Plotinusâ Legacy in Later Neoplatonism: His Parmenides-Interpretation or His Inspiration?

Harold Tarrant

Jump to Content

ChapterÂ 22 Plotinusâ Legacy in Later Neoplatonism

His Parmenides-Interpretation or His Inspiration?

in New Essays on the Platonic Tradition

Autor:in:

Harold Tarrant

Harold Tarrant
Search for other papers by Harold Tarrant in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed

Art:: Kapitel

Seiten:: 421â441

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004751149_023

Ãber Institut einloggen

Sofortzugang erwerben (PDF-Download und unbegrenzter Online-Zugang):

42,00Â â¬35,00Â â¬Â excl. VAT

Add to Cart

Token einlÃ¶sen

Abstract

Hermias (on Phdr. 277a2â3) thought that Plotinus had contributed to the immortalisation of Plato. I here explore why Athenian Neoplatonists thought this was so. It was not a matter of any special fidelity to Plato, but nevertheless had something to do with the tradition of Platonism. I argue that it does not relate to our picture of Plotinus as âfounderâ of a âNeoplatonicâ interpretation of the Parmenides. Amelius and Porphyry both did a more thorough job of relating the hypotheses of the Parmenides to metaphysical levels than Plotinus ever did. His exegesis tended to be an exegesis of special passages of Plato, rather than of a selected dialogue. His interpretation of the hypotheses stops at the third, while all the theories that interested Proclus gave detailed interpretation of five or more. I then look in detail at the Peripatetic tradition, and in particular at the continuation of Alexanderâs Metaphysicsâcommentary attributed to Michael of Ephesus. A key passage at in Metaph. 602.2â20 makes specific reference to the Parmenides, using some distinctive language surprisingly reminiscent of Origenâs Contra Celsum rather than Plotinus, including the term âOne-Itselfâ (autoen), which appears to make it a Form of the One rather than anything wholly transcending Forms and Being. I argue that this material is likely to depend on the notes of somebody who had access to Alexander, and that it agrees with the Parmenides-interpretation attributes to Origenes by Proclus. I also compare the position of anon. in Parmenidem. On this basis I argue that there was already a lively debate on the meanings of the first two hypotheses in Plotinusâ youth, possibly going back as far as Moderatus. Plotinus was not alone in finding something metaphysical in them, and, in Proclusâ eyes, is not a major figure in the discovery of the meaning of the sequence as a whole. Rather, Proclus is clearly impressed by Plotinusâ defence of a sharp differentiation between the referents of hypotheses 1 and 2, a differentiation that Proclus thought went back to Ammonius. But it is not Ammonius who was immortalised through Plotinus, but Plato, whose writings were infused with genuine new life by Plotinian illumination and inspiration.

Zitierungsangaben

Save
Cite
Inhalt per Mail versenden

Link teilen

Sie kÃ¶nnen einen Link zu dieser Seite per E-Mail senden:
Inhalt per Mail versenden
oder den Link direkt kopieren:

https://brill.edhh.ma/abstract/book/9789004751149/BP000022.xml
Der Link wurde nicht kopiert. Ihr aktueller Browser unterstÃ¼tzt das Kopieren Ã¼ber diese SchaltflÃ¤che mÃ¶glicherweise nicht.

Link wurde kopiert

Reduzieren
Erweitern
Nach oben

New Essays on the Platonic Tradition

In Honour of Paul Kalligas

Reihe:Â Studies in Platonism, Neoplatonism, and the Platonic Tradition, Band: 35

Cover New Essays on the Platonic Tradition

ISBN:: 9789004751149

Verleger:: Brill

Print-Publikationsdatum:: 26 Feb 2026

Fachgebiete
- Philosophie

Front Matter

PartÂ 1

PartÂ 2

Back Matter

ProCite

RefWorks

Reference Manager

BibTeX

Zotero

EndNote

Kennzahlen

	Insgesamt	Letzte 365 Tage	In den letzten 30 Tagen
Aufrufe von Kurzbeschreibungen	39	39	29
Gesamttextansichten	1	1	0
PDF-Downloads	2	2	0

Afrikanistik	Internationale Beziehungen	Nahost- und Islamwissenschaften
Altorientalistik und Ägyptologie	Internationales Recht	Pädagogik
Amerikanistik	Judaistik	Philosophie
Asienwissenschaften	Klassische Altertumswissenschaft	Religionswissenschaft
Bibelauslegung	Kunstgeschichte	Slawistik und Eurasienkunde
Biologie	Literatur- und Kulturwissenschaften	Sozialwissenschaften
Biowissenschaften	Medienwissenschaft	Sprachen und Linguistik
Buchgeschichte und Kartographie	Menschenrechte und humanitäres Völkerrecht	Theologie und Christentum
Geschichte	Musikwissenschaft

Fachgebiete

Autor:innen

Open Access

Produkt-Informationen

Ãber uns

Kontakt

ChapterÂ 22 Plotinusâ Legacy in Later Neoplatonism

His Parmenides-Interpretation or His Inspiration?

Abstract

Zitierungsangaben

Link teilen

New Essays on the Platonic Tradition

In Honour of Paul Kalligas

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Verweisliste

Kennzahlen

Kennzahlen

ChapterÂ 22 Plotinusâ Legacy in Later Neoplatonism