Catégorie : Histoire de l’Antiquité et de l’Antiquité Tardive

Plutarch in the Religious and Philosophical

Discourse of Late Antiquity

Lautaro Roig Lanzillotta & Israel Muñoz Gallarte (ed), Leyde: Brill, 2012

Description

The works of Plutarch, notably his Moralia, provide us with exceptional evidence to reconstruct the spiritual and intellectual atmosphere of the first centuries CE. As a priest of Apollo at Delphi, Plutarch was a first range witness of ancient religious experience; as a Middle Platonist, he was also actively involved in the developments of the philosophical school. Besides, he also provided a more detached point of view both regarding numerous religious practices and currents that were permeating the building of ancient pagan religion and the philosophical views of other schools. His combining the insider and the sensitive observer s perspectives make Plutarch a crucial starting point for the understanding of the religious and philosophical discourse of Late Antiquity.

(Text from the publisher)

Table of contents

Preliminary Material – Lautaro Roig Lanzillotta and Israel Muñoz Gallarte

Introduction: Plutarch at the Crossroads of Religion and Philosophy – Lautaro Roig Lanzillotta

Plutarch on the Sleeping Soul and the Waking Intellect and Aristotle’s Double Entelechy Concept – Abraham P. Bos

The Doctrine of the Passions: Plutarch, Posidonius and Galen – Francesco Becchi

The Adventitious Motion of the Soul (Plu., De Stoic. repugn. 23, 1045B–F) and the Controversy between Aristo of Chios and the Middle Academy – Raúl Caballero

Plutarch and “Pagan Monotheism” – Frederick E. Brenk

Socrates and Alcibiades: A Notorious σχάυδαλου in the Later Platonist Tradition – Geert Roskam

Salt in the Holy Water: Plutarch’s Quaestiones Naturales in Michael Psellus’ De omnifaria doctrina – Michiel Meeusen

Iacchus in Plutarch – Ana Isabel Jiménez San Cristóbal

Plutarch’s Idea of God in the Religious and Philosophical Context of Late Antiquity – Lautaro Roig Lanzillotta

Plutarch as Apollo’s Priest at Delphi – Angelo Casanova

Plutarch’s Attitude towards Astral Biology – Aurelio Pérez Jiménez

“Cicalata sul fascino volgarmente detto jettatura”: Plutarch, Quaestio convivalis 5.7 – Paola Volpe Cacciatore

The Eleusinian Mysteries and Political Timing in the Life of Alcibiades – Delfim F. Leão

Mυτηριώδης θεολοΥία: Plutarch’s fr. 157 Sandbach between Cultual Traditions and Philosophical Models – Rosario Scannapieco

A Non-Fideistic Interpretation of « pistis » in Plutarch’s Writings: The Harmony Between « pistis » and Knowledge – George van Kooten

The Colors of the Souls – Israel Muñoz Gallarte

Bibliography – Lautaro Roig Lanzillotta and Israel Muñoz Gallarte

Index locorum – Lautaro Roig Lanzillotta and Israel Muñoz Gallarte

Index rerum – Lautaro Roig Lanzillotta and Israel Muñoz Gallarte

Index nominum – Lautaro Roig Lanzillotta and Israel Muñoz Gallarte

Link

https://brill.com/view/title/22038

Philosophy as a Rite of Rebirth

From Ancient Egypt to Neoplatonism 

Algis Uzdavinys, Prometheus Trust, 2008

Description

Philosophy as a Rite of Rebirth challenges our understanding of philosophy – indeed it challenges many centuries of assumptions which have reduced othodox philosophy to a shadow of its original. Uzdavinys returns to the very roots of philosophy in Ancient Egypt, and shows why the Greeks revered that land of pyramids and priest-kings as the source of divine wisdom. Bringing his understanding of many great traditions of philosophy – Indian, Islamic, Greek, and others – he presents the case for considering philosophy as a human participation in a theophany, or divine drama. Casting aside the unnatural limitations of modern philosophy, as well as the grave misunderstandings of Egyptologists, radical and exciting possibilities emerge for the serious philosopher. These possibilities will certainly change our view of the universe in general, but most particularly our view of ourselves. The Rebirth of the title is one that implies an expansion of consciousness both upwards towards the divine heights of reality, and outwards to embrace the whole of creation as a living image of the gods. The exercises of philosophy thus move from the rational to the intuitive, onward to pure contemplation and, ultimately, to a god-like energy in the divine drama.

