Misplaced Pages

#208791

42-409: The primary source for the life of Proclus is the eulogy Proclus, or On Happiness that was written for him upon his death by his successor, Marinus , Marinus' biography set out to prove that Proclus reached the peak of virtue and attained eudaimonia . There are also a few details about the time in which he lived in the similarly structured Life of Isidore written by the philosopher Damascius in

84-465: A Samaritan . Whether this information is correct is disputed, but it is quite possible. Damascius also adds that he had converted from Samaritanism . He came to Athens at a time when, with the exception of Proclus , there was a great dearth of eminent men in the Neoplatonist school . He was appointed as successor ( diadochos ) to Proclus, sometime before the latter's death, during the period of

126-492: A faithful interpretation of Plato, and in this he did not differ from other Neoplatonists, as he considered that "nothing in Plato's corpus is unintended or there by chance", that "Plato's writings were divinely inspired" (ὁ θεῖος Πλάτων ho theios Platon —the divine Plato, inspired by the gods), that "the formal structure and the content of Platonic texts imitated those of the universe", and therefore that they spoke often of things under

168-563: A gifted student, he eventually became dissatisfied with the level of philosophical instruction available in Alexandria , and went to Athens , philosophical center of the day, in 431 to study at the Neoplatonic successor of the New Academy , where he was taught by Plutarch of Athens (not to be confused with Plutarch of Chaeronea ), Syrianus , and Asclepigenia ; he succeeded Syrianus as head of

210-451: A person. The main feat of Esoteric Christianity is to learn the mysteries of God (see Raziel ) and to rise to higher consciousness in the understanding of God's relationship to individual consciousness. Theurgy, in the esoteric tradition, uses this knowledge to heighten one's own spiritual nature. Some branches of Esoteric Christianity hold that if an Esoteric Christian, Rosicrucian , or Theosopher practices it they could potentially rise to

252-431: A popular hymn to the sun. In his theology, Helios , the sun, was the ideal example of the perfection of the gods and light, a symbol of divine emanation. He also held the mother goddess Cybele in high esteem. Julian favored ritual theurgy, with an emphasis on sacrifice and prayer . He was heavily influenced by Iamblichus ' ideas. Esoteric Christianity accepts theurgy as a tradition that could greatly benefit

294-430: A remnant of his output survives. His chief surviving work was a biography of Proclus since it is the main source of information on Proclus' life. This was written in a combination of prose and epic hexameters , of which only the former survives. The publication of the biography is fixed by internal evidence to the year of Proclus's death; for he mentions an eclipse which will happen when the first year after that event

336-459: A successful practicing lawyer. However, the experience of the practice of law made Proclus realize that he truly preferred philosophy. He returned to Alexandria, and began determinedly studying the works of Aristotle under Olympiodorus the Elder . He also began studying mathematics during this period as well with a teacher named Heron (no relation to Hero of Alexandria , who was also known as Heron). As

378-494: A third yet younger set ( Amyntas , Menaechmus and his brother Dinostratus , Theudius of Magnesia , Hermotimus of Colophon and Philip of Opus ). Some of these mathematicians were influential in arranging the Elements that Euclid later published. Proclus authored a theology of Plato, which is text concerned with the divine hierarchies and their complex ramifications. A number of his Platonic commentaries are lost. In addition to

420-583: A veil, hiding the truth from the philosophically uninitiated. Proclus was however a close reader of Plato, and quite often makes very astute points about his Platonic sources. In his commentary on Plato's Timaeus Proclus explains the role the Soul as a principle has in mediating the Forms in Intellect to the body of the material world as a whole. The Soul is constructed through certain proportions, described mathematically in

462-443: Is a series of rituals and operations aimed at recovering the transcendent essence by retracing the divine 'signatures' through the layers of being. Education is important for comprehending the scheme of things as presented by Aristotle, Plato, and Pythagoras. The theurgist works 'like with like': at the material level, with physical symbols; at the higher level, with mental and purely spiritual practices. Starting with correspondences of

