DOCSLIB.ORG

A Brief Guide to Philo Other Books by Kenneth Schenck from Westminster John Knox Press

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Brief Guide to Philo Other Books by Kenneth Schenck from Westminster John Knox Press A Brief Guide to Philo Other books by Kenneth Schenck from Westminster John Knox Press Understanding the Book of Hebrews A BRIEF GUIDE TO PHILO Kenneth Schenck WESTMINSTER |C»iNKNOXmESS W[K UMTeVfiJLE • KENTUCKY © 2005 Kenneth Schenck AU rights reserved. No ^art of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic Or mechanical, including photocopyii^ recording, or by any infor• mation storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Westminster John Knox Press, 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucl^r 40202-1396. Unless otherwise indicated, all translations are die authors. Scripture quotations marked NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Divi• sion of Christian Education of the National G)uncil of the Churches of Christ in die U.S A, and are used by permission. Scripture quotations marked RSV are fix)m the Revised Standard Version of die Bible, copyright © 1946,1952,1971, and 1973 by die Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S A, and are used by permission. Book design by Sharon Adams Cover design by Mark Abrams First edition Pubhshed by Westminster John Knox Press Louisville, Kentucky This book is printed on acid-free paper that meets the American National Standards Instimte Z39.48 standard. © PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 — 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Catalogiiig-in-Publication Data Schenck, Kenneth A brief guide to Philo / Kenneth Schenck— 1st ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-664-22735-X (alL paper) 1. Philo, of Alexandria. I. Tide. B689.Z7S34 2005 18r.06--Klc22 2004057199 To Stefanic, Stacy, Tommy, Sophie, and Papous, in memory of our time in Germany, and, most of all, to my magnificent wife, whose mind reaches the heavens and whose virtue is by nat Contents Abbreviations ix 1. Philos Piece of the Puzzle 1 2. Philos Life and Writings 9 3. Philo among Jews and Gentiles 29 4. Phdo's View of die World 49 5. Philo and Christianity 73 6. Phiio's Writings in a Nutshell 97 7. Topical Index to the Philonic Corpus 119 Glossary 139 Bibliography 143 General Index 149 Source Index 155 Sdioiar's Index 171 Vll Abbreviations Abr. On Abraham (De Abrahamo) Aet. On the Eternity of the World {De Aetemitate Mundi) On Agriculture {De Agricultura) ALGHJ Arbeiten zur Literatur und Geschichte des hellenistischen Judentums Anim, On Animals {De Animalibus) An. Procr. Plutarch, DeAnimae Procreatione in Timaeo ANRW Aufitieg und Niedergang der romischen Welt: Geschichte und Kultur Roms in Spiegel der neueren Forschung. Edited by H. Temporini and W. Haase. Berlin, 1972-. Ant. ]osephuSy Jewish Antiquities Aristeas Letter of Aristeas BEATAJ Beitrage zur Erforschung des Alten Testaments und des antiken Judentum BZNW Beihefte zur Zeitschrift fiir die neutestamendiche Wissenschaft CBQ Catholic Biblical Quarterly IX ABriefGuidetoPhilo CBQMS Catholic Biblical Quarterly Monograph Series Cher. On the Cherubim {De Cherubim) Conf. On the Confusion of Tongues {De Confusione Linguaruni) Congr. On Mating with the Preliminary Studies {De Congressu Erudi- tionis Gratia) Contempl. On the Contemplative Life {De Vita Contemplativd) CP] Corpus papyrorum judaicorum. Edited by V. Tcherikover. 