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Neo-Platonic Ethos at its Finest
Porphyry was a man of colossal genius and learning; and his wisdom and piety transcended that of the common lot of philosophers who thrived during his time, excepting, of course, the sublime Plotinus and the august theologian, Origen.And presented here in this fine piece of Platonic moral philosophy is an enduring testament to Porphyry's genuineness and gravity as a man and an author.As will be experienced when reading this letter, Porphyry's care for his wife and step-children is so utterly noble and pious that one will be warmly moved by his sincere compassion for them.Now, at the opening of the epistle, Porphyry expresses his hope to educate his wife Marcella's children so that they may "embrace right philosophy." Although Porphyry, while away from home, obviously cannot execute his educational program, so he instructs Marcella in the way of the Platonic sage with the purpose that she will in turn exemplify those virtues and instill them in their children until his return.In essence, then, Porphyry admonishes Marcella to detach herself from the excesses of the world and the body so that her true, soulful inner-self may rise above the specious superficiality of the created realm to be translated to the pure realm of the Intellect, where she may be united with the One blessed and supernal Deity.The overall effect of this epistle is didactic, consolatory and therapeutic; and the profound wisdom found in this concise letter will be an inspiration to Platonic-minded philosophers and will encourage general readers to consider the value and magnitude of the often criticized and underestimated philosophy of the Neo-Platonists. ... Read more

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The best books; that is those that are condemned (Dr. Barlow)
Notwithstanding the Churches's long history of book burning and bans to teach about the literature of the heathen, some still highly relevant texts came to us through the inimical comments (with citations) of the Church Fathers. One of these texts is Celsus's `On the True Doctrine', commented by Origines. A not very perfect and truncated translation is presented here with supplementary texts by Emperor Julian and Libanius.

Celsus's critique
One could place Celsus in a long Greek and Roman rationalist tradition with Titus Lucretius Carus's `De Rerum Natura' as a highlight.
Celsus's critique of the anti-rational (you need only faith; heaven belongs to the stupid) Christian doctrine is based on facts, inconsistencies and absurdities.
The early Christians were persecuted for their nocturnal, secret, mysterious and sometimes enthusiast licentious meetings where people were waiting for the end of the world.
Jesus' alleged life is full of inconsistencies: born of a virgin? But apparently his mother was abandoned by her husband because she had been found to have committed adultery with a soldier. His `miracles' were the same as those of common enchanters (expelling demons, evocating souls, dissipating diseases, exhibiting sumptuous suppers). His disciples falsely pretended that he foreknew and foretold everything that happened to him. His secret `resurrection' was recorded only by a few very intimate friends.
The Christian doctrine became rapidly sectarian and the object of warring dogmatic sects.
Celsus observes that it is a ridiculous fiction that God would send his son only in a corner of the world. It is absurd that you should desire and hope for the resurrection of the body, and on the other hand, hurl this same body into punishments, as a thing of vile nature.
It is also highly racist to believe that those who lived anterior to the promulgation of the Christian religion can have no place hereafter among the blessed.

Julian
Emperor Julian was amazed by the power and the sectarian rage of the early Christians against the pagans and their temples: `You emulate their rage and their bitterness, overturning temples and altars, and cutting throats. For neither Jesus nor Paul exhorted you to act in this manner. But the reason is that they did not expect you would arrive at the power which you have obtained.'

Libanius (`Oration for the Temples')
Libanius revealed the true goals behind the destruction of the pagan temples by the monks: `those black-garbed people, who eat more than elephants, and demand a large quantity of liquor. Nor are they satisfied with this, for they also seize the lands, the sacred money (the revenues and gifts)', even the pillars of the temples to build their dwellings.

This is not the best translation and interpretation of Celsus's work.
One should first consider the translation by R. Joseph Hoffmann `Celsus - On the True Doctrine', but that edition doesn't contain the text of Libanius and the other fragments.

These are still highly relevant critical texts about a longtime dominant religion in the Western world. They are a must read for all those interested in the history of mankind.
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THIS 20 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: Theurgia or the Egyptian Mysteries, by Iamblichos . To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 076610088X. ... Read more

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This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

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Webster's bibliographic and event-based timelines are comprehensive in scope, covering virtually all topics, geographic locations and people. They do so from a linguistic point of view, and in the case of this book, the focus is on "Porphyry," including when used in literature (e.g. all authors that might have Porphyry in their name). As such, this book represents the largest compilation of timeline events associated with Porphyry when it is used in proper noun form. Webster's timelines cover bibliographic citations, patented inventions, as well as non-conventional and alternative meanings which capture ambiguities in usage. These furthermore cover all parts of speech (possessive, institutional usage, geographic usage) and contexts, including pop culture, the arts, social sciences (linguistics, history, geography, economics, sociology, political science), business, computer science, literature, law, medicine, psychology, mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology and other physical sciences. This "data dump" results in a comprehensive set of entries for a bibliographic and/or event-based timeline on the proper name Porphyry, since editorial decisions to include or exclude events is purely a linguistic process. The resulting entries are used under license or with permission, used under "fair use" conditions, used in agreement with the original authors, or are in the public domain. ... Read more

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General Books publication date: 2009Original publication date: 1853Original Publisher: H.G. BohnSubjects: LogicPhilosophy / History ... Read more

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This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature. ... Read more

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This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website (GeneralBooksClub.com). You can also preview excerpts of the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subtitle: With the Introduction of Porphyry. Literally Translated, With Notes, Syllogistic Examples, Analysis, and Introduction; Original Published by: Houghton, Osgood and Company in 1878 in 398 pages; Subjects: Logic; Philosophy / General; Philosophy / History ... Read more

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Publisher: Oxford : Clarendon PressPublication date: 1913Subjects: Porphyry, Saint, Bishop of Gaza, ca. 347-420Notes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be numerous typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more