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Iamblichus of Chalcis (c. 240-c. 325 C.E.), successor to Plotinus and Porphyry, gave new life to Neoplatonism with his many philosophical and religious refinements. Once regarded as a religio-magical quack, Iamblichus is now seen as a philosophical innovator who harmonized not only Platonic philosophy with religious ritual but also Platonism with the ancient philosophical and religious tradition. Building on recent scholarship on Iamblichean philosophy, the ten papers in this volume explore various aspects of Iamblichus' oeuvre. These papers help show that Iamblichus re-invented Neoplatonism and made it the major school of philosophy for centuries after his death.
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Iamblichus and the Foundations of Late Platonism
Ancient Mediterranean and Medieval Texts and Contexts Editors
Robert M. Berchman Jacob Neusner
Studies in Platonism, Neoplatonism, and the Platonic Tradition Edited by
Robert M. Berchman Dowling College and Bard College
John F. Finamore University of Iowa
Editorial Board JOHN DILLON (Trinity College, Dublin) – GARY GURTLER (Boston College) JEAN-MARC NARBONNE (Laval University, Canada)
VOLUME 13 The titles published in this series are listed at brill.nl/spnp
Iamblichus and the Foundations of Late Platonism Edited by
Eugene Afonasin John Dillon John F. Finamore
LEIDEN • BOSTON 2012
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Iamblichus and the foundations of late platonism / edited by Eugene Afonasin, John Dillon, John F. Finamore. p. cm. – (Ancient Mediterranean and medieval texts and contexts, ISSN 1871-188X ; v. 13) Includes index. ISBN 978-90-04-18327-8 (hardback : alk. paper) 1. Iamblichus, ca. 250-ca. 330. 2. Neoplatonism. I. Afonasin, E. V. (Evgenii Vasil?evich) II. Dillon, John M. III. Finamore, John F., 1951B669.Z7I26 2012 186'.4–dc23 2012007354
This publication has been typeset in the multilingual “Brill” typeface. With over 5,100 characters covering Latin, IPA, Greek, and Cyrillic, this typeface is especially suitable for use in the humanities. For more information, please see www.brill.nl/brill-typeface. ISSN 1871-188X ISBN 978 90 04 18327 8 (hardback) ISBN 978 90 04 23011 8 (e-book) Copyright 2012 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Global Oriental, Hotei Publishing, IDC Publishers and Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Koninklijke Brill NV provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. Fees are subject to change. This book is printed on acid-free paper.
CONTENTS
List of Contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 The Pythagorean Way of Life in Clement of Alexandria and Iamblichus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Eugene Afonasin Chapter 18 of the De communi mathematica scientia. Translation and Commentary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Luc Brisson The Letters of Iamblichus: Popular Philosophy in a Neoplatonic Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .