<p>Review\nProdus poses a problem. This biography by his student and successor as head of the Academy established by Plato at Athens gives a charming portrait of a professional academic and his career in the fifth century C.E. Here is Proclus teaching five classes a day (including night school), knocking off 700 lines of prose daily, taking an enforced sabbatical to study the religions of Asia Minor, dabbling in politics, touchy about his reputation but otherwise a dynamic teacher. On the other hand, Proclus apparently convinced himself that the gods, especially Athena, had appeared to him and intervened directly in his life. And while working out in excruciating, scholarly, and occasionally original detail in emanationist doctrine of idealism, he was also composing hymns of yearning for the One, which he identified with God. John Michell's introduction thunders ineffectually against the decline of philosophy, but provides useful background on Thomas Taylor (17581835), who translated much of Proclus, including indifferent renditions of five hymns offered here. This reprint of Kenneth Guthrie's 1925 translation appeared on the 1500th anniversary of the publication of Marinus' original. An abbreviated bibliography suggests the flavor and range of Proclus' work, which exceeded the combined output of Plato and Aristotle and influenced Eastern and Western thought for a millenium. Sic transit. --<br />
From</p>

The life of Proclus, or, Concerning happiness: Being the biographical account of an ancient Greek philosopher who was innately loved by the gods

Politics & Social Sciences

Thomas, Taylor

Marinus

Kenneth Sylvan Guthrie

Philosophy

Phanes Press

Excerpt from Numenius of Apamea, the Father of Neo-Platonism: Works, Biography, Message, Sources, and InfluenceStranger: If we then grant that Existence could not consist of any single body, is there not the alternative that it mght be matter (in general)?Philosopher: Neither is this any more likely, for matter is incapable of stability; it is as undefined as a swift flowing stream of infinite depth, breadth and length.12. The Soul as Savior of the Body.Philosopher: Correct, therefore, would be the following statement. Since matter is unlimited, it is indefinite; and this entails incomprehensibility, which results in unknowability. But as order facilitates comprehension, this unknowability means disorder; and a jumble cannot stand or survive; (and this can be proved by its contrary), for it is improbable that any one would attempt to demonstrate existence from a characteristic of instability.4. This is the very point about which we agreed above, namely, that it would be irrational to apply such predicates to existence.Stranger: That is surely self-evident; and it is convincing, at least to me.Philosopher: Consequently I assert that neither matter as such, nor (matter made up into) bodies really exist.5. Stranger: This being granted, it remains to ask whether within the nature of the universe exists anything else.Philosopher: Surely! I shall show you that easily, although we shall have to agree on some preliminaries.6. Since, by nature, bodies are dead and unstable, and as they tend to alter, will we not, to explain their experimental consistence, have to assume some principle of coherence?Stranger: Of course!Philosopher: Without such a principle could they endure?Stranger: Surely not!Philosopher: What then is the nature of this principle through which they endure?

Numenius of Apamea, the Father of Neo-Platonism: Works, Biography, Message, Sources, and Influence (Classic Reprint)

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