3 vols. Cambridge, 1957-1964. CQ Classical Quarterly Deed. On the Decalogue {De Decalogo) Deo On God {De Deo) Det. That the Worse Attacks the Better {Quod Deterius Potiori Insidiari Soleat) Deus On the Unchangeableness of God {Quod Deus Sit Immutabilis) Ebr. On Drunkenness {De Ebrietate) lEn. 1 Enoch Place. Against Flaccus {In Flaccum) fr. fragment FRLANT Forschungen zur Religion und Literatur des Alten und Neuen Testaments Fug. On Flight and Finding {De Fuga et Inventione) Gig. On the Giants {De Gigantibus) H.E. Eusebius, Historia Ecclesiastica Her. Who Is the Heir of Divine Things? {Quis Rerum Divinarum Heres Sit) HTR Harvard TheologLcal Review HUCA Hebrew Union College Annual Hypoth. Hypothetica InPhys. In Physica los. On Joseph {Delosepho) JBL Journal of Biblical Literature JSNT Journalfor the Study of the New Testament Juh. Jubilees Leg The Allegorical Laws {Legum Allegoriarum) Legat. Embassy to Gaius {Legatio ad Gaium) Mig On the Migration of Abraham {De Migratione Abrahami) Mos. On the Life of Moses (De Vita Mosis) Mut. On the Changing of Names {De Mutatione Nominuni) NovT Novum Testamentum Opif On the Creation of the World {De Opificio Mundi) RE. Eusebius, Praeparatio Evangelica PhilAnt Philosophia antiqua Plant. On Planting {De Pkntatione) Post On the Posterity and Exile of Cain {De Posteritate Caini) Abbreviations XI Praenu On Rewards and Punishments {De Praemiis et Paenis) Prob. That Every Good Person Is Free {Quod Omnis Probus Liber Sit) Prov. On Providence {De Providentia) QE Questions and Answers on Exodus (Quaestiones et Solutiones in Exodum) QG Questions and Answers on Genesis {Quaestiones et Solutiones in Genesim) IQS Rules of the Community Sacr, On the Sacrifices of Abel and Cain {De Sacrificiis Abelis et Caini) SBLDS Society of Biblical Literature Dissertation Series ScEs Science et esprit SJLA Studies in Judaism in Late Antiquity SNT Studien zum Neuen Testament SNTSMS Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series Sabr. On Sobriety {De Sobrietate) Somn. On Dreams {De Somniis) Spec. On the Special Laws {De Specialibus Legibus) SPhA Studia Philonica Annual SPhilo Studia Philonica Str. demerit of Alexandria, Stromata TSAJ Texte und Studien zum antiken Judentum TU Texte und Untersuchungen VChrS Vigiliae Christianae, Supplements Virt. On Virtues {De Virtutibus) WMANT Wissenschaftliche Monographien zum Alten und Neuen Testament WUNT Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament Chapter 1 Philo s Piece of the Puzzle 1.1 PHILO'S PLACE IN THE HELLENISTIC WORLD It is frustrating to work on a puzzle and suddenly realize some of the pieces are missing. Yet despite our irritation, we usually have enough left to tell what the picture was supposed to be. Perhaps we might miss a spot here or there, but the overall depiction is normally clear enough. Now imagine that the puzzle has millions of pieces and the overwhelming majority is lost and unrecoverable. Vast portions of an entire landscape are absent, and it is unclear whether the ones in your possession are central to the picture as a whole. Fragments give you clues about what might have been there, but in the end your reconstruction is far from certain. This scenario is quite similar to the situation in which we find ourselves when we explore the distant past. We have a host of inscriptions and ruins from struc• tures long since deteriorated. We have a number of writings that later generations have copied and preserved. But these puzzle pieces amount to a tiny portion of the whole picture. In some cases it is only the accidents of history that have allowed certain bits ABriefGuidetoPhilo of data to survive. It is thus unclear how significant those pieces originally were in their own time. In other instances people have copied and preserved docu• ments because they found something noteworthy in them. Sometimes they have altered such texts to their liking or discarded those with opposing viewpoints. In these cases we cannot be certain how objective or representative our sources are, particularly in what they tell us about groups who opposed their ideas and prac• tices. In the end, the vast majority of poor, illiterate, ancient people, the ones who did most of the living and dying, have left us nothing to know of their specific joys and struggles. Any fragment is significant in such a dearth of evidence, even things like pur• chase agreements and lists of Scripture verses. But an entire collection of