Research

14 pages, 376 KiB

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 1793

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)

13 pages, 385 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spiritual and Material Conversion in the Alchemical Work of Zosimus of Panopolis

by Athanasios Rinotas

Religions 2021, 12(11), 1008; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12111008 - 16 Nov 2021

Viewed by 2602

Abstract

Zosimus of Panopolis was a Graeco-Egyptian alchemist of the 3rd century whose alchemy was imbued with both technical and Gnostic elements. In this way, the notion of conversion is met in the corpus of Zosimus in both its material and spiritual aspects. The [...] Read more.

Zosimus of Panopolis was a Graeco-Egyptian alchemist of the 3rd century whose alchemy was imbued with both technical and Gnostic elements. In this way, the notion of conversion is met in the corpus of Zosimus in both its material and spiritual aspects. The aim of this paper is to present these two kinds of conversion by having a special focus on the role of the spirit (pneuma) in their procedures. Hence, in the first part of the study I present how pneuma is involved in the conversion of metals, while in the second I deal with the spiritual–Gnostic aspects of his alchemy, which pertain to the notion of the “divine spark.” In the last part of the study, I examine the relation between pneuma and divine water in the work of Zosimus, which serves in turn as an exegetical tool for the Coptic-Gnostic source which is found in the Gospel According to Philip (61, 12b–20a). Full article

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

12 pages, 5182 KiB

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

Viewed by 2135

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, 474 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Drunk with Wisdom: Metaphors of Ecstasy in Plato’s Symposium and Lucian of Samosata

by Eva Anagnostou-Laoutides

Religions 2021, 12(10), 898; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12100898 - 19 Oct 2021

Viewed by 2321

Abstract

Among the metaphors that Plato employed in the context of his apophatic approach to philosophical truth and its experience, inebriation stands out in the Symposium, where famously Socrates is compared to Dionysian figures such as the Silenoi and Marsyas (215a-c), and to [...] Read more.

Among the metaphors that Plato employed in the context of his apophatic approach to philosophical truth and its experience, inebriation stands out in the Symposium, where famously Socrates is compared to Dionysian figures such as the Silenoi and Marsyas (215a-c), and to frenzied Corybantic dancers (215e; 216d; 218b). The contentious nature of inebriation as a proxy of ecstasy is aptly exemplified in Euripides’ Bacchae, where Pentheus, the distrusting new tyrant of Thebes, is keen to associate the Bacchic trance with common intoxication and lewd behavior; although Plato tries to anticipate such criticisms by repeatedly stating in the Symposium that Socrates is sober and of sound mind (e.g., 214a; 216d; 219d; 220a), later authors are unforgiving of his metaphorical style, which is deemed inconsistent with Plato’s stern disapproval of poetry. Among such later authors, Lucian of Samosata deserves closer attention apropos his treatment of inebriation as a most confusing and inappropriate metaphor for philosophical inspiration. Despite the jocular style of his dialogues, Lucian’s depiction of Platonic inebriation powerfully sketches a deep intellectual crisis that especially afflicts the young people of his time. Thus, Lucian sheds unexpected light on a less prominent chapter of Plato’s reception during the Roman imperial period. Full article

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

14 pages, 326 KiB

Open AccessArticle

This Strange Creature: Plato and Conversion Experiences

by Joe Cimakasky, Joseph J. Romano and Kristian Sheeley

Religions 2021, 12(10), 847; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12100847 - 09 Oct 2021

Viewed by 2381

Abstract

In Plato’s corpus, the Greek word ἐξαίφνης appears precisely thirty-six times. Translated generally as “all of a sudden” or “the instant” in his Parmenides, ἐξαίφνης emerges in some of the most significant passages of Plato’s dialogues. Put simply, ἐξαίφνης connotes illumination of [...] Read more.

In Plato’s corpus, the Greek word ἐξαίφνης appears precisely thirty-six times. Translated generally as “all of a sudden” or “the instant” in his Parmenides, ἐξαίφνης emerges in some of the most significant passages of Plato’s dialogues. Put simply, ἐξαίφνης connotes illumination of the highest realities and philosophical conversion experience. In addition to providing a review of Plato’s conception and use of ἐξαίφνης in Parmenides, Republic, Symposium, and the Seventh Letter, our paper brings an ancillary link to light. Namely, the appearance of ἐξαίφνης as a mark for conversion experiences in the New Testament’s Acts of the Apostles and Plotinus’s Enneads. We reveal how the same pattern and employment of ἐξαίφνης established by Plato emerge in both Acts and the Enneads. This pattern suggests a prolonged period of thinking and training, followed by a flash of understanding. Thus ἐξαίφνης, as evidenced by our survey of its strange instantiation in Plato’s dialogues and then subsequently in Acts and the Enneads, becomes a sign for enlightenment, assimilation with the divine, and conversion experience. Full article

