Athenian and Alexandrian Neoplatonism and the Harmonization of Aristotle and Plato

199 Pages·2015·0.92 MB·English

by  Ilsetraut Hadot

AthenianandAlexandrianNeoplatonismandtheHarmonizationofAristotle
andPlato
Studies in Platonism,
Neoplatonism, and the Platonic
Tradition
Editedby
RobertM.Berchman(DowlingCollegeandBardCollege)
JohnFinamore(UniversityofIowa)
EditorialBoard
JohnDillon(TrinityCollege,Dublin)–GaryGurtler(BostonCollege)
Jean-MarcNarbonne(LavalUniversity,Canada)
volume 18
Thetitlespublishedinthisseriesarelistedatbrill.com/spnp
Athenian and
Alexandrian Neoplatonism
and the Harmonization of
Aristotle and Plato
By
IlsetrautHadot
Translatedby
MichaelChase
leiden | boston
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Hadot,Ilsetraut.
AthenianandAlexandrianNeoplatonismandtheharmonizationofAristotleandPlato/byIlsetraut
Hadot;translatedbyMichaelChase.
pagescm.–(Studiesinplatonism,neoplatonism,andtheplatonictradition,ISSN1871-188X;volume
18)
Includesbibliographicalindex.
ISBN978-90-04-28007-6(hardback:alk.paper)–ISBN978-90-04-28159-2(e-book)1.Philosophy,Ancient.
2.Plato.3.Aristotle.4.Neoplatonism.5.Alexandrianschool.I.Chase,Michael.II.Title.
B177.H33132015
186'.4–dc23
2014030125
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∵

Contents
Preface ix
Introduction 1
1 TheReligiousOrientationoftheAlexandrianNeoplatonistsfrom
TheonofAlexandriatotheContemporariesofAmmonius,Sonof
Hermias 1
2 TheOpinionsofK.Verrycken,R.Sorabji,andL.Cardulloonthe
SubjectoftheDoctrinalPositionofAmmonius,SonofHermias,and
ontheHarmonizingTendency 26
3 TheMeaningoftheTerm‘Harmonization’andItsHistorical
Background 41
4 SomeCharacteristicandPermanentFeaturesoftheTendencytoward
HarmonizationofthePhilosophiesofPlatoandAristotleinMiddle-
andNeoplatonism 51
TheHarmonizingTendencyfromPorphyrytoSimplicius 54
1 Porphyry(circa234–305/310) 54
2 Iamblichus(3rd/4thCentury) 65
3 Themistius(circa317–388) 74
3.1 TheSpeeches 75
3.2 TheParaphrases 88
4 PlutarchofAthens(Died431/32)andHisStudentHieroclesof
Alexandria(Endofthe4thand1stHalfofthe5thCentury) 97
5 Syrianus(1stHalfofthe5thCentury) 103
6 Macrobius(MacrobiusAmbrosiusTheodosius,circa400) 115
7 HermiasofAlexandria(StudentofSyrianusaround430) 118
8 Proclus(412–485) 121
9 TheHarmonizingTendencyintheIntroductionstothe
CommentariesonAristotle’sCategoriesofAmmoniusandHisSchool
(Philoponus,Olympiodorus,David[Elias])andinSimplicius 126
9.1 AristotleasPlato’sSuccessor 127
9.2 TheDivisionofAristotle’sWorksinaNeoplatonicSpirit 129
9.3 TheNeoplatonicOneistheEnd(τέλος)ofBothPlato'sand
Aristotle'sPhilosophy 129
9.4 ANeoplatonicExegeticalPrinciple:Aristotle’sDeliberate
Obscurity(ἀσάφεια)inHisProperlyPhilosophicalWorks 136
viii contents
9.5 TheDutyoftheExegete:ToBringtoLighttheDeepAgreement
betweenthePhilosophiesofAristotleandPlato 140
9.6 AristotleasaPhilosopherInferiortoPlato 143
10 DidtheTendencyofAmmonius’SchooltoHarmonizethe
PhilosophiesofAristotleandPlatoBearaGreaterResemblancetothe
IntenseTendencyofIamblichus,ortotheLimitedOneof
Syrianus-Proclus? 146
11 TheCompositionalProcedureoftheNeoplatonic
Commentaries 156
12 TheHarmonizingTendencyinDamasciusandHisStudents
SimpliciusandPriscianusofLydia 159
Epilogue 173
BibliographicalIndex 177
Preface
TheresearchIampresentingonthetendencytoharmonizethephilosophiesof
AristotleandPlatoinNeoplatonismfollowschronologicallyupontheexcellent
bookbyG.K.Karamanolis,entitledPlatoandAristotleinagreement?Platonists
onAristotlefromAntiochustoPorphyry.1Formypart,Iwouldliketoshowthat
thisharmonizingtendency,borninMiddlePlatonism,asG.Karamanolisand
alsoM.Zambon2haveproved,prevailedinNeoplatonismfromPorphyryand
Iamblichus,andthatitpersistedinthisphilosophyuntilitsendwithoutany
knownexception,butwithsomenuances,whichareduebothtotheproper
personality of each of the Neoplatonists and to the stage of development of
theirdoctrines.Ithereforeprotestagainstanopinionthatisstillwidespread,
based ultimately on a paper by K. Verrycken,3 according to which it was the
lateNeoplatonistAmmoniusofAlexandriawhointroduced“aninstrinsicsim-
plification” into the Neoplatonism of Alexandria. From the period of Middle
Platonism, we will mention, very briefly and in an introductory way, only a
fewcharacteristicelementsoftheharmonizingtendencythatemergedinthis
interval,particularlythosethatlasteddowntheendofNeoplatonism.Asfaras
Neoplatonism,thefinalperiodofPlatonism,isconcerned,Iproposetogivea
significant,butbynomeansexhaustive,overviewofthemanifestationsofthis
harmonizing tendency in its various representatives (including Themistius),
beginningwithPorphyry.Itistruethatthelatter’spositiononthisquestionhas
beenstudiedingreatdetailbyG.K.Karamanolisinhisaforementionedbook,
but(onaratherimportantpoint)Iwillsetforthadivergentopinion.
ThepresentstudythushasasitssubjecttheextentandthelimitsoftheNeo-
platonisttendencytoharmonizethephilosophiesofPlatoandAristotle,andit
leavesasidethequestionofwhetherornotthistendencycanbeobjectively
justified:animportanttheme,forwhichIreferthereadertoL.P.Gerson’sbook
entitledAristotleandotherPlatonists.4
1 Karamanolis,G.K.2006.
2 Zambon,M.2002.
3 Verrycken,K.1990a,p.230.
4 Gerson,L.P.,2005.Theauthorwrites(p.7):“Thequestionweneedtotrytofacesquarelyis
howmuchofthissupposedharmonyisfactandhowmuchfancy”.Eighthighlyinstructive
chapters,focusedonthehistoryoftheinterpretationofthephilosophiesofPlatoandAristo-
tle,helptoanswerthisquestion:1.WhatisPlatonism?2.Theesotericwritingsandtheearly
Aristotle.3.Thecategoriesofreality.4.Natureanditsprinciples.5.Psychology:soulsand
intellects.6.Aristotle’sMetaphysics.7.Aristotleandtheforms.8.Aristotle’sEthics.