docu• ments is a treasure of immense value. The Dead Sea Scrolls made such a contribution in 1947 when they were discovered. Suddenly our picture of Pales• tinian Judaism at the time of Christ came into better focus. The Oxyrhynchus papyri had a similar effect in the late 1800s. This assortment of mostly ordinary, almost trivial documents suddenly allowed us to peer into the everyday lives and language of the ancient Mediterranean world. Against this backdrop we can better appreciate the significance of yet another large collection of writings that has survived from the ancient world. These doc• uments are not a recent discovery—Christians preserved them throughout the centuries. Yet they are ofi:en neglected despite the immense light they shed on a number of distinct disciplines. I refer to the writings of Philo, a Jew from the Egyptian city of Alexandria who lived at about the same time as Christ. On the one hand, Philo was no typical ancient. He was extremely wealthy and literate. He enjoyed a privileged life known to very few in his world. Even among the elite he was atypical. While he frequented social events such as ath• letic contests and the theater, he preferred contemplation. More than anything else, he enjoyed reflecting deeply about ultimate reality as he believed the Jew• ish Scriptures presented it. Nevertheless, near the end of his life the political climate of Alexandria would force him to get involved in society in a more urgent way. Yet despite the fact that he was atypical in his world, Philo has left us numer• ous pieces to the ancient puzzle. This man stood at a corner by which several important traditions were passing at the time. He was a Diaspora]c:w, a Jew who lived outside Palestine. As such he provides us with important information about the boundaries of Judaism, the similarities and dissimilarities of Diaspora Jews to those who lived in Israel. Apart from Josephus, Philos writings Diaspora Jews: Jews who lived outside of provide us with the largest body Palestrne; Jews who had ''dispersed.'' of material by a Hellenistic Jew of the Diaspora.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Bibliography
    Comp. by: C. Vijayakumar Stage : Revises1 ChapterID: 0002195881 Date:30/10/ 14 Time:14:12:02 Filepath://ppdys1122/BgPr/OUP_CAP/IN/Process/ 0002195881.3d243 OUP UNCORRECTED PROOF – REVISES, 30/10/2014, SPi Bibliography Accattino, P. (1985). Alessandro di Afrodisia e Aristotele di Mitelene. Elenchos 6, 67–74. Ackrill, J. L. (1962). Critical Notice: Die Aristotelische Syllogistik. By Gün- ther Patzig. Mind, 71, 107–17. Ackrill, J. L. (1963). Aristotle: Categories and De Interpretatione. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Ackrill, J. L. (1997). Essays on Plato and Aristotle. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Adamson, P. (2005). On Knowledge of Particulars. Proceedings of the Aris- totelian Society, 105, 257–78. Adamson, P. (2007a). Knowledge of Universals and Particulars in the Bagh- dad School. Documenti e studi sulla tradizione filosofica medievale, 18, 141–64. Adamson, P. (2007b). Al-Kindī. New York: Oxford University Press. Adamson, P., Baltussen, H., and Stone, M. W. F. (eds). (2004). Philosophy, Science and Exegesis in Greek, Arabic, and Latin Commentaries. London: Institute of Classical Studies, University of London. Adamson, P., and Taylor, R. C. (eds). (2005). The Cambridge Companion to Arabic Philosophy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Algra, K. A., van der Horst, P. W., and Runia, D. T. (eds). (1996). Polyhistor: Studies in the History and Historiography of Ancient Philosophy Presented to Jaap Mansfeld on his Sixtieth Birthday. Leiden: Brill. Allen, J. (2005). The Stoics on the Origin of Language and the Foundations of Etymology. In D. Frede and B. Inwood (eds), Language and Learning: Philosophy of Language in the Hellenistic Age, pp. 14–35. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Allen, R.
