Neoplatonic Philosophy: Introductory Readings

by John Dillon (Translator), Lloyd P. Gerson (Translator)

Overview

The most comprehensive collection of Neoplatonic writings available in English, this volume provides translations of the central texts of four major figures of the Neoplatonic tradition: Plotinus, Porphyry, Iamblichus, and Proclus. The general Introduction gives an overview of the period and takes a brief but revealing look at the history of ancient philosophy from the viewpoint of the Neoplatonists. Historical background--essential for understanding these powerful, difficult, and sometimes obscure thinkers--is provided in extensive footnotes, which also include cross-references to other works relevant to particular passages.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780872207080
Publisher:	Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.
Publication date:	03/01/2004
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	227,520
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

John Dillon is Regius Professor of Greek, Trinity College, Dublin.

Lloyd P. Gerson is Professor of Philosophy, University of Toronto.

Table of Contents

	Preface	ix
	Introduction	xiii
	Principal Texts Used in This Anthology	xxiii
	Plotinus: Enneads
	I 1 (53) On What Is the Living Being and What Is the Human Being (complete)	1
	I 4 (46) On Happiness	12
	[sections] 1-4
	I 6 (1) On Beauty (complete)	18
	I 8 (51) On What Evils Are and Where They Come From	30
	[sections] 1-5
	III 8 (30) On Nature and Contemplation and on the One (complete)	35
	IV 7 (2) On the Immortality of the Soul	49
	[sections] 1; 9-15
	IV 8 (6) On the Descent of the Soul Into Bodies (complete)	56
	V 1 (10) On the Three Principal Hypostases (complete)	66
	V 2 (11) On the Generation and Order of the Things That Come after the First (complete)	83
	V 3 (49) On the Knowing Hypostases and on That Which Is Transcendent	86
	[sections] 1-9; 13-17
	V 5 (32) That the Intelligibles Are Not Outside the Intellect, and on the Good	105
	[sections] 1-2
	VI 4 (22) On the Presence of Being, One and the Same Simultaneously Existing Everywhere as a Whole--Part One	109
	[sections] 1-11
	VI 7 (38) How the Multitude of Ideas Came to Exist, and On the One	122
	[sections] 1-23; 37-42
	VI 8 (39) On the Free Will and the Volition of the One	159
	[sections] 1-8; 12-16
	Porphyry
	Launching-Points to the Intelligible	178
	[sections] 10, 11, 13, 16, 22, 25, 26, 32, 41, 43, 44
	Inquiries Into Various Topics	195
	Frs. 259, 261
	On the Return of the Soul	199
	Frs. 284, 285, 287, 300
	The History of Philosophy	202
	Frs. 220-223
	Commentary on Parmenides	205
	Frs. IV, V, VI
	Commentary on Timaeus	212
	Fr. LXXIX
	Commentary on Categories	214
	On Principles	217
	Fr. 232
	From Damascius On Principles (De Principiis)	217
	Fr. 367
	From Iamblichus On the Soul (De Anima)	218
	[sections] 6, 17, 23, 37
	Iamblichus
	On the Mysteries of the Egyptians	221
	Book I 1-3; 10; Book II 2; I1; Book III 25; Book V 26; Book VII 4-5; Book VIII 2; Book X 1-8
	On the Soul (De Anima)	241
	[sections] 7, 18, 19, 37, 38
	Letter to Macedonius, On Fate	244
	Frs. 1-7
	Commentary on Parmenides	248
	Fr. 2B
	Commentary on Timaeus	249
	Frs. 7, 29, 50, 53, 54, 81, 87
	Commentary on Phaedrus	256
	Fr. 6
	Commentary on Philebus	257
	Frs. 4, 7
	From Proclus' Commentary on Parmenides	258
	From Proclus' Platonic Theology	259
	From Damascius' On Principles (De Principiis)	260
	From Pseudo-Simplicius' Commentary on the Soul De Anima	262
	Proclus
	Elements of Theology	264
	Props. 1, 7, 11, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 25, 35, 41, 53, 57, 64, 67, 123, 186, 187, 194, 195, 211
	Platonic Theology	280
	I 1-3
	Commentary on Parmenides	292
	Book I 617-659
	Book VI 1043-1051
	Commentary on Timaeus	331
	Prologue
	Book I 4-9, 24
	Book II 276, 30-277, 14
	Book III 234, 8-235, 9
	Commentary on Book I of Euclid's Elements	344
	The Nature and Origin of Evil	345
	[sections] 1-5; 8-9; 30-33; 36-37; 51
	Glossary	360