DOCSLIB.ORG

Rosicrucian Digest VOL 90 05

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

Each issue of the Rosicrucian Digest provides members and all interested readers with a compendium of materials regarding the ongoing flow of the Rosicrucian Timeline. The articles, historical excerpts, art, and literature included in this Digest span the ages, and are not only interesting in themselves, but also seek to provide a lasting reference shelf to stimulate continuing study of all of those factors which make up Rosicrucian history and thought. Therefore, we present classical background, historical development, and modern reflections on each of our subjects, using the many forms of primary sources, reflective commentaries, the arts, creative fiction, and poetry. This magazine is dedicated• to all the women and men throughout the ages who have contributed to and perpetuated the wisdom of the Rosicrucian, Western esoteric, Tradition. May we ever be •worthy of the light with which we have been entrusted. In this issue, we contemplate• the Good, the Beauty, and the Love of Neoplatonism, a tradition that has profoundly influenced Western esotericism and all of Western culture. Rosicrucian Digest No. 1 2012 Page ii No. 1 - 2012 Vol. 90 - No. 1 Peter Kingsley, Ph.D. “Paths of the Ancient Sages: A Pythagorean History” Neoplatonism: An Introduction 2 Giulia Minicuci and Mary Jones, S.R.C. “Pythagoras the Teacher: From Samos to Metapontum” Mysticism in the Evolution of Cultures 4 Official Magazine of the Peter Bindon, FRC Worldwide Emanation and Return to the One 11 Rosicrucian Order Lloyd Abrams, Ph.D., FRC The Strange Enigma of Plotinus 17 Established in 1915 by the Supreme Charles Getts RuthGrand Phelps, Lodge S.R.C. of the English“The SchoolLanguage of Pythagoras” Jurisdiction, AMORC, Rosicrucian The Great Library of Alexandria 21 Anonymous Park, San Jose, “The CA Golden95191. Verses of Pythagoras” Bill Anderson, FRC AntoineCopyright Fabre 2012 d’Olivet, by the Supreme “GrandExcerpt from Examination of the Golden Verses” HughLodge McCague, of AMORC, Ph.D., Inc. F.R.C. All rights “Pythagoreans Hypatia and of AlexandriaSculptors: The Canon of Polykleitos2 8 reserved. Republication of any portion Valerie Dupont, SRC Melanieof Rosicrucian Richards, Digest M.Mus., is prohibited S.R.C. “Pythagoras and Music” without prior written permission of the Lisa publisher.Spencer, M.A.O.M., S.R.C. “TheAvicenna Neo-Pythagoreans at the Porta Maggiore3 2in Connie James, SRC Rome” ROSICRUCIAN DIGEST (ISSN #0035–8339) is published bi-annually Jeanfor Guesdon, $12.00 per S.R.Cyear, single copies $6.00,“Silence” Marsilio Ficino and Renaissance Neoplatonism 36 by the Grand Lodge of the English Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke, D. Phil. Frater Language X, Jurisdiction,“Music AMORC, of the Spheres and Pythagorean Numerology” Inc., at 1342 Naglee Ave., San Jose, Platonic Love 43 Ben CAFinger, 95191. POSTMASTER:“Apollonius: Send Man or Myth?” Ralphaddress M. Lewis,changes F.R.C.to ROSICRUCIAN “Reviewing Elisa our Acts”Cuttjohn, SRC DIGEST at 1342 Naglee Ave., San StaffJose, of theCA 95191–0001.Rosicrucian Research LibraryThe School“A Pythagorean of Athens Bookshelf” 48 Raphael Νεοπλατωνισμός Nature: A Neoplatonic Text 50 Ralph Waldo Emerson Beauty in Art or the Art of Beauty 54 Christian Bernard, FRC Rosicrucian Ontology 56 Page 1 Neoplatonism: An Introduction f you live in the Western world today Neoplatonists synthesized the approaches or have been influenced by it, you of Plato, Aristotle, Pythagoras, and others, I may be more of a Neoplatonist than addressing the individual yearning for you realize. As the mathematician and salvation from a philosophical viewpoint. philosopher Alfred North Whitehead stated, Neoplatonism posits a single source (the the general characterization of the Western One) from which all existence emanates philosophical tradition “consists of a series of and with which an individual soul can be footnotes to Plato.”1 mystically united. This philosophical school Neoplatonism is a relatively modern provided ways that the individual could term that mid-nineteenth century scholars ascend the ladder of being through theoria – created to distinguish the ideas of later contemplation of the Divine. Greek and Roman Platonists from those of Many widely accepted Neoplatonic Plato himself. Plotinus (ca. 204 – 270 CE) concepts have been perpetuated in the West is considered the first main proponent of by such diverse sources as Christianity, Neoplatonism. His intent was to use Plato’s Sufism, Kabbalah, the art and philosophy of thought as an intellectual basis for a rational the Renaissance, the Cambridge Platonists, and humane life.2 the American Transcendentalists, and others. Rosicrucian Digest No. 1 Plato (428 BCE – 348 BCE). 2012 Page 2 Neoplatonic approaches continue to be of • Contemplating the harmony tremendous importance in Jewish, Christian, and transcendental nature of the and Islamic mysticism, as well as the Beautiful and the Good elevates us esoteric schools, including Rosicrucianism. in consciousness. Neoplatonism exerted a great influence • After completing its spiritual on the Western esoteric tradition through evolution, the soul of each human the work of Marsilio Ficino, a devout being reintegrates with the Universal Neoplatonist, translator, and humanist Soul in all purity and lives in philosopher of the fifteenth century. the Divine Immanence in full The following Rosicrucian tenets consciousness. resonate with Neoplatonism: Remarkable individuals such as Plotinus, • All of Creation is permeated by a Porphyry, Iamblichus, Proclus, Augustine Universal Soul. of Hippo (Saint Augustine), Hypatia, • The ultimate goal of life is to achieve Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, Avicenna, mystical union with the Divine (the Paracelsus, Marsilio Ficino, Pico della One). Mirandola, Raphael, Henry More, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Thomas Taylor, and Ralph • Knowing oneself is essential to Waldo Emerson have all been associated with achieving this goal. Neoplatonism or Neoplatonic thought. • This can be accomplished without This issue of the Rosicrucian Digest an intermediary person. introduces us to some of their lives and • Mystical contemplation is a means to ideas, and the Neoplatonic tradition over the achieve union with the Divine. millennia. As for the Rosicrucian conception of spirituality, it is based, on the one hand, upon the conviction that the Divine exists as an Absolute Intelligence having created the universe and everything therein; and, on the other hand, on the assurance that each human being possesses a soul which emanates from the Divine. —From the Rosicrucian Positio Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis (2001) ENDNOTES 1 Alfred North Whitehead. Process and Reality: An Essay in Cosmology, (New York: Free Press, 1979), 39. 2 PBS, “Neoplatonism,” http://www.pbs.org/faithandreason/gengloss/neoplat-body.html. Page 3 Mysticism in the Evolution of Cultures Peter Bindon, FRC eter Bindon, FRC, is a During the rise of materialism, many professional anthropologist of the world’s cultures deeply repressed P and botanist. He recently or even denied the organic processes that retired as Grand Master of the English link humans with nature; these processes Grand Lodge for Australia, Asia, and are birth, reproduction, and death. New Zealand after many years of Simultaneously, the spiritual awareness that service in this position. In this article, once provided humanity with a sense of Frater Bindon takes us on a journey meaningful belonging to the cosmos was through Mysticism in the Evolution of replaced by disbelief in a Cosmic force, or Cultures and shares some of the many superficial religious activities of decreasing correspondences of Rosicrucianism and vitality and relevance. Happily, Rosicrucians Neoplatonic concepts. have maintained their interest in a positive relationship with the Cosmic and are striving to be practical and constructive in offering something to the world that will assist each One of the costs today’s humans have and every human to advance this spiritual had to bear as a result of the all-too-fast quest. But, you ask, by what mechanism can technological development which followed humanity achieve this goal of advancement? on from the scientific and industrial The mechanism that advances revolutions is the inexorable loss of our civilization towards spirituality is mysticism, links with the earth and more importantly of which we Rosicrucians are probably all alienation from our spiritual source. practitioners. And there are suggestions To most of us, and perhaps in every age, that outside the Order an unprecedented progress is looked upon as synonymous with renaissance of interest in the psychology the improvement of material conditions. of mysticism and the spiritual inter- A civilization which can produce laser eye relationships that exist between all beings in surgery, space travelers, super railways, and the universe are developing among more and atomic fusion is generally regarded as being more individuals. advanced. But the enlightened few of every period in history have always recognized So, what is mysticism and what are its that true civilization is something more than origins? The non-theological use of the word material development, and that “something” “mystical” in English, meaning “a hidden is spiritualization. They have recognized that or secret thing” dates from about 1300 CE material advancements are only instruments and arrives in English from Anglo-French for providing the leisure and opportunity for where it is misterie (O.Fr. mistere). It came the development of the spirit. The nearer the into French
Recommended publications
  • Corrupted Platonism in Astrophil and Stella: the Expression of Desire