    [Show full text]
  • Pythagorean, Predecessor, and Hebrew: Philo of Alexandria and the Construction of Jewishness in Early Christian Writings
    Pythagorean, Predecessor, and Hebrew: Philo of Alexandria and the Construction of Jewishness in Early Christian Writings Jennifer Otto Faculty of Religious Studies McGill University, Montreal March, 2014 A thesis submitted to McGill University in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy © Jennifer Otto, 2014 ii Table of Contents Abstracts v Acknowledgements vii Abbreviations viii Introduction 1 Method, Aims and Scope of the Thesis 10 Christians and Jews among the nations 12 Philo and the Wisdom of the Greeks 16 Christianity as Philosophy 19 Moving Forward 24 Part I Chapter 1: Philo in Modern Scholarship 25 Introducing Philo 25 Philo the Jew in modern research 27 Conclusions 48 Chapter 2: Sects and Texts: The Setting of the Christian Encounter with Philo 54 The Earliest Alexandrian Christians 55 The Trajanic Revolt 60 The “Catechetical School” of Alexandria— A Continuous 63 Jewish-Christian Institution? An Alternative Hypothesis: Reading Philo in the Philosophical Schools 65 Conclusions 70 Part II Chapter 3: The Pythagorean: Clement’s Philo 72 1. Introducing Clement 73 1.1 Clement’s Life 73 1.2 Clement’s Corpus 75 1.3 Clement’s Teaching 78 2. Israel, Hebrews, and Jews in Clement’s Writings 80 2.1 Israel 81 2.2 Hebrews 82 2.3 Jews 83 3. Clement’s Reception of Philo: Literature Review 88 4. Clement’s Testimonia to Philo 97 4.1 Situating the Philonic Borrowings in the context of Stromateis 1 97 4.2 Stromateis 1.5.31 102 4.3 Stromateis 1.15.72 106 4.4 Stromateis 1.23.153 109 iii 4.5 Situating the Philonic Borrowings in the context of Stromateis 2 111 4.6 Stromateis 2.19.100 113 5.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Date | 6/9/19 10:06 AM Pseudo-Pythagorean Literature 73
    Philologus 2019; 163(1): 72–94 Leonid Zhmud* What is Pythagorean in the Pseudo-Pythagorean Literature? https://doi.org/10.1515/phil-2018-0003 Abstract: This paper discusses continuity between ancient Pythagoreanism and the pseudo-Pythagorean writings, which began to appear after the end of the Pythagorean school ca. 350 BC. Relying on a combination of temporal, formal and substantial criteria, I divide Pseudopythagorica into three categories: 1) early Hellenistic writings (late fourth – late second centuries BC) ascribed to Pytha- goras and his family members; 2) philosophical treatises written mostly, yet not exclusively, in pseudo-Doric from the turn of the first century BC under the names of real or fictional Pythagoreans; 3) writings attributed to Pythagoras and his relatives that continued to appear in the late Hellenistic and Imperial periods. I will argue that all three categories of pseudepigrapha contain astonishingly little that is authentically Pythagorean. Keywords: Pythagoreanism, pseudo-Pythagorean writings, Platonism, Aristote- lianism Forgery has been widespread in time and place and varied in its goals and methods, and it can easily be confused with superficially similar activities. A. Grafton Note: An earlier version of this article was presented at the colloquium “Pseudopythagorica: stratégies du faire croire dans la philosophie antique” (Paris, 28 May 2015). I would like to thank Constantinos Macris (CNRS) for his kind invitation. The final version was written during my fellowship at the IAS of Durham University and presented at the B Club, Cambridge, in Mai 2016. I am grateful to Gábor Betegh for inviting me to give a talk and to the audience for the vivid discussion.
    [Show full text]
  • Platonic and Stoic Passions in Philo of Alexandria Loren Kerns George Fox University, [email protected]
    Digital Commons @ George Fox University George Fox Evangelical Seminary 2013 Platonic and Stoic Passions in Philo of Alexandria Loren Kerns George Fox University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/gfes Part of the Christianity Commons, and the Church History Commons Recommended Citation Kerns, Loren, "Platonic and Stoic Passions in Philo of Alexandria" (2013). George Fox Evangelical Seminary. Paper 6. http://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/gfes/6 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ George Fox University. It has been accepted for inclusion in George Fox Evangelical Seminary by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ George Fox University. Kings College London Platonic and Stoic Passions in Philo of Alexandria A Dissertation submitted to The School of Arts and Humanities In Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Theology and Religious Studies By Loren Kerns London, United Kingdom July 2013 Copyright by Loren Kerns, 2013 All rights reserved. Abstract Philo of Alexandria forged his theory of the soul and its passions while expositing the meaning of Torah. Though writing as a Jewish teacher and disciple of Moses, his biblical reflections display a strong orientation toward Middle-Platonic philosophy. On the topic of the soul and its passions, however, Philo also exhibits significant Stoic influence. The introduction notes Philo’s apparent incompatible use of both the complex Platonic and the monistic Stoic psychological models. After assessing the degree to which Philo understood 'passion' to be a type of Stoic impulse or opinion (chapter one), chapter two demonstrates that Philo consistently drew upon the Stoics’ depiction of all passions as irrational, excessive, and unnatural.