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

12 pages, 232 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Moral Virtue as a Requisite for Illumination in the Platonic Tradition

by Kristian Sheeley

Religions 2021, 12(10), 838; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12100838 - 08 Oct 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1605

Abstract

This paper traces the development of the idea that we must cultivate moral virtue in order to attain some degree of illumination regarding the nature of reality. I use the term “illumination” to cover a range of meanings intended by the philosophers I [...] Read more.

This paper traces the development of the idea that we must cultivate moral virtue in order to attain some degree of illumination regarding the nature of reality. I use the term “illumination” to cover a range of meanings intended by the philosophers I discuss, such as the “acquisition of wisdom” (Phaedo, 65a), the “sight” of divine beauty (Symposium, 210d–212b), or a mystical experience involving God or divine reality. Although this theme appears in many texts from the Platonic tradition, I focus on three major stages of its development. First, I show how Plato provides the basic framework of the idea that moral virtue is necessary for illumination, especially in his Phaedo and Symposium. Then, I explain how Plotinus synthesizes and substantially develops Plato’s discussions of this idea. Finally, I discuss the Cappadocian Fathers’ (Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory Nazianzen) Christianization of this Platonic theme. In other words, Plotinus develops the basic framework of this argument first set forth by Plato, and the Cappadocians then adapt and modify Plotinus’ views to fit their Christian commitments. Full article

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

13 pages, 274 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Intellectual Hegemony, Conversion Discourse and Early Christian Apologetic Literature

by Vassilios Adrahtas

Religions 2021, 12(9), 782; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12090782 - 17 Sep 2021

Viewed by 1849

Abstract

The present study aspires to catch a glimpse of a peculiar phenomenon in the history of religions, namely, the competitive character of early Christian apologetic literature in its attempt to confront head-on the non-Christian ideological life-world and, for that matter, to persuade the [...] Read more.

The present study aspires to catch a glimpse of a peculiar phenomenon in the history of religions, namely, the competitive character of early Christian apologetic literature in its attempt to confront head-on the non-Christian ideological life-world and, for that matter, to persuade the latter’s adherents to convert to the new hierophanic message. More specifically, in this study I look into the hierophanic/religious/spiritual market of the first three centuries CE, focusing on its creating, perpetuating and promoting of intellectual hegemony interactions, while at the same time I explore the conversion discourse used by all parties concerned in order to win over the Other. Apart from other religions, early Christian ‘Apologists’ faced predominantly Middle Platonism, Stoicism, Neopythagoreanism and, last but not least, Neoplatonism. In doing so they adopted a number of rhetoric and social strategies at hand; strategies that, although intended to turn the Other into the Same—which they did achieve, albeit gradually—ended up turning the Same into the Other as well. Full article

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

13 pages, 611 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Philosophic and Spiritual Conversion in Late Hellenism: Case Studies from the 3rd to the 5th Centuries AD

by Marco Alviz Fernández

Religions 2021, 12(9), 775; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12090775 - 15 Sep 2021

Viewed by 1790

Abstract

This paper aims to study the historic and sociological context of philosophic-spiritual conversions through several case studies from late Hellenism (2nd to 5th c. AD). In the History of Religion, spiritual initiatory experiences have been thought of as a key factor to understand [...] Read more.

This paper aims to study the historic and sociological context of philosophic-spiritual conversions through several case studies from late Hellenism (2nd to 5th c. AD). In the History of Religion, spiritual initiatory experiences have been thought of as a key factor to understand the development of a belief; from Arthur D. Nock to modern times, there have been considerable attempts made at defining the concept of conversion as a part of the human psyche. This study will examine biographies of charismatic teachers of Greco-Roman higher education (παιδεία); specifically, some passages in which philosophic-spiritual initiatory experiences are described. In addition, they will be put in parallel with other passages in which the powerful charismatic personality of the teachers can be grasped, i.e., the main trigger of conversion. One of the more significant findings to emerge from this study is the importance of a charismatic master for a philosophic-spiritual experience to take place. In conclusion, late antique biographical sources must be re-examined in search for “the personal” without forgetting that, in this literary context, religious, philosophical, educational, and spiritual experiences can be encountered. Full article

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

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14 pages, 375 KiB

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 - 05 Sep 2021

Viewed by 2228

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)

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