(Text from the publisher)

Table of contents

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

I – UNDERSTANDING ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY 

1. Philosophy and the Eternal Wonder
2. Learning to Live and Learning to Die
3. Ancient Practices of Wisdom
4. The True Ancient Philosophy and the Way of Pious Living
5. Understanding of Ancient Philosophy by Porphyry and Augustine
6. From the Egyptian Soil to Hellas
7. Translatability of Divine Names in Ancient Civilizations
8. Heracles and Philosophical Ascent
9. From Akhenaten to Thales
10. Thales and the Egyptian Myths
11. Water as Metaphysical Principle and Divine Substance
12. Metaphysical Meaning of Ancient Mythologies
13. Pythagorean Numbers and their Paradigms
14. Standing on the Solar Barque
15. Celestial Nile as the Cause of Geometry
16. The Apollonian Road to Rebirth
17. Philosophy as Divine Mystagogy and Beneficial Madness
18. Philosophy and the Power of Faith: Towards the Final Union

II – ETERNAL MEASURES AND SYMBOLS OF EGYPTIAN SAGES 

1. On the Back of the Heavenly Cow
2. Proteus and the Egyptian Wisdom
3. Allegorical Myths and Philosophy in the Temples
4. Porphyry De abstinentia IV.6-9
5. Sacred Animals, Philosophers, and Cosmic Numbers
6. Hieratic Powers and Symbols of the Ineffable Father
7. Philosophical Life of the Egyptian Priests
8. Proximity of the Gods and the Bau of Amun
9. Perfumes, Images, and Contemplations
10. Divine Knowledge and Paradigms for Philosophical Mysteries
11. Priests and Spiritual Guides
12. Egyptian Scribes and the Way of Imhotep
13. Amenhotep and Theology of Amun

III – IN THE REALM OF DIVINE SEMIOTICS 

1. The Ramesside Icon and Three Hypostases of Plotinus
2. Back to One‟s Native Star
3. Archetypal Foundation of Hieroglyphic Signs and Colours
4. Divine Ideas and Symbols
5. Symbolic Interpretation of Hieroglyphic Script
6. Return to the Golden Age and Paradigms to be Imitated
7. Hieratic Myths and Symbols
8. All Things and All Hieroglyphs
9. Ancient Theories of Ideas
10. Proclus ‟ Conception of Divine Forms and Unities

IV – BEING IN ANCIENT EGYPTIAN AND NEOPLATONIC THOUGHT 

1. From Eidology to Metaphysics of Being and Beyond-Being
2. Hierarchy of Priority and Posteriority
3. Indivisible and Divisible Being
4. The One as Foundation of Being
5. Incomprehensible Divine Unities
6. Images of Divine Light
7. The One and Many according to Egyptians
8. Levels of Being and Non-being
9. The Lord of Totality and His Magic
10. Cosmogonical and Ontological Principles
11. Invisible God and His Theophanies

V – RITUALS OF DEIFICATION AND THEURGIC ASCENT 

1. Depreciation of Hieratic Rites
2. Rituals and Sacred Masks
3. Climbing to the Divine State
4. Cosmos and the Sacred Harmony of Strings
5. On the Wing of Thoth: the Theurgic Way of Ra
6. Divine Triads in Egyptian and Neoplatonic Thought
7. Theurgic Assimilation to the Gods
8. Deification through the Eye of Horus
9. Spiritual Teachers and Sacred Masters
10. Radiant Power of Names and Flight to the Throne
11. Theurgic Union with the Divine Principle
12. Intellect of the Father and His Cosmic Drama
13. Elevating Powers in the Pharaonic State-Body
14. The Perfect Man who Slew the Lords
15. Theurgic Rites and Sacramental Theologies

VI – ANIMATION OF STATUES IN ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS  AND NEOPLATONISM 

1. Sacred Images and Idols
2. Vehicles of Divine Forces
3. The Living Images of Everlasting Gods
4. Animation as Ritual of Union with the Descending Rays of Ra
5. Opening of the Mouth and Awakening to Light
6. The Sacramental Birth of Statues in Mesopotamia and Egypt
7. The Way of the Golden Falcon
8. When the Womb-like Tomb is Opened
9. Divine Beauty and the Inner Golden Statue: From Egyptian Theology to Plotinus