    [Show full text]
  • The Cambridge History of Philosophy in Late Antiquity
    THE CAMBRIDGE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY IN LATE ANTIQUITY The Cambridge History of Philosophy in Late Antiquity comprises over forty specially commissioned essays by experts on the philosophy of the period 200–800 ce. Designed as a successor to The Cambridge History of Later Greek and Early Medieval Philosophy (ed. A. H. Armstrong), it takes into account some forty years of schol- arship since the publication of that volume. The contributors examine philosophy as it entered literature, science and religion, and offer new and extensive assess- ments of philosophers who until recently have been mostly ignored. The volume also includes a complete digest of all philosophical works known to have been written during this period. It will be an invaluable resource for all those interested in this rich and still emerging field. lloyd p. gerson is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Toronto. He is the author of numerous books including Ancient Epistemology (Cambridge, 2009), Aristotle and Other Platonists (2005)andKnowing Persons: A Study in Plato (2004), as well as the editor of The Cambridge Companion to Plotinus (1996). The Cambridge History of Philosophy in Late Antiquity Volume I edited by LLOYD P. GERSON cambridge university press Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, Sao˜ Paulo, Delhi, Dubai, Tokyo, Mexico City Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge cb2 8ru,UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521876421 C Cambridge University Press 2010 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
    [Show full text]
  • Stoicism in Early Christianity
    STOICISM IN EARLY CHRISTIANITY Edited by Tuomas Rasimus, Troels Engberg-Pedersen, and Ismo Dunderberg K Tuomas Rasimus, Troels Engberg-Pedersen and Ismo Dunderberg, Stoicism in Early Christianity Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2010. Used by permission. _Rasimus_Stoicism_BB_djm.indd 3 9/29/10 3:29 PM © 2010 by Tuomas Rasimus, Troels Engberg-Pedersen, and Ismo Dunderberg Published by Baker Academic a division of Baker Publishing Group P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287 www.bakeracademic.com Printed in the United States of America All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Stoicism in early Christianity / edited by Tuomas Rasimus, Troels Engberg- Pedersen, and Ismo Dunderberg. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN 978-0-8010-3951-5 (alk. paper) 1. Stoics. 2. Philosophy and religion—Rome. 3. Church history—Primitive and early church, ca. 30–600. 4. Bible. N.T.—Philosophy. I. Rasimus, Tuomas. II. Engberg-Pedersen, Troels. III. Dunderberg, Ismo. BR128.A2.S76 2010 261.2—dc22 2010021683 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Tuomas Rasimus, Troels Engberg-Pedersen and Ismo Dunderberg, Stoicism in Early Christianity Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2010. Used by permission. _Rasimus_Stoicism_BB_djm.indd 4 9/29/10 3:29 PM Contents Preface vii Abbreviations ix 1. Setting the Scene: Stoicism and Platonism in the Transitional Period in Ancient Philosophy 1 Troels Engberg-Pedersen 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Plotinus' Epistemology and His Reading of the Theaetetus
    Plotinus' epistemology and his reading of the Theaetetus Sara Magrin Department of Philosophy McGill University, Montreal July 2009 A thesis submitted to McGill University in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Copyright Sara Magrin 2009 Abstract: Plotinus' epistemology and his reading of the Theaetetus The thesis offers a reconstruction of Plotinus’ reading of the Theaetetus, and it presents an account of his epistemology that rests on that reading. It aims to show that Plotinus reads the Theaetetus as containing two anti-sceptical arguments. The first argument is an answer to radical scepticism, namely, to the thesis that nothing is apprehensible and judgement must be suspended on all matters. The second argument is an answer to a more moderate form of scepticism, which does not endorse a universal suspension of judgement, but maintains nonetheless that scientific knowledge is unattainable. The first chapter opens with a reconstruction of Plotinus’ reading of Theaet., 151e-184a, where Socrates examines the thesis that knowledge is sensation in light of Protagoras’ epistemology. In this chapter it is argued that Plotinus makes a polemical use of the discussion of Protagoras’ epistemology. Plotinus takes Plato to show that Protagoras’ views imply radical scepticism; and he attack the Stoics’ epistemological and ontological commitments by arguing that they imply Protagoras’ views, and thus lead to radical scepticism, too. The second chapter examines Plotinus’ interpretation of the ontology of the Timaeus. In Theaet., 151e-184a Plato shows that Protagoras’ epistemology leads to radical scepticism by arguing that it implies an allegedly Heracleitean conception of the sensible world.
