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Proclus' Commentary on Plato's dialogue Timaeus is arguably the most important commentary on a text of Plato, offering unparalleled insights into eight centuries of Platonic interpretation. This edition offers the first new English translation of the work for nearly two centuries, building on significant recent advances in scholarship on Neoplatonic commentators. It provides an invaluable record of early interpretations of Plato's dialogue, while also presenting Proclus' own views on the meaning and significance of Platonic philosophy. The present volume, the first in the edition, deals with what may be seen as the prefatory material of the Timaeus. In it Socrates gives a summary of the political arrangements favoured in the Republic, and Critias tells the story of how news of the defeat of Atlantis by ancient Athens had been brought back to Greece from Egypt by the poet and politician Solon. ... 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

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Neoplatonism is a term used to designate the form of Platonic philosophy that developed in the Roman Empire from the third to the fifth century A.D. and that based itself on the corpus of Plato's dialogues. Sara Rappe's challenging and innovative study is the first book to analyze Neoplatonic texts themselves using contemporary philosophy of language. It covers the whole tradition of Neoplatonic writing from Plotinus through Proclus to Damascius. In providing the broadest available survey of Neoplatonic writing the book will appeal to classical philosophers, classicists, as well as students of religious studies. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

An excellent introduction to Neoplatonic textuality
This excellent book begins with an interrogation: why were the Neoplatonists so weary of discursive thinking while at the same time being the most exegetical philosophical school of all Antiquity? This question's vastness precludes any exhaustive treatment, but Rappe's study goes a long way in fleshing out the most important aspects of its ambitious and fascinating theme, namely the nature of Neoplatonic knowledge and the multiple (not to mention extremely varied) ways that lead to mystical experience in Neoplatonism (philosophical exegesis, mathematics, myth, theurgy, prayer and invocation, etc.). Rappe focuses on Plotinus, Proclus and Damascius - an audacious decision, since most scholars tend to isolate Plotinus from the later Neoplatonists, but a welcome one because Plotinus is at least as fascinated as the later Neoplatonists by the 'gap' between the text and what it can't express, if not even more so. A small caveat: the book would have benefitted from further proofreading done by a French speaker; the French quotes and titles are full of errors. Still, it remains a must-read study for students of Neoplatonism and religion.

Sara Rappe does it again.
The acclaimed philosopher Sara Rappe has written a very interesting collection of work.The central question - how is the thinking of Plato still applicable today.Extensive research gives as many answers as possible...perhaps not all the answers are necessary.Prof. Rappe's style is shaky at times, of Neoplatism is your thing, you will not be disappointed.A great way to get in touch with classical thinking ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

An important source for students of Neoplatonism
This volume contains the ancient biographies of two of the most significant personalities in the history of Platonism. The Life of Plotinus, by his student and editor Porphyry, depicts the man considered to have founded "Neoplatonism," an enigmatic figure who turned Platonism into a system more abstract and sophisticated than anything seen before. The Life of Proclus, by his student Marinus, shows a very different but equally important figure from one of the last generations of the Platonic Academy before its closing. In Proclus's life we can see clearly the religious/theurgical bent that had come to characterize the final stage of Platonism, and Proclus himself is depicted very much in the manner of a pagan holy man.

Both of the biographies are short and meandering by modern standards, but the information included says much not only about the individuals in question, but also about the expectations and perceptions surrounding these luminaries of Late Antiquity and how they were viewed by their successors. They can also be read as examples of literature intended to convey a particular message regarding these men and their philosophy.

The texts are presented in an original translation by Edwards which is clear and very readable. Edwards' introduction is also very helpful for establishing the philosophical and historical context of the works. Notes are provided for those who wish to read further on the subject, making this a good source for historians, although it should appeal to anyone interested in topics having to do with Late Antiquity and the development of ancient philosophy and religion. ... Read more

Product Description
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 is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.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 is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.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

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Publisher: OsceolaPublication date: 1909Subjects: NeoplatonismNotes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be 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

Product Description
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 is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.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 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