. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Conversion Debates in Hellenistic Philosophy and Early Christianity)

12 pages, 5182 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Adaptation and Development of the Proclean Notion of Κατάβασις: From Proclus to Maximus the Confessor

by Kyeongyoon Woo

Religions 2021, 12(11), 936; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12110936 - 28 Oct 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3036

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of Proclus’ notion of divine descent, i.e., κατάβασις, on the formation of core theological doctrines in Pseudo-Dionysius and Maximus the Confessor. The notion of κατάβασις was originally employed by pagan Proclus to explain the downward providence of gods [...] Read more.

This paper examines the impact of Proclus’ notion of divine descent, i.e., κατάβασις, on the formation of core theological doctrines in Pseudo-Dionysius and Maximus the Confessor. The notion of κατάβασις was originally employed by pagan Proclus to explain the downward providence of gods toward humans, emphasizing the dominant role of gods for human perfection. In his exegesis on Alcibiades I, Proclus identified Socrates as the incarnation of divine providence, a divinely inspired lover in charge of Alcibiades’ conversion to philosophical life. Pseudo-Dionysius adapted the Proclean notion of κατάβασις by supplementing it with the Christian notion of God’s ecstatic love, understood as God’s providential act toward His creation. In the Celestial Hierarchy and Ecclesiastical Hierarchy, Dionysius endeavored to reveal the reciprocal-ecstatic union between God and humans made possible by His ecstatic κατάβασις during the liturgy. Maximus adapted and further developed the Dionysian notion of κατάβασις. While stressing the crucial role of the κατάβασις for human salvation, he gave it a new meaning by synthesizing it in the context of his anthropology, which stressed the holistic transformation of the human body and soul as a result of the divine descent. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Conversion Debates in Hellenistic Philosophy and Early Christianity)

14 pages, 375 KB

Open AccessArticle

Love as Descent: Comparing the Models of Proclus and Dionysius through Eriugena

by Dimitrios A. Vasilakis

Religions 2021, 12(9), 726; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12090726 - 5 Sep 2021

Viewed by 3101

Abstract

This paper explores the models of the providential-erotic descent in Neoplatonism and Christianity and the ethical consequences that these two models entail. Neoplatonic representative is an excerpt from Proclus’ Commentary on the First Alcibiades, where a parallel with ancient Greek mythology is [...] Read more.

This paper explores the models of the providential-erotic descent in Neoplatonism and Christianity and the ethical consequences that these two models entail. Neoplatonic representative is an excerpt from Proclus’ Commentary on the First Alcibiades, where a parallel with ancient Greek mythology is drawn: Socrates’ providential love for Alcibiades is compared to Hercules’ descent to Hades in order to save Theseus. This image recalls not only the return of the illumined philosopher back to the Cave (from Plato’s Republic) but also the Byzantine hagiographical depiction of Jesus Christ’s Resurrection qua Descent to Hades. The end of Dionysius’ 8th Epistle (the Christian counterpart to Proclus) recalls this Byzantine icon and forms a narration framed as a vision that a pious man had. There are crucial features differentiating Proclus from Dionysius, and Eriugena’s poetry (paschal in tone) helps in order to understand their ontological background and the eschatology they imply, as well as explain why Christ’s “philanthropy” (love for mankind) is more radical than that of Proclus’ Socrates. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Conversion Debates in Hellenistic Philosophy and Early Christianity)

20 pages, 668 KB

Open AccessArticle

Origen and the Platonic Tradition

by Ilaria L.E. Ramelli

Religions 2017, 8(2), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel8020021 - 10 Feb 2017

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 12733

Abstract

This study situates Origen of Alexandria within the Platonic tradition, presenting Origenas a Christian philosopher who taught and studied philosophy, of which theology was part and parcel. More speciﬁcally, Origen can be described as a Christian Platonist. He criticized “false philosophies” as well [...] Read more.

This study situates Origen of Alexandria within the Platonic tradition, presenting Origenas a Christian philosopher who taught and studied philosophy, of which theology was part and parcel. More speciﬁcally, Origen can be described as a Christian Platonist. He criticized “false philosophies” as well as “heresies,” but not the philosophy of Plato. Against the background of recent scholarly debates, the thorny issue of the possible identity between Origen the Christian Platonist and Origen the Neoplatonist is partially addressed (although it requires a much more extensive discussion); it is also discussed in the light of Origen’s formation at Ammonius’s school and the reception of his works and ideas in “pagan” Platonism. As a consequence, and against scholarly perspectives that tend to see Christianity as anti-Platonism, the ﬁnal section of this paper asks the question of what is imperial and late antique Platonism and, on the basis of rich evidence ,suggests that this was not only “pagan” institutional Platonism. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plato among the Christians)

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