    [Show full text]
  • Moral Transformation in Greco-Roman Philosophy of Mind
    To our parents John and Esther Lee and Nam Soon Kwon for their love, prayers, and unfailing support Institue adulescentem iuxta viam suam, etiam cum senuerit, non recedet ab ea. Proverbs 22:6 Preface This project has undergone several changes since its first inception as a doctoral dissertation accepted by Fuller Theological Seminary in 2002 under the title “Greco-Roman Philosophy of Mind and Paul.” When the dissertation was first accepted into the WUNT II series, Professor Jörg Frey, then and current editor, suggested saving the material on Paul for another book and expanding the remainder on Greco-Roman philosophy of mind in two ways by: 1) adding a section on the role of the divine in moral progress for each philosophy, and 2) enlarging the analysis on Diaspora Judaism into separate chapters. Little did I know that these revisions would evolve into an almost two-decades long project where sections expanded into chapters, and major parts of the book expanded into separate works. This present book, Moral Transformation in Greco-Roman Philosophy of Mind, is a stand-alone and foundational work which maps out the moral milieu of the Apostle Paul and his Diaspora Jewish contemporaries by describing the ethical systems of, and reconstructing models of moral transformation for, Platonism and Stoicism. It ends with a Retrospect and Prospect that compares the two systems as theoretical poles and outlines the spectrum they create along which other systems can be assessed. A separate companion work under a new title will be published later that reconstructs the moral transformation systems of Epicureanism and Diaspora Judaism.
    [Show full text]
  • Eudorus and the Early Platonist Interpretation of the Categories Harold Tarrant
    Document generated on 09/25/2021 7:25 a.m. Laval théologique et philosophique Eudorus and the Early Platonist Interpretation of the Categories Harold Tarrant Le commentaire philosophique dans l’Antiquité et ses prolongements Article abstract : méthodes exégétiques (II) The hermeneutic tradition concerning Aristotle’s Categories goes back to Volume 64, Number 3, octobre 2008 Eudorus and his contemporaries in the first century bc. Initially a perplexing text, it forces the Platonist to consider a variety of new dialectical questions. URI: https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/037692ar The criticisms of Eudorus demonstrate the desire for orderly arrangements, DOI: https://doi.org/10.7202/037692ar and pose questions that the hermeneutic tradition, culminating in the magnificent commentary of Simplicius, would try to answer. His pursuit of a critical agenda does not warrant the label “anti-Aristotelian” or “polemical”, See table of contents but it does show why he preferred to be known as an Academic than as a Peripatetic. Publisher(s) Faculté de philosophie, Université Laval Faculté de théologie et de sciences religieuses, Université Laval ISSN 0023-9054 (print) 1703-8804 (digital) Explore this journal Cite this article Tarrant, H. (2008). Eudorus and the Early Platonist Interpretation of the Categories. Laval théologique et philosophique, 64(3), 583–595. https://doi.org/10.7202/037692ar Tous droits réservés © Laval théologique et philosophique, Université Laval, This document is protected by copyright law. Use of the services of Érudit 2008 (including reproduction) is subject to its terms and conditions, which can be viewed online. https://apropos.erudit.org/en/users/policy-on-use/ This article is disseminated and preserved by Érudit.
    [Show full text]
  • Andronicus of Rhodes
    Comp. by: hramkumar Stage : Proof ChapterID: 0002195871 Date:19/8/14 Time:15:21:51 Filepath://ppdys1122/BgPr/OUP_CAP/IN/Process/0002195871.3d21 OUP UNCORRECTED PROOF – FIRST PROOF, 19/8/2014, SPi 2 Andronicus of Rhodes In this chapter, I argue that a late ancient interpretation of the Categories can be traced to Andronicus of Rhodes in the first century bce. According to this interpretation, the treatise helps to train us in the demonstration of truth (IðüäåØîØò), and not merely in the practice of persuasive rhetoric or dialectic.1 Andronicus sought to breathe new life into Aristotle’s vision of demonstrative science, and he found the Categories especially valuable for this function. In particular, Andro- nicus believed that the Categories helps us to distinguish per se predications whose subject and predicate both fall in the first category (for instance: ‘Socrates is a man’) from per accidens predications whose predicate falls in one of the non-substance categories (for instance: ‘Socrates is pale’, ‘tall’, or ‘hungry’).2 The former, Androni- cus argues, can be used to construct good definitions and so to engage in the rudiments of demonstration by way of division (äØÆßæåóØò), while the latter cannot. This interpretation partially explains Andro- nicus’ motivation for placing the treatise in so prominent a position in his catalogue of the Aristotelian corpus and rechristening it, 1 The dichotomy between demonstration and persuasion was, I think, treated as exhaustive by Andronicus, following the Hellenistic tradition (compare Diogenes Laertius 5.28, discussed below: rhetoric and dialectic are treated as proper subdivi- sions of persuasion, and both as distinct from demonstration of the truth).