    Corrupted Platonism in Astrophil and Stella: the Expression of Desire

    Corrupted Platonism in Astrophil and Stella: The Expression of Desire Sonia Hernández Santano UNIVERSIDAD DE HUELVA [email protected] Astrophil’s love for Stella is not the conventional Platonic love of Petrarchist poems. We cannot fully consider him the romantic lover who aspires to a spiritual enjoying of his lady’s virtues and beauty for, though he attempts to represent his feelings according to the parameters of Platonism, he also makes his basest sexual desire flourish in many of the sonnets or songs of Astrophil and Stella. It is not that his begins by being a pure love that progressively degenerates into a blatant expression of his sexual needs due to an increase of his desire. The material nature of his love as opposed to spiritual love is obvious from the very beginning of the sequence. It is, however, a fact that Astrophil does frequently express his amorous feeling by means of Platonic topics such as the correspondence between physical beauty and spiritual virtue, as in sonnet 48 when he refers to Stella’s eyes as “where Virtue is made strong by Beautie’s might” (l. 2) or that he identifies himself with the agonizing lover of Petrarchist sequences who suffers the wounds of Cupid as in sonnet 20: “Fly, fly, my friends, I have my death wound” (l. 1) or with the slave of his beloved as in sonnet 47: “What, have I thus betrayed my libertie?” (l. 1). But the Platonic representation of his love is continually corrupted by frequent ironic allusions to it and to sexual desire.
  • Platonic Love for Persons Vlastos (1973) Raises a Famous Critique of Plato's Account of Love in the Symposium. the Highest

    Platonic Love for Persons Vlastos (1973) Raises a Famous Critique of Plato's Account of Love in the Symposium. the Highest

    Platonic Love for Persons Vlastos (1973) raises a famous critique of Plato’s account of love in the Symposium. The highest form of erōs, as it is described in Diotima’s scala amoris, is not for any particular individual but takes as its object the form of beauty itself (211a1-d1). Furthermore, erōs for an individual features in this account purely as stepping-stone to the philosopher’s comprehension of beauty. Not only is it difficult to understand what this impersonal erōs is, but it is difficult to understand why Plato thinks it is such an important part of a life well lived. So puzzled is Vlastos by the impersonality of erōs on this account that he ultimately finds it lacking in “kindness, tenderness, compassion,” and “respect for the integrity of the beloved” (30). What is missing, he claims, is an account of love for “persons who are themselves worthy of love for their own sake.” Since the publication of Vlastos’ critique, many have attempted to save Plato’s account by showing that love of particular individuals is consistent with or important to the philosopher’s pursuit of beauty (i.e. Price 1981, Nehamas 2007, Sheffield 2009, Urstad 2010). In other words, scholars have attempted to show that the impersonal love of the Symposium is not so impersonal after all. This paper takes a somewhat different approach; it argues that the impersonal nature of erōs in the Symposium is consistent with an overarching lack of esteem for personal relationships elsewhere in the dialogues. In the Crito, for example, Socrates appears largely unconcerned with the care of his sons, ranking his obligation to them well behind his duty to the laws (54b2-3).
  • Persuasive Rhetoric in Origen's Contra Celsum

    Persuasive Rhetoric in Origen's Contra Celsum

    University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Masters Theses Graduate School 8-2003 Persuasive Rhetoric in Origen’s Contra Celsum. Daniel Charles Headrick University of Tennessee - Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes Part of the Philosophy Commons Recommended Citation Headrick, Daniel Charles, "Persuasive Rhetoric in Origen’s Contra Celsum.. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 2003. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/1972 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by Daniel Charles Headrick entitled "Persuasive Rhetoric in Origen’s Contra Celsum.." I have examined the final electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Master of Arts, with a major in Philosophy. David Dungan, Major Professor We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: David Linge, James Fitzgerald Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by Daniel Charles Headrick entitled “Persuasive Rhetoric in Origen’s Contra Celsum.” I have examined the final electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, with a major in Philosophy.
  • Plotinus and Augustine

