Abstract
Plato’s philosophical legacy was not a rigid system of dogmas. It could in consequence accept elements from other schools and, on the contrary, other schools in their turn could receive elements from it. The history of Platonism from the 1st century B. C., beginning with Antiochus of Ascalon, is marked by repeated attempts at a synthesis of Plato’s philosophy with other philosophies, especially with the Stoic and Peripatetic school. These attempts led in times of deeper religious feeling to the creation of religious-philosophic systems that satisfied the yearning of educated people. Plato’s words “to become most like god” were understood in a purely religious sense and they were accepted in this sense as the purpose and aim of all philosophizing. The road leads from Antiochus to Philo, then to the so-called Middle Platonism and finally to the Neo-Platonist philosophy, the last great system of Antiquity, the last word of the pre-Christian Graeco-Roman culture.
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References
Particularly Willy Theiler, Die Vorbereitung des Neuplatonismus (Berlin 1930), particularly p. 61 seq.
Translator’s note: According to Plotinus, The Six Enneads, translated by S. MacKenna and B. S. Page, Great Books of the Western World, vol. 17, p. 136.
Translator’s note: ibidem, p. 211.
Epistle 2, 312 E; Epistle 6, 323 D; Phil. 26 E; Tim. 41 D; Rep. 6, 509 B.
Plotinus, Enneads VI, IX, 10. Translator’s note: using the translation of S. MacKenna and B. S. Page, ibidem, p. 360.
Åmile Bréhier, Plotin, Ennéades III., p. 21.
Edouard Krakowski omitted this difference in his comprehensive book L’Esthétique de Plotin et son influence (Paris 1929), especially p. 154.
Translator’s note: Translation by S. MacKenna and B. S. Page, ibidem, p. 239.
Cf. p. 306.
Ueberweg-Praechter, Grundriß der Geschichte der Philosophie des Altertums (Berlin 1920), p. 641 seq.
This concept is described in detail in the scholium to the Sophist 216A (Appendix Platonica ed. Hermann, p. 249 seq. = Scholia Platonica ed. Greene, p 40).
K. Prächter, Das Schriftenverzeichnis des Neuplatonikers Syrianos bei Suidas (Byz. Zeitschr. 26, 1927, 353 seq.).
J. Bidez in his treatise Proclus Περι τñς ίερατιχñς τέχνης (Extrait de l’Annuaire de l’Institut de Philologie et d’Histoire Oriental et Slaves IV, 1936 = Mélanges Cumont), p. 88.
L. G. Westerink (Amsterdam 1954) published recently a critical text of this commentary with an introduction and index.
Cf. On Clement of Alexandria, p. 135 seq.
Rudolf Asmus comments thus on the surviving reports about Theagen in Das Leben des Philosophen Isidorus Damaskios aus Damaskos (Leipzig 1911), p. 92–95.
This is how A. Jordan discerns these two writings in his article Zur Kritik der späteren Platoniker, (Hermes 14, 1879).
A report on this edict is given by Ioannes Malalas in his Chronicle, II, p. 187, Oxford ed.
Photius Bibl. 158, p. 297, 6 W (quoted by R. Asmus in the book referred to, p. 94).
Eugen Darkó, Wirkungen des Platonismus im griechischen Mittelalter (Byz. Zeitschrift 30. 1929/30). p. 13.
Charles Kingsley wrote a biographical novel on Hypatia. Hypatia or new foes with an old face (1852). (a Czech translation by Čeněk Dušek was published in 1896). in which he tried to describe the struggle of the ancient pagan culture against Christianity.
Christian Lacombrade’s monograph, Synésios de Cyrène, hellène and chrétien (Paris 1951) was not accessible to me.
Cf. below, p. 245.
Hermias’ commentary was newly edited by P. Couvreur, Hermiae Alexandrini in Platonis Phaedrum scholia (Paris 1901). Amandus Bielmeier shows its place in the historical development in his book Die neuplatonische Phaidrosinterpretation, ihr Werdegang und ihre Eigenart (Paderborn 1930).
The commentary on the Alcibiades was re-edited by L. G. Westerink (Amsterdam 1956).