SECTION 10

#1732848809209

504-455: Is completed. It was first published with the works of Marcus Aurelius in 1559; it was republished separately by Fabricius at Hamburg in 1700, and re-edited in 1814 by Boissonade with emendations and notes. He is also the author of a commentary (or introduction) on the Data of Euclid , and a commentary on Theon 's Little Commentary . There is also a surviving astronomical text which discusses

546-558: Is his elaboration of a level of individual ones, called henads, between the One which is before being and intelligible divinity. The henads exist "superabundantly", also beyond being, but they stand at the head of chains of causation ( seirai ) and in some manner give to these chains their particular character. He identifies them with the Greek gods, so one henad might be Apollo and be the cause of all things apollonian, while another might be Helios and be

588-494: Is largely only possible with Plotinus, the only other Neoplatonic writer for whom a significant amount of writings survive. Proclus, like Plotinus and many of the other Neoplatonists , agreed on the three hypostases of Neoplatonism: The One ( hen ), The Intellect ( nous ) and The Soul ( psyche ), and wrote a commentary on the Enneads , of which unfortunately only fragments survive. At other times he criticizes Plotinus' views, such as

630-400: Is one of two major branches of the magical arts, the other being practical magic or thaumaturgy . Theurgy describes the ritual practices associated with the invocation or evocation of the presence of one or more deities , especially with the goal of achieving henosis (uniting with the divine) and perfecting oneself. Theurgy means "divine working". The first recorded use of

672-654: Is possible because the powers of the gods (the henads ) extend through their series of causation even down to the material world. And by certain power-laden words, acts, and objects, the soul can be drawn back up the series, so to speak. Proclus himself was a devotee of many of the religions in Athens, considering that the power of the gods could be present in these various approaches. The majority of Proclus's works are commentaries on dialogues of Plato ( Alcibiades , Cratylus , Parmenides , Republic , Timaeus ). In these commentaries, he presents his own philosophical system as

714-462: Is that the Neoplatonists of his time did not consider themselves innovators; they believed themselves to be the transmitters of the correct interpretations of Plato himself. Although the neoplatonic doctrines are much different from the doctrines in Plato's dialogues, it's often difficult to distinguish between different Neoplatonic thinkers and determine what is original to each one. For Proclus, this

756-547: The Milky Way . His lost works included commentaries on Aristotle , on Theon of Alexandria and on some of the dialogues of Plato . He is said to have destroyed his commentary on Plato's Philebus on the advice of a pupil he was tutoring, Isidorus . According to a version of the story written by Damascius, when Marinus showed his student, to whom he taught Aristotelianism , this commentary, which he had just completed, Isidorus prevailed on him to destroy it, arguing that since

798-451: The Timaeus , which allow it to make Body as a divided image of its own arithmetical and geometrical ideas. In addition to his commentaries, Proclus wrote two major systematic works. The Elements of Theology (Στοιχείωσις θεολογική) consists of 211 propositions, each followed by a proof, beginning from the existence of the One (divine Unity) and ending with the descent of individual souls into

840-451: The prime mover . Unlike Plotinus, Proclus also did not hold that matter was evil, an idea that caused contradictions in the system of Plotinus. It is difficult to determine what, if anything, is different between the doctrines of Proclus and Syrianus: for the latter, only a commentary on Aristotle's Metaphysics survives, and Proclus never criticizes his teacher in any of his preserved writings. The particular characteristic of Proclus's system

882-455: The 'divine' Proclus had himself written a definitive commentary which was the final word on the topic. Current scholarship suspects that this advice arose from fears that Marinus's commentary would, despite his best efforts, betray traces of material that might undermine the reigning Neoplatonic paradigm . Theurgy Theurgy ( / ˈ θ iː ɜːr dʒ i / ; from Greek θεουργία theourgía ), also known as divine magic ,