    Plotinus and Augustine

    The Influence of Plotinus on the Writings of St. Augustine Josiah Meyer History of Ancient & Medieval Philosophy, PH 502 March 8, 2017 1 Introduction If Plato and Aristotle are the most important thinkers of the ancient world, St. Augustine could be a close runner up in brilliance and importance. Far less known, however, is the vital role of Plotinus. Serving as a link between Augustine and Plato, Plotinus was to have a lasting influence on Augustine, and through him on the Christian Church, especially in the West. This paper will bring illumination to the often overlooked intellectual contribution of Plotinus to the thoughts of Augustine. To that end, it will provide an overview of Plotinus’ thought, paying special attention to his use and modification of Plato and Aristotle. It will then turn its attention to Augustine’s appropriation of Plotinus, and the lasting mark he made on the shape of Augustinian theology. Section One: Plotinus Bibliography Plotinus was a native of Lycopolis (or Lycon) in Egypt.1 At the age of 28 he became interested in philosophy and moved to Alexandria to study. After expressing dissatisfaction in several teachers, he finally found Ammonius Saccas (175 AD - 240 AD), declaring, τοῦτον ἐζήτουν, “This is the man I was looking for!” and became his pupil for eleven years.2 This Ammonius Saccas is identified (probably wrongly) by Eusebius as a lapsed Christian. Eusebius 1 Frederick Copleston notes that Eunapis identifies his birthplace as Lycon, while Suidas identifies it as Lycopolis, leaving the exact location a mystery. Frederick Copleston, S.J., A History of Philosophy, vol.
  • The Protrepticus of Clement of Alexandria: a Commentary

    The Protrepticus of Clement of Alexandria: a Commentary

    Miguel Herrero de Jáuregui THE PROTREPTICUS OF CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA: A COMMENTARY to; ga;r yeu'do" ouj yilh'/ th'/ paraqevsei tajlhqou'" diaskedavnnutai, th'/ de; crhvsei th'" ajlhqeiva" ejkbiazovmenon fugadeuvetai. La falsedad no se dispersa por la simple comparación con la verdad, sino que la práctica de la verdad la fuerza a huir. Protréptico 8.77.3 PREFACIO Una tesis doctoral debe tratar de contribuir al avance del conocimiento humano en su disciplina, y la pretensión de que este comentario al Protréptico tenga la máxima utilidad posible me obliga a escribirla en inglés porque es la única lengua que hoy casi todos los interesados pueden leer. Pero no deja de ser extraño que en la casa de Nebrija se deje de lado la lengua castellana. La deuda que contraigo ahora con el español sólo se paliará si en el futuro puedo, en compensación, “dar a los hombres de mi lengua obras en que mejor puedan emplear su ocio”. Empiezo ahora a saldarla, empleándola para estos agradecimientos, breves en extensión pero no en sinceridad. Mi gratitud va, en primer lugar, al Cardenal Don Gil Álvarez de Albornoz, fundador del Real Colegio de España, a cuya generosidad y previsión debo dos años provechosos y felices en Bolonia. Al Rector, José Guillermo García-Valdecasas, que administra la herencia de Albornoz con ejemplar dedicación, eficacia y amor a la casa. A todas las personas que trabajan en el Colegio y hacen que cumpla con creces los objetivos para los que se fundó. Y a mis compañeros bolonios durante estos dos años. Ha sido un honor muy grato disfrutar con todos ellos de la herencia albornociana.
  • Concepts of Love and Some Implications for Education

    Concepts of Love and Some Implications for Education

    CONCEPTS OF LOVE AND SOME IMPLICATIONS FOR EDUCATION Dina Andersen A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the Department of Theory and Policy Studies in Education, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the Universis. of Toronto Copyright 0 Dina Andersen 1998 National Library Bibliothèque nationale of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Canada Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to ~ibliothequenationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de rnicrofiche/fïlm, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otheMrise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimes reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS When 1 decided to undertake a study of love 1 did not realize that rnany would express hesitations and personal reservations about the topic. 1 am therefore doubly grateful to Dr. Clive Beck, chair, for his continuous support, and to Dr. Grace Feuerverger as well as Dr.
  • Platonic Love in a Colorado Courtroom: Martha Nussbaum, John Finnis, and Plato's Laws in Evans V

    Platonic Love in a Colorado Courtroom: Martha Nussbaum, John Finnis, and Plato's Laws in Evans V

