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The School of Ammonius, Son of Hermias, on Knowledge of the Divine

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The School of Ammonius, Son of Hermias, on Knowledge of the Divine ELIAS TEMPELIS THE SCHOOL OF AMMONIUS, SON OF HERMIAS, ON KNOWLEDGE OF THE DIVINE ΕΚΔΟΣΕΙΣ ΦΙΛΟΛΟΓΙΚΟΥ ΣΥΛΛΟΓΟΥ ΠΑΡΝΑΣΣΟΣ ΑΘΗΝΑΙ 1998 THE SCHOOL OF AMMONIUS, SON OF HERMIAS, ON KNOWLEDGE OF THE DIVINE ELIAS TEMPELIS THE SCHOOL OF AMMONIUS, SON OF HERMIAS, ON KNOWLEDGE OF THE DIVINE ΕΚΔΟΣΕΙΣ ΦΙΛΟΛΟΓΙΚΟΥ ΣΥΛΛΟΓΟΥ ΠΑΡΝΑΣΣΟΣ ΑΘΗΝΑΙ 1998 ISBN 960­85212­5­4 1998 © Ηλίας Τεμπέλης, 'Ογδόη οδός 3,152 36 Π. Πεντέλη ΕΚΔΟΣΕΙΣ ΦΙΛΟΛΟΓΙΚΟΥ ΣΥΛΛΟΓΟΥ ΠΑΡΝΑΣΣΟΣ Πλατεία Αγ. Γεωργίου Καρύτση 8,105 61 'Αθήναι Υπεύθυνος Τυπογραφείου: ΕΥΑΓΓ. ΜΠΟΥΛΟΥΚΟΣ Όδός Μίλωνος 26,117 45 Αθήναι Τηλ.: 93.45.204 - Fax: 93.17.188 To my wife Christina PREFACE This book is a slightly revised version of my Ph.D. thesis, on which I ' began work in 1990 and which I defended at the University of London in 1994. My study undertakes a reconstruction and critical assessment of the theory of the Neoplatonic school of Ammonius, son of Hermias, on the presuppositions of the acquisition of knowledge of the divine and also on the contents and the purpose of this knowledge. The metaphysical position of the human soul between the intelligible and the sensible worlds allows it to know the intelligible world and the divine, in particular, provided that the cognitive reason-principles in the human intellect are activated. The purpose of such knowledge is the as• similation to the divine and is achieved by means of a personal struggle with the help of theoretical and practical philosophy. The school of Am• monius compared its own philosophical attempt at knowledge of the di• vine to previous similar methods. In this respect what is shown are the reasons for the inadequacy or efficiency of methods followed by previous philosophers. As expected, a method was found inadequate if it deviated from the Neoplatonic one. Since the One is unknowable, the members of this school believed that man can know to some extent the Demiurge, who belongs to the second level of the intelligible world. The members of the school had different views on affirmative and negative theology. The intelligible ante rem uni• versal, the most fundamental of which is Substance, constitute the cogni• tive and creative reason-principles of the demiurgic Intellect. The eternal activation of these principles result in the Demiurge's omniscience and the creation of the world, which is coeternal with the Demiurge. The Demi• urge is incorporeal and exercises providence for what He has created, but He is not omnipotent. The theory of the school of Ammonius on knowledge of the divine is shown to be broadly consistent, though not necessarily convincing. The factor which determined the choice of the subject-matter is the scant scholarship devoted to it and, more generally, to the final expres• sions of late antiquity. Much of the lack of interest may be due to the — 8 — aversion caused by the untranslated volumes of this school's Greek com• mentaries. It is hoped that more recent scholarship may contribute to a drastic change of the persistent preconception about the decline and fall of classical thought by the time of Ammonius and his students. Thanks are due to many people who helped me in my work on the school of Ammonius. In particular I should like to express my deepest gratitude to my thesis advisor Dr Robert Heinaman, of the Department of Philosophy, University College London. I thank him for his comments as well as his patience and kindness. To Professor Koenraad Verrycken, Philip Pilkington and Dr Margaret Gullan - Whur goes credit for their appreciative comments. My examiners, Dr Henri - Dominique Saffrey and Dr Anne Sheppard, have been most careful critics of my work and encouraged me to publish it. For the knowledge of ancient philosophy I shall be always grateful to my teachers at the University of Athens. I wish to mention specifically Professor Grigorios Kostaras, to whom I am indebted in very many ways, but most especially for having taught me to think for myself. I also feel fortunate to have consulted Professors Gerard J.P. O'Daly and Robert Sharpies, of the Department of Greek and Latin, University College London, thus having benefited from their knowledge of Greek Philosophy. During my postgraduate studies I had the privilege to attend the seminars in ancient philosophy organized by Professor Richard So- rabji at the Institute of Classical Studies. My studies in England would not have been possible without a three- and-a-half year scholarship which was awarded to me by the Greek State Scholarships Foundation (IKY). The very least I can do on this occasion is to thank the Administrative Board of the Foundation. It is my pleasure to thank the President of the Parnassos Literary Society Professor Nikolaos Livadaras for accepting this book in the series of editions of the Parnassos Literary Society. To my father John and my late mother Eriphyle Tempelis I owe more than I can say for their warm encouragement over the years. I should also like to mention my brother George for the proof-checking of my work. Finally, I must turn in gratitude to my wife Christina - Panagiota Mano- lea for her personal and scientific support. BIBLIOGRAPHY a. Primary Sources Agathon, Tragicorum Graecorum Fragmenta, ed. Β. Snell, vol. 1, Gòttingen ­ Ruprecht 1971, 161­168. Alcinous, Epitome doctrinae Platonicae, ed. J. Whittaker, Paris 1990. —, Introducilo in Platonem, ed. Κ.F. Hermann, Platonis dialogi secundum Thrasylli tetra­ logias dispositi, vol. 6, Leipzig 1853, 147­151. Alexander, In Aristotelis Metaphysica, ed. M. 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