SECTION 20

#1732848809209

924-453: The Academy in 437, and would in turn be succeeded on his death by Marinus of Neapolis . He lived in Athens as a vegetarian bachelor, prosperous and generous to his friends, until the end of his life, except for a one-year exile, to avoid pressure from Christian authorities. Marinus reports that he was writing seven hundred lines each day. One challenge with determining Proclus' specific doctrines

966-659: The Alcibiades, the Cratylus, the Timaeus, and the Parmenides, he also wrote commentaries on the remainder of the dialogues in the Neoplatonic curriculum. He also wrote a commentary on the Organon , as well as prolegomena to both Plato and Aristotle. Proclus exerted a great deal of influence on Medieval philosophy , though largely indirectly, through the works of the commentator Pseudo-Dionysius

1008-461: The Areopagite . This late-5th- or early-6th-century Christian Greek author wrote under the pseudonym Dionysius the Areopagite , the figure converted by St. Paul in Athens. Because of this fiction, his writings were taken to have almost apostolic authority. He is an original Christian writer, and in his works can be found a great number of Proclus's metaphysical principles. Another important source for

1050-448: The One, and prepare it not only to ascend to the higher levels while still in this life, but to avoid falling immediately back into a new body after death. Because the soul's attention, while inhabiting a body, is turned so far away from its origin in the intelligible world, Proclus thinks that we need to make use of bodily reminders of our spiritual origin. In this he agrees with the doctrines of theurgy put forward by Iamblichus . Theurgy

1092-777: The Renaissance through figures such as Nicholas of Cusa and Marsilio Ficino . The most significant early scholar of Proclus in the English-speaking world was Thomas Taylor , who produced English translations of most of his works. The crater Proclus on the Moon is named after him. The Liber de Causis (Book of Causes) is not a work by Proclus, but a summary of his work the Elements of Theology , likely written by an Arabic interpreter. Monographs Collections Bibliographic resources Marinus of Neapolis Marinus ( Ancient Greek : Μαρῖνος ὁ Νεαπολίτης ; born c. 440 AD)

1134-411: The cause of all sunny things. Each henad participates in every other henad, according to its character. What appears to be multiplicity is not multiplicity at all, because any henad may rightly be considered the center of the polycentric system. According to Proclus, philosophy is the activity which can liberate the soul from a subjection to bodily passions, remind it of its origin in Soul, Intellect, and

1176-434: The degree of Magus or Adept after a certain level of spiritual attainment. In a traditional and magical sense, theurgy is seen as the opposite of Goetia , even though many argue that they overlap. John Milbank , founder of radical orthodoxy , asserts that theology "encourages a theurgy which aims at a liberation of nature from terror and distress and at a fully harmonious and beautiful interaction between humans and

1218-471: The divine in matter, the theurgist eventually reaches the level where the soul's inner divinity unites with the One. The Emperor Julian (332-363) embraced neoplatonic philosophy and worked to replace Christianity with a version of neoplatonic paganism . Because of his untimely death and the hold mainstream Christianity had over the empire at the time, this was ultimately unsuccessful, but he did produce several works of philosophy and theology , including

1260-548: The emanations are as follows: Plotinus urged contemplations for those who wished to perform theurgy, the goal of which was to reunite with the Divine (called henosis ). Therefore, his school resembles a school of meditation or contemplation . Iamblichus , a student of Anatolius and Porphyry (the latter himself was a student of Plotinus ), taught a more ritualized method of theurgy that involved invocation and religious, as well as magical, ritual. Iamblichus believed theurgy

1302-491: The existence of evils ( De malorum subsistentia ). Proclus, the scholiast to Euclid, knew Eudemus of Rhodes ' History of Geometry well, and gave a short sketch of the early history of geometry, which appeared to be founded on the older, lost book of Eudemus. The passage has been referred to as "the Eudemian summary," and determines some approximate dates, which otherwise might have remained unknown. The influential commentary on

Proclus - Misplaced Pages Continue

1344-460: The first book of Euclid 's Elements is one of the most valuable sources we have for the history of ancient mathematics, and its Platonic account of the status of mathematical objects was influential. In this work, Proclus also listed the first mathematicians associated with Plato: a mature set of mathematicians ( Leodamas of Thasos , Archytas of Taras , and Theaetetus ), a second set of younger mathematicians ( Neoclides , Eudoxus of Cnidus ), and

