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This book is a slightly emended version of a dissertation presented at the University of Hull in 1972. I realise only too well the deficiencies of style, presentation and material which this involves. The title implies a more final note than I had intended in my treatment of Porphyry. On reflexion, however, it seemed the most suited to convey the general purpose of my enquiries. A more rounded assessment of Porphyry can come only after some more basic work has been completed. An edition of his philosophical fragments, to which I am now turning my attention, is a prerequisite. lowe, of course, a great deal to all those who have written on NeoƯ platonism. I am particularly indebted to Prof. W...
Porphyry's "Against the Christians" offers an important example of Hellenic Biblical criticism and a critique of Christianity at the close of Late Antiquity, fl. 300 C.E.
Porphyry of Tyre was a third-century Neoplatonic philosopher and follower of Plotinus. He edited and published ‘The Enneads’, the only collection of his teacher’s work. Porphyry also wrote original works in Greek on a wide variety of topics, including philosophy, religion, vegetarianism, philology and science, while revealing a scholarly care in citing authorities. His influential work ‘Isagoge’, an introduction to logic and philosophy, was the standard textbook on logic throughout the Middle Ages. Surviving fragments of ‘Against the Christians’, which was condemned in 448 to be burned, marked him as a fierce critic of the new religion. Delphi’s Ancient Classics series provid...
As the study of later ancient philosophy has developed in recent years, it has offered new insights into both the continuing vigour of the Greco-Roman philosophical tradition and the interaction of that tradition with the new cultures of Christianity and of the Arab community. This volume addresses a key figure in this interaction. Porphyry (234?c.305 AD) was not only the greatest pupil of Plotinus and editor of his work but also a significant philosopher in his own right. Many aspects of Porphyry's work have been re-appraised in recent years in the light of renewed interest in Neoplatonism as in later ancient philosophy in general. New editions and translations of Porphyry's works have appe...