    Articles Platonic Love in a Colorado Courtroom: Martha Nussbaum, John Finnis, and Plato's Laws in Evans v. Romer Randall Baldwin Clark* I. RELEVANT FOR FIFTEEN MINUTES-OR THIRTY CENTURIES? To the ridicule of the highbrow popular press' and the surprise of classical scholars,2 Plato's Laws,3 a work which was mocked, even in * University of Virginia School of Law, Class of 2002. Ph.D., University of Chicago, 1998. Research Associate, Dartmouth College Department of Government, 1997-99. Author, THE LAW MOST BEAUTIFUL AND BEST: MEDICAL ARGUMENT AND MAGICAL RHETORIC IN PLATO'S LAWS (Rowman & Littlefield - Lexington Books, forthcoming 2001). This article has benefited from the comments of many friends, colleagues, and teachers. For their assistance, I would like to thank Danielle Allen, Larry Arnhart, Richard 0. Brooks, Robert A. Burt, Allison D. Clark, Andrew P. Clark, Elizabeth A. Clark, Glenn W. Clark, Matthew Crawford, Richard Dougherty, Martha A. Field, Shawntel R. Fugate, Martin P. Golding, L. Kent Greenawalt, A.E. Dick Howard, Leon R. Kass, Matthew Kutcher, Melissa S. Lane, Mark J. Lutz, Roger D. Masters, Lynn Mather, Angelia K. Means, Ted H. Miller, S. Sarah Monoson, David Peritz, Richard A. Posner, Christopher Rohrbacher, Ariel C. Silver, Nathan Tarcov, Bradley A. Thayer, Elizabeth E. Theran, Paul Ulrich, Eduardo A. Velasquez, Lloyd L. Weinreb, Martin D. Yaffe, and the members of my edit team at the Yale Journal of Law & the Humanities. I only regret that I was unable to address all of their criticisms. Particularly profound appreciation is owed to my friend and colleague, James B. Murphy, whose queries helped me conceive this work and whose encouragement brought it to light: aneu gar phil6n oudeis heloit' an zen.
  • Platonic Relationship” Basically Means a Super-Deep by Sara Gaynes Levy Jan 27, 2020 Connection

    Platonic Relationship” Basically Means a Super-Deep by Sara Gaynes Levy Jan 27, 2020 Connection

    enough value on platonic love,” says Jordana Jacobs, PhD, a psychologist in New York City. This strictly non-sexual SUBSCRIBE SIGN IN relationship “has the potential to be deep, intense, and life-altering,” she says. But how to make them work, How to Make a Platonic Friendship Work especially if you're married to someone else, is a question that many couples and friends grapple with. The key is to set boundaries. And, be honest with your spouse, if you have one. “Platonic relationship” basically means a super-deep By Sara Gaynes Levy Jan 27, 2020 connection. This type of friendship can exist between many pairs, though it’s most commonly associated with a connection between members of the opposite sex (think: When Harry Met Sally). Of course it can also occur between pals of all genders and orientation. It’s worth noting that not every friendship is a platonic one. “When you meet a person, there is a process by which you determine what kind of role they'll play in your life, including how close you are meant to be with them,” says Jacobs. If you ultimately end up feeling that deep connection, that’s platonic love. A healthy platonic friendship means no sexual feelings are involved. “I see platonic love as a special emotional and spiritual relationship between two people,” says Diana Raab, PhD, author of Writing for Bliss. “It does not involve any type of sexual interest, but there is deep caring, mutual respect, and loyalty,” she says. More from Oprah Daily Nathan Harris Discusses His Debut Novel with Oprah NBC Between love songs, romantic comedies, and will-they-won’t-they TV couples, the world has done a pretty good job convincing us that romantic love is paramount.
  • MINEOLA BIBLE INSTITUTE and SEMINARY Philosophy II Radically

    MINEOLA BIBLE INSTITUTE and SEMINARY Philosophy II Radically

    MINEOLA BIBLE INSTITUTE AND SEMINARY Page | 1 Philosophy II Radically, Biblical, Apostolic, Christianity Bishop D.R. Vestal, PhD Larry L Yates, ThD, DMin “Excellence in Apostolic Education since 1991” 1 Copyright © 2019 Mineola Bible Institute Page | 2 All Rights Reserved This lesson material may not be used in any manner for reproduction in any language or use without the written permission of Mineola Bible Institute. 2 Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 7 Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.) ........................................................................................... 8 Philip II of Macedonia (382-336 B.C.) ....................................................................................... 12 Page | 3 “Olympias the mother of Alexander was an evil woman. .......................................... 13 Philip II (of Macedonia) (382-336 BC) .............................................................................. 13 Aristotle (384-322 BC) ............................................................................................................... 15 Works .................................................................................................................................... 16 Methods ............................................................................................................................... 17 Doctrines ............................................................................................................................
  • Hermes in the Academy WT.Indd