1386-559: The following century. According to Marinus, Proclus was born in 412 AD in Constantinople to a family of high social status from Lycia , and raised in Xanthus . He studied rhetoric , philosophy and mathematics in Alexandria , with the intent of pursuing a judicial position like his father. Before completing his studies, he returned to Constantinople when his rector, his principal instructor (one Leonas), had business there. Proclus became

1428-513: The influence of Proclus on the Middle Ages is Boethius 's Consolation of Philosophy , which has a number of Proclus principles and motifs. The central poem of Book III is a summary of Proclus's Commentary on the Timaeus , and Book V contains the important principle of Proclus that things are known not according to their own nature, but according to the character of the knowing subject. A summary of Proclus's Elements of Theology circulated under

1470-500: The material world. The Platonic Theology (Περὶ τῆς κατὰ Πλάτωνα θεολογίας) is a systematization of material from Platonic dialogues, showing from them the characteristics of the divine orders, the part of the universe which is closest to the One. We also have three essays, extant only in Latin translation: Ten doubts concerning providence ( De decem dubitationibus circa providentiam ); On providence and fate ( De providentia et fato ); On

1512-463: The name Liber de Causis ( Book of Causes ). This book is of uncertain origin, but circulated in the Arabic world as a work of Aristotle, and was translated into Latin as such. It had great authority because of its supposed Aristotelian origin, and it was only when Proclus's Elements were translated into Latin that Thomas Aquinas realised its true origin. Proclus's works also exercised an influence during

1554-654: The natural world". He continues by stating that theology equally "encourages a theurgy which is a social work of maximising democratic participation and socialist sharing". Some organizations, such as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn , teach a type of theurgy that would help one ascend spiritually as well as understand the true nature of the self and its relation to the Divine and the Universe. This tradition holds that theurgists are usually solitary practitioners who seek

1596-571: The spiritual universe is regarded as a series of emanations from the One . From the One emanated the Divine Mind (Nous) and in turn from the Divine Mind emanated the World Soul (Psyche). Neoplatonists insisted that the One is absolutely transcendent and in the emanations nothing of the higher was lost or transmitted to the lower, which remained unchanged by the lower emanations. For Plotinus and Porphyry

1638-509: The teacher's infirmity. Proclus dedicated to Marinus his commentary to the Plato 's Myth of Er . Proclus himself, it is reported, worried that Marinus himself was of delicate constitution. During this period, the professors of the old Greek religion suffered persecution at the hands of the Christians and Marinus was compelled to seek refuge at Epidaurus , where he died, at a date unknown. Only

1680-489: The term is found in the mid-second-century neoplatonist work the Chaldean Oracles (Fragment 153 des Places (Paris, 1971): 'For the theourgoí do not fall under the fate-governed herd'). The source of Western theurgy can be found in the philosophy of late neoplatonists , especially Iamblichus . Although the neoplatonists are often considered pagan polytheists , they embraced a form of monism . In late neoplatonism,

1722-578: Was a Neoplatonist philosopher , mathematician and rhetorician born in Flavia Neapolis (modern Nablus), Palaestina Secunda. He was a student of Proclus in Athens. His surviving works are an introduction to Euclid 's Data ; a Life of Proclus , and two astronomical texts. Most of what we know of his life comes from an epitome of a work by Damascius conserved in the Byzantine Suda encyclopaedia. He was, according to his pupil Damascius, born

Proclus - Misplaced Pages Continue

1764-525: Was an imitation of the gods, and in his major work, On the Mysteries of the Egyptians, Chaldeans, and Assyrians , he described theurgic observance as "ritualized cosmogony " that endowed embodied souls with the divine responsibility of creating and preserving the cosmos. Iamblichus' analysis was that the transcendent cannot be grasped with mental contemplation because the transcendent is supra-rational. Theurgy

#208791