VII – TELESTIC TRANSFORMATION AND PHILOSOPHICAL REBIRTH 

1. Philosophy in the Tomb-Sanctuary
2. The Tomb as a Threshold of Light
3. Sacrificial Alchemy of Tombs and Altars
4. Alchemical Passage through Death
5. Mummification and Dialectic
6. Musicians, Lovers, and Philosophers
7. Divine Knowledge and Theurgic Prayers
8. Intellect as the Spirit of Light
9. The Osirian Initiation and Separation from the Mortal Body
10. Resurrection of the Golden Phoenix
11. Two Ways of theAmduat 
12. The Union of Osiris and Ra
13. The Inner Alchemical Work and Return to Itself
14. Metaphysics of the Heart
15. Understanding of Soul and Body
16. The Homecoming of Odysseus
17. From the Homeric Ghost to the Immortal Soul of Plato
18. Reawakening of Intellect and Rehabilitation of Images

GLOSSARY

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX

CATALOGUE

Link

https://www.themathesontrust.org/library/philosophy-as-a-rite-of-rebirth

Religion and Philosophy in the Platonic and Neoplatonic Traditions

From Antiquity to the Early Medieval Period

Kevin Corrigan, John D. Turner and Peter Wakefield, Baden-Baden: Academia Verlag, 2012

Description

This book explores the intimate connections, conflicts and discontinuities between religion and philosophy in the Platonic and Neoplatonic traditions from Antiquity to the early Medieval period. It presents a broader comparative view of Platonism by examining the strong Platonist resonances among different philosophical/religious traditions, primarily Jewish, Christian, Islamic and Hindu, and suggests many new ways of thinking about the relation between these two fields or disciplines that have in modern times become such distinct and, at times, entirely separate domains.

(Text from the publisher)

Table of contents

Abbreviations

Introduction: Kevin Corrigan, John D. Turner and Peter Wakefield

In Memory of Steven K. Strange

Part I: Religion, Philosophy, Divine Inspiration and Religious Piety in the pre-Platonic and Platonic Traditions

1. Suzanne Stern-Gillet (University of Bolton, UK): “Divine Inspiration Transformed: From Hesiod to Ficino.”
2. Kevin Corrigan (Emory University): “Religion and Philosophy in the Platonic tradition.”
3. John Dillon (Trinity College, Dublin, Emeritus): “The Religion of the last Hellenes.”

Part II: Religion and Philosophy in the Platonic and Neoplatonic Traditions

4. Steven K. Strange (Emory University): “Plotinus and the Ancients”
5. Michael Harrington (Duquesne University): « The Emperor Julian’s Use of Neoplatonic Philosophy and Religion.
6. John Phillips (University of Tennessee): “Proclus and others on Divine Causation”.
7. John Dillon (Trinity College, Dublin, Emeritus): “Philosophy and Theology in Proclus.”
8. Gerald Bechtle (University of Bern, Switzerland): “Categories and Conversion.”
9. Luc Brisson (CNRS, Paris, France): “Allegory as used by the later Neoplatonic philosophers.”

Part III: Comparative Perspectives: Jewish, Christian, Islamic, and Hindu

   10 Sarah Pessin (University of Denver): “Divine Presence, Divine Absence and the Plotinian Apophatic Dialectic: Isaac Israeli.”

11. John D. Turner (University of Nebraska, Lincoln): “The Curious Philosophical World of Later Religious Gnosticism: The Symbiosis of Antique Philosophy and Religion.”
12. Volker Drecoll (Tübingen University, Germany): “Middle Platonic elements in Augustine’s De Civitate 8.”
13. Svetla Slaveva-Griffin (Florida State University): « Contemplative Ascent as Dance in Plotinus and Rūmī. »
14. Deepa Majumdar (Purdue University): “The Enneads of Plotinus and the Bhagavadgītā: Harmony amidst Differences.”
15. Rkia Elaroui Cornell (Emory University): “The Muslim Diotima? Traces of Plato’s Symposium in Sufi Narratives of Rabi’a al- ‘Adawiyya”
16. Daniel Regnier (St. Thomas More College): “The Simple Soul: Plotinus and Śaṅkara on Self and Soul as Partless”
17. Benjamin Gleede (Universität Tübingen): “Endorsing a cliché: On Liberty and Necessity in Christian and Neoplatonist Accounts of Creation”
18. Suzanne Stern-Gillet (University of Bolton, UK): “Virtues of Selfknowledge: Aristotle, Augustine, and Siger of Brabant”
19. Bibliography
20. Contributors
21. Subject and Name Index

Link

https://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2013/2013.08.06/