This commentator of Plato is not the same person as the Aristotelian Olympiodorus, the teacher of Proclus. This point is dealt with by Fridericus Creuzer in the introduction to his publication of Olympiodorus’ commentary on the Alcibiades (Francofurti ad Moenum 1821). A detailed monograph on Olympiodorus was written by the Danish editor of his commentary on the Phaedo and the Gorgias, William Norwin, Olympiodoros fra Alexandria og hans Commentar til Platons Phaidon (Kobenhavn og Kristiania 1915).
Monograph: J. Baudry, Le problème de l’origine et de l’etemité du monde dans la philosophie grecque de Pluton à l’ ere chrétienne (Paris 1931).
H. D. Saffrey, Le chréiten Jean Philopon et la survivance de l’école d’ Alexandrie au VIe siècle (Revue des Études Grecques 67, 1954). p. 407.
B. W. Switalski, Des Chalcidius Kommentar zu Plato’s Timaeus (Münster 1902).
E. Steinheimer, Untersuchungen über die Quellen des Chalcidius (Aschaffenburg 1912).
You are the Logos of my spirit, you are the Logos of my soul, you are the Logos of my flesh.
Ernst Benz in his treatise Marius Victorinus und die Entwicklung der abendländischen Willensmetaphysik(Stuttgart 1932) apreciates and perhaps even overestimates the significance of Marius Victorinus as Augustine’s predecessor
Karl Mras wrote a monograph on this treatise of Macrobius’ entitled Macrobius’ Kommentar zu Ciceros Somnium Scipionis. Ein Beitrag zur Geistesgeschichte des 5. Jahrh. n. Chr. (Sitz Ber. d. Preuss. Ak. d. Wiss., phil.-hist. Kl. 1933). The same: Macrobius und Chalcidius als Übersetzer Platos (Wiener Stud. 51, 1933).
Translaror’s note: According to Loeb Classical Library, 1962, where a version of the Consolation first printed in 1609 was made use of. We add another translation in prose provided by J. L. Barton (Oxon), in which the Platonic elements are very clear: “O thou that dost govern the world by perpetual reason, creator of heaven and earth who from old dost command time to run, and, unmoved Thyself, dost cause all things to be moved, who wert not impelled by causes outside Thyself, to create Thy work of unstable matter, but by an innate concept of the highest good free of all malice, who derivest all things from the supreme example who, most beautiful Thyself, bearest the beautiful world in Thy mind, and framest it in a similar image, commanding the perfect whole to complete the perfect parts, Thou dost bind the elements with rules that cold might come together with flames and dry things may come together with liquids lest the too pure fire should flyaway or the sunk lands he dragged down by their own weight. Thou hast placed an all-moving soul in the midst of three-fold nature and dost diffuse it through appropriate members, which when divided, formed its motion into two globes, goes returning upon itself, and circles the profound mind and, in like guise, goes the round of the sky. For like causes Thou dost foster lesser souls and lives and placing them in light chariots dost take them on high and sow them throughout heaven and earth which when they turn again Thou dost by kindly law decree to be led back to Thee and to return in fire. Grant, Father, to my mind to ascend the august seat, grant that it may be cleansed in the spring of goodness, grant that I may find the light and fix upon Thee the clear vision of my soul, scatter the clouds and weight of the earthly mass and shine in Thy splendour. For thou art serenity, Thou art the quiet rest of the pious, to perceive Thee is at once purpose, beginning, guide. leader, path and end.”
The greatness of Boethius’ authority in the Middle Ages is also illustrated by an interesting detail in the history of the theory of music. Boethius wrote, apart from purely philosophical treatises, a work entitled De musica which passed on the knowledge of antique music to the Middle Ages. In this work too he used Plato’s Timaeus and also founded the musical scale on the numbers contained in it. As in the Timaeus there is no tierce between the intervals, there is none in Boethius. Following his example this interval was repudiated by the medieval musical theoreticians who declared it, against their musical sense, a disssonance. On this see Erich Frank, Plato und die sogenannten Pythagoreer (Halle 1923), p. 18.
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© 1977 František Novotný — Ludvík Svoboda
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Novotný, F. (1977). Plotinus and the Neo-Platonists. In: Svoboda, L., Barton, J.L. (eds) The Posthumous Life of Plato. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-9704-2_11
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