    Hermes in the Academy WT.Indd

    In 1999, an innovative chair and expertise center was created at the Faculty wouter j. hanegraaff and joyce pijnenburg (eds.) of Humanities of the University of Amsterdam, focused on the history of Western esotericism from the Renaissance to the present. The label “Western esotericism” refers here to a complex of historical currents such as, notably, the Hermetic philosophy of the Renaissance, mystical, magical, alchemical and astrological currents, Christian kabbalah, Paracelsianism, Rosicrucianism, Christian theosophy, and the many occultist and related esoteric currents that developed in their wake during the 19th and the 20th centuries. This complex of “alternative” religious currents is studied from a critical historical and interdisciplinary perspective, with the intention of studying the roles that they have played in the history of Western culture. In the past ten years, the chair for History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents has succeeded in establishing itself as the most important center for study and teaching in this domain, and has strongly contributed to the establishment of Western esotericism as a recognized academic field of research. This volume is published at the occasion of the 10th anniversary. Hermes in the Academy in the Hermes It contains a history of the creation and development of the chair, followed by articles on aspects of Western esotericism by the previous and current staff members, contributions by students and Ph.D. students about the study program, and reflections by international top specialists about the field of research and its academic development. Prof. Dr. Wouter J. Hanegraaff is Professor of History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents at the University of Amsterdam.
  • May Plato's Academy Be Considered As the First Academic Institution?

    May Plato's Academy Be Considered As the First Academic Institution?

    Center for Open Access in Science ▪ https://www.centerprode.com/ojsh.html Open Journal for Studies in History, 2019, 2(2), 35-42. ISSN (Online) 2620-066X ▪ https://doi.org/10.32591/coas.ojsh.0202.02035s _________________________________________________________________________ May Plato’s Academy be Considered as the First Academic Institution? Zhulduz Amangelidyevna Seitkasimova M. Auezov South Kazakhstan State University, KAZAKHSTAN Faculty of Pedagogy and Culture, Shymkent Received 8 November 2019 ▪ Revised 17 December 2019 ▪ Accepted 23 December 2019 Abstract Plato’s Academy is undoubtedly the first higher education institution in history, and in ancient Athens itself represents the most important educational institution. It constituted in the context of the universal development that took place in ancient Athens, in the 5th and 4th century BC, and it continued to work until the Byzantine Emperor Justinian forbade the work of all schools of philosophy (529 AD). This development, which is part of the so-called Golden Age of ancient Athens, represents the period of Greek history in which the foundations of Western civilization originated, as we know it today. Plato appears as one of the greatest philosophers of ancient Greece, along with Socrates and Aristotle, to the first of whom appears as a student and to the second as a teacher. Philosophy in the true sense of the word was created in Plato’s era in ancient Athens (Russell, 1975), and Plato’s Academy, in which he, along with his students, talked about various philosophical topics through the Garden of Akademos, was the impetus for this development. There are also opinions that the development of philosophy after Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle is only of reproductive character when it comes to the basics of philosophy.
  • Platonic Academy of Florence"

    Platonic Academy of Florence"

    Humanist Academies and the "Platonic Academy of Florence" The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Hankins, James. Forthcoming. Humanist academies and the “Platonic Academy of Florence.” In Proceedings of the conference, "From the Roman Academy to the Danish Academy in Rome," ed. H. Ragn Jensen and M. Pade. Analecta Romana Instituti Danici Supplementum. Copenhagen: Odense University Press. Published Version http://www.acdan.it/analecta/english.htm Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:2936369 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA 1 Forthcoming in the proceedings of the conference, From the Roman Academy to the Danish Academy in Rome, ed. H. Ragn Jensen and M. Pade, to appear in Analecta Romana Instituti Danici Supplementum. Humanist Academies and the “Platonic Academy of Florence” James Hankins (Harvard University) It is now widely recognized that the student of early humanist academies has to use great care when dealing with the numerous but often ambiguous references to academies and academic life in fifteenth century sources. The second half of the Quattrocento was the formative period for the idea of learned, literary and artistic academies, and it is all too easy to impose on fifteenth-century sources anachronistic assumptions drawn from the sixteenth and later centuries about the purpose, organization, and general character of these early associations of humanists.