    [Show full text]
  • Scepticism Or Platonism? the Philosophy of the Fourth Academy, by Harold Tarrant
    BOOK REVIEWS 149 Scepticism or Platonism? The Philosophy of the Fourth Academy, by Harold Tarrant. Cambridge University Press, 1985. pp. IX + 182. This review actually constitutes a re-reading of a work which appeared first, as can be seen, some time ago, and which I fastened on eagerly then, since it treats of many subjects close to my heart. In this short but closely-argued work, Harold Tarrant sets out to restore to a place in the sun that very obscure moment in the development of the Platonist tradition which goes by the name of the ‘Fourth Academy’. This was the name given by later historians of philosophy (e.g. Sextus Emp. PH 1.220) to denote that phase of the School presided over by Clitomachus’ successor, Philo of Larisa, and his associate Charmadas, from about 110 to 90 B.C.E., and to which Antiochus of Ascalon (who ultimately founded the ‘fifth’ or dogmatic Academy) belonged for many years. The characteristic of this group, in the area of epistemology, was a departure from the more purely sceptical position of Carneades towards an acceptance that things were ‘graspable’ (katalëpta) “as far as concerned their nature”, though not in such a way as to satisfy the Stoic criterion (S.E. PH. 1. 235). What exactly Philo and his associates meant by that is by no means clear, and it is one of the many interesting questions discussed by Tarrant (in. ch. 3), but it plainly takes a step in the direction of accepting a criterion of certainty. It was this cautious and compromising position that Antiochus found ultimately unsatisfying, and which led him to accept the Stoic criterion in its full form.
    [Show full text]
  • Aestimatio 13 (2016–2018) 187–191 188 Aestimatio
    Aristotelismo by Andrea Falcon Turin: Casa Editrice Einaudi, 2018. Pp. x + 150. ISBN 978–88–06–23112–5. Paper €18.00 Reviewed by Marilù Papandreou Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München [email protected] In Aristotelismo (Aristotelianism), Andrea Falcon traces the history of Aris- totelianism from the Hellenistic period to Late Antiquity. Right from the introduction, Falcon defines his notion of this history: it corresponds not with the history of the Peripatos but with the history of the presence of Aristotelian elements in ancient authors. For this reason, the book includes the examination not only of members of Aristotle’s school but also of authors who did not consider themselves exponents of the Aristotelian tradition or who even regarded themselves as its opponents. The book is divided into five chapters following a brief introduction onthe nature and intent of the work. Chapter 1 concerns the Hellenistic period, discussing the activity of the Peripatos as well as Epicurus and the Stoics. Chapters 2 and 3 address the post-Hellenistic age. Chapter 2 focuses on the exponents of the Peripatos (e.g., Boethus of Sidon,Xenarchus of Seleucia, Alexander of Aphrodisias), whereas chapter 3 concentrates on the presence of Aristotelian elements within the Platonic and Stoic traditions (i.e., Antiochus of Ascalon, Eudorus of Alexandria, Plutarch of Chaeronea, Alcinous, Apuleius, the pseudo-Pythagorean treatises, and Stoics such as Panaetius of Rhodes and Posidonius of Apamea). Chapter 4 deals with Late Antiquity, in particular with Porphyry, Iamblichus, and the School of Athens (e.g., Sirianus, Proclus, Damascius, and Simplicius) as well as that of Alexandria (e.g., Ammonius and John Philoponus).
    [Show full text]