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Neoplatonism
Neoplatonism
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church
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2000
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© The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church 2000, originally published by Oxford University Press 2000. (Hide copyright information)
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Neoplatonism. The philosophical system of
Plotinus (
c.205–70) and his successors, who included
Porphyry,
Iamblichus, and
Proclus. Its basic characteristic is the doctrine of the three hypostases: the One, the ultimate unknowable source from which everything that exists emanates; Intelligence, the realm of perfective intuitive knowledge; and Soul, the realm of discursive thought and activity. The outward movement of emanation is met by the ascending movement of return, which manifests itself as
contemplation; everything that exists is a balance between these two forces. The contemplative movement of return seeks the One by purification, which for the intellect means a method of abstraction, and finds union with the One in a mystical experience of
ecstasy.
Thoroughgoing Neoplatonists were necessarily hostile to Christianity, but Neoplatonism influenced Christian theology, partly through its diffusive impact on the whole later Roman world. Its influence is apparent in the writings of St
Augustine,
Synesius, and
Dionysius the Pseudo-Areopagite.
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Alexandrakis, Aphrodite, editor. Neoplatonism and Western Aesthetics (Studies in Neoplatonism: Ancient and Modern, Vol. 12).(Book Review)
Magazine article from: The Review of Metaphysics; 6/1/2003; ; 700+ words
; ...these make sense. They consist of Neoplatonism and the concept of the beautiful...approach to philosophy defended by Neoplatonism, and the conclusion of many authors...Alexandrakis. One might have thought that Neoplatonism would not have been keen on the use...
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Neoplatonism after Derrida; parallelograms.(Brief article)(Book review)
Magazine article from: Reference & Research Book News; 11/1/2006; 484 words
; 9789004151550 Neoplatonism after Derrida; parallelograms...contexts. Studies in Platonism, Neoplatonism, and the Platonic tradition; v...constitutes Being in Plotinus' Neoplatonism, and the God of Exodus constitutes...
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Reading Neoplatonism: Non-discursive Thinking in the Texts of Plotinus, Proclus, and Damascius.
Magazine article from: The Review of Metaphysics; 9/1/2001; ; 700+ words
; RAPPE, Sara. Reading Neoplatonism: Non-discursive Thinking in...infrequent throughout the history of Neoplatonism, suggesting how Plato and his...s main point becomes clear: Neoplatonism's understanding of knowledge...
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Neoplatonism and Jewish Thought. (book reviews)
Magazine article from: Philosophy East and West; 1/1/1994; 559 words
; ...aspects of Maimonides' relation to Neoplatonism (Alfred Ivry, Lenn Goodman, Menachem...s nature across the whole of Jewish Neoplatonism; Robert McLaren's survey of Neoplatonic...father-projection looks beyond Jewish Neoplatonism to the Neoplatonic tradition as a whole...
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Early Philosophical Shiism: The Ismaili Neoplatonism of Abu Ya'qub
Newspaper article from: Domes; 10/31/1994; ; 700+ words
; ...Philosophical Shiism: The Ismaili Neoplatonism of Abu Ya`qub. al-Sijistani This...current in Isma`ili Shi`ite thought - Neoplatonism - which had a special appeal for the...formulations and writing, Shi`ism and Greek Neoplatonism. In the second part, Walker presents...
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Reading Plotinus.(Reading Plotinus: A Practical Introduction to Neoplatonism)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
Newspaper article from: Wisconsin Bookwatch; 8/1/2005; 565 words
; ...58.95), Reading Plotinus: A Practical Introduction To Neoplatonism by KevinCorrigan (Visiting Professor, Humanities Department...reference for college libraries or any student of Plotinus and Neoplatonism.
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Physics and philosophy of nature in Greek Neoplatonism; proceedings.(Brief article)(Book review)
Magazine article from: Reference & Research Book News; 11/1/2009; 514 words
; ...9789004173804 Physics and philosophy of nature in Greek Neoplatonism; proceedings. European Science Foundation Exploratory...couple of decades ago, scholars agreed that Greek Neoplatonism had little or no interest in the philosophical understanding...
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Christian metaphysics and neoplatonism.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
Magazine article from: Reference & Research Book News; 2/1/2008; 440 words
; 9780826217530 Christian metaphysics and neoplatonism. Camus, Albert. Trans. by Ronald D. Srigley. U. of Missouri Press 2007 148 pages $29.95 Hardcover Eric Voegelin Institute...
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The vanishing point, or speculative mathemes in Neoplatonism.
Magazine article from: Helios; 3/22/2004; ; 700+ words
; ...he joins the distinguished company of Festugiere, Bergson, Brehier, Hadot, and Foucault in appropriating the tropes of Neoplatonism. (7) For example, such Neoplatonic conceptions as intuition, askesis, self-attention, and the pratiques de soi...
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Reading ancient texts; v.2: Aristole and neoplatonism, essays in honour of Denis O'Brien.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
Magazine article from: Reference & Research Book News; 5/1/2008; 484 words
; 9789004165120 Reading ancient texts; v.2: Aristole and neoplatonism, essays in honour of Denis O'Brien. Ed. by Suzanne Stern-Gillet and Kevin Corrigan. BRILL 2007 280 pages $117.00 Hardcover...
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Neoplatonism
Dictionary entry from: New Dictionary of the History of Ideas
NEOPLATONISM. Neoplatonism is a modern term that refers to the philosophical movement that...establish a thorough summation of ancient learning. As such, Neoplatonism was the last flowering of pagan philosophy, which flourished...
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Platonism
Dictionary entry from: New Dictionary of the History of Ideas
...the decline of the Stoic influence, Neoplatonism, a new and highly significant strain...Aristotelianism — although with Neoplatonism both the mathematical and quasi-religious...Saccas (175? – c. 242), Neoplatonism was founded by his student Plotinas...
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Mysticism
Encyclopedia entry from: Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology
...Europe. With the rise of Alexandrian Neoplatonism, mysticism attained a new level of presence in Europe. Neoplatonism made a definite mark upon early...synthesized Christian theology and Neoplatonism and thus greatly influenced the...
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Proclus
Dictionary entry from: Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography
...the Philosophical movement now called Neoplatonism. The first notable exponent of this...Athens. During these two centuries Neoplatonism had taken on a more pronounced religious...temperament he enthusiastically espoused Neoplatonism and devoted his talents and energies...
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Iamblichus
Book article from: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
...330, Syrian philosopher, a leading exponent of Neoplatonism . A pupil of Porphyry, he was deeply impressed by...the Soul (1985); S. Gersh, Middle Platonism and Neoplatonism: The Latin Tradition (2 vol., 1986).
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