John Philoponus' new definition of prime matter : aspects of its background in Neoplatonism and the ancient commentary tradition /
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This study provides the first full discussion of Philoponus' excursus on matter in contra Proclum XI. 1-8 which sets out the innovative definition of prime matter as three-dimensional extension. The author argues that Philoponus' definition was motivated primarily by philosophical problems in Neoplatonism. Philoponus employs the explanation of growth, the interpretation of Aristotle's category theory and the notions of formlessness and potentiality to substantiate his definition. To conclude, the book offers an assessment of the significance of Philoponus' innovation. It is demonstrated for the first time that Plotinus' view of matter exerted considerable influence on both Philoponus and Simplicius. Moreover, the structure of Syrianus' and Proclus' metaphysics prepared the way for Philoponus' account of prime matter.
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Revision of the author's thesis (doctoral)--1995 under title: Philoponus' notion of prime matter. :
1 online resource (xxiii, 339 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 297-316) and indexes. :
9789004320932 :
0079-1687 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Philosophy of Dionysius the Areopagite : an introduction to the structure and the content of the treatise On the Divine Names /
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This book proposes a reading of Dionysius the Areopagite's longest and most important treatise 'On the Divine Names' from a philosophical point of view, rather than from a theological point of view which dominates the secondary literature. More in particular, it proposes an interpretation of the puzzling structure of the treatise which takes its starting point from earlier interpretations of medieval and modern scholars. The new reading of Dionysius' main text achieves more coherence than they did precisely because of the philosophical angle, which is meant to serve as a complement, not an alternative, to theological and historical interpretations. Thus the book can be read as an introduction to the philosophy of Dionyius as it shows how the author makes original moves in introducing the Christian concepts of peace and creation as philosophical concepts in a Platonic framework.
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1 online resource (xvi, 212 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 187-204) and indexes. :
9789047409441 :
0079-1687 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Heresiography in context : Hippolytus' Elenchos as a source for Greek philosophy /
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The study of the Elenchos (c. 225 CE) involves the whole range of ancient interpretative traditions concerned with Greek Philosophy, from Aristotle to the Late Neoplatonists. The present inquiry places Hippolytus' important reports about the Greek philosophers in the context of these traditions and so is able to illuminate not only what he has to offer but also to increase our knowledge of the traditions he depends on. For him the Pythagoreanizing current in Pre-Neoplatonism is of paramount importance. Accordingly, he constructs a succession ( diadoche ) starting with Pythagoras and including Empedocles, Heraclitus, Plato, Aristotle and the Stoics, and argues that the diadoche of the Gnostic heresiarchs is parasitical on its Pythagorean predecessor. A new assessment of the sources used - the first serious attempt since that of Diels in 1879 - hinges on an analysis of Hippolytus' method of presentation, which is a blend of cento and exegesis geared to his anti-Gnostic purpose.
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1 online resource (xvii, 391 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 332-357) and index. :
9789004320765 :
0079-1687 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Amor Dei in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
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Amor Dei , "love of God" raises three questions: How do we know God is love? How do we experience love of God? How free are we to love God? This book presents three kinds of love, worldly, spiritual, and divine to understand God's love. The work begins with Augustine's Confessions highlighting his Manichean and Neoplatonic periods before his conversion to Christianity. Augustine's confrontation with Pelagius anticipates the unresolved disputes concerning God's love and free will. In the sixteenth-century the Italian humanist, Gasparo Contarini introduces the notion of "divine amplitude" to demonstrate how God's goodness is manifested in the human agent. Pierre de Bérulle, Guillaume Gibieuf, and Nicolas Malebranche show connections with Contarini in the seventeenth-century controversies relating free will and divine love. In response to the free will dispute, the Scottish philosopher, William Chalmers, offers his solution. Cornelius Jansen relentlessly asserts his anti-Pelagian interpretation of Augustine stirring up more controversy. John Norris, Malebranche's English disciple, exchanges his views with Mary Astell and Damaris Masham. In the tradition of Cambridge Platonism, Ralph Cudworth conveys a God who "sweetly governs." The organization of sections represents the love of God in ascending-descending movements demonstrating that, "human love is inseparable from divine love."
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1 online resource (175 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789401209458 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.