The Changing Self. A Study On The Soul In Later Neoplatonism: Iamblichus, Damascius and Priscianus [1 ed.]

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VERHANDELINGEN VAN DE

KONINKLIJKE ACADEMIE VOOR WETENSCHAPPEN, LETTEREN EN SCHONE KUNSTEN VAN BELGIE

• KLASSE

DER

LETTEREN JAARGANG XL Nr 85

PALEIS

DER

AcADEMIEN

-

BRUSSEL

HERTOGSSTRAAT,

1

THE CHANGING SELF A STUDY ON THE SOUL IN LATER NEOPLATONISM: IAMBLICHUS, DAMASCIUS AND PRISCIANUS BY

Carlos G. STEEL

PALEIS

DER ACADEMIEN

-

BRUSSEL

HERTOGSSTRAAT

I

This book is a revised and abridged version of my doctoral dissertation which was presented to the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Louvain (K.U.L.) in 1974. While making this study, I have acquired a number of debts of gratitude of which mention must be made here. I am particularly grateful to Professor Gerard Verbeke who directed the preparation of the original work and to Professors Cornelia J. De Vogel and Emile de Strycker whose suggestions and criticisms proved very helpful. I must also thank Edward J. Haas! who undertook the difficult task of translating my text into English. Finally, my thanks and appreciation are due to the Belgian Research Foundation which granted me a fellowship and to the Royal Belgian Academy which accepted this book for publication.

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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

PART ONE:

7

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

IAMBLICHUS

.....................................

I. Iamblichus and the Platonic Tradition about the Soul

21

............

23

Undescended Soul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Plotinian Position ................................. Iamblichus' Criticism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Effect of Iamblichus' Criticism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

34 34 38 45

3. The Soul: Identity in Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . § l. The Soul Changes Substantially ......................... § 2. Remaining Itself Through Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . § 3. The Proclean Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Note. Iamblichus' Theory on Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

52 53

2. The § l. § 2. § 3.

69 74

.....................................

77

4. The Soul in the Dialectic of the Parmenides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . § 1. The Third Hypothesis of the Parmenides on the One . . . . . . . . § 2. The Place of the Soul within the Dialectic of the One . . . . . . .

79 80 87

PART

Two: DAMASCIUS

61

5. The § I. § 2. § 3. § 4.

Soul as Self-Change ................................... A Substance in Change . : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Instant: Eternity in Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Identity in Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Influence of Iamblichus ............................

PART THREE:

PRISCIANUS

....................................

6. The Rational Life of the Soul

93 93 98 I 02 116

121

...............................

123

§ I . Soul and Intellect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . § 2. Structural Moments of Human Reason . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

123 132 5

7. Conforming to larnblichus

. .. .... .. .. .... .. .. .. .. .. .... .. .. . § l. Iarnblichus' Interpretation of the Aristotelian Noetic . . . . . . . . . § 2. Noetic in the Metaphrasis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . § 3. Confrontation of the Metaphrasis with the Commentary

142 145 149

CONCLUSION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

155

APPENDIX:Proposed Corrections to Ruelle's Edition of Darnasciu s, Jn Parmenidem, § 397-415 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

161

BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................

163

SAMENV ATIING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

173

INDEXES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

179

6

142

INTRODUCTION Among the numerous commentaries on Aristotle which appeared in later Neoplatonism, the commentary on De anima which ha s come down to us under the name of Simpliciu s has a special place because of its unique terminology as well as for the original doctrine on the soul which is developed therein. In an earlier study, we demonstrated that this work , in fact , must be ascribed to Priscianus of Lydia, a contemporary of Simplicius. This is shown particularly by the profound similarity which exists between this commentary and the Metaphrasis in Theophrastum of this author. 1 Very little is known about this Priscianus. From Agathias, we learn that he, together with Simpliciu s and Damascius , belonged to the group of paga n philosophers who took refuge in Per sia after Ju stinian closed the Athenian Academy in 529. They resided at the court of King Chosroes. 2 Had they hoped at first to find there a· new philosopher-king, they were rapidly disillusioned. Already by the end of 532, with a guarantee that they would be allowed to live in peace, they had returned. Prisc ianu s must have enjoyed a certain reputation as the king had asked him to write a compendium in which solution s would be given to problems in the various domains of science. This is the work entitled Solutiones eorum de quibus dubitavit Chosroes persarum rex. 3 It is mentioned in an old note that he also wrote commentaries on Plato and that his ideas were opposed by John Philoponu s. 4 In his introduction, Priscianu s_provide s us with the following ju stifica tion of his commentary and of the method he wishes to follow. 5 With each study , an ,

1 A detailed compar iso n of both works was made in the study we published in collabora tion with F. Bossier: ' Priscianus Lydus en de ' In De Anima ' van Pseudo (?)-Simp lici us' in Tijdschrift voor filosofle, 34 (1972), pp. 761 -822. 2 Agathias, Hist. libri, II, 30. 3 Of thi s work only a Latin version remains (probably from the 6th or 7th century). Unfortunately it is often very obscure. See M. Esposito , 'Prisc ianu s Lydus and Johannes Scotus' in The Classical Review , 32 ( 1918), pp. 21-23 . ' 4 In cod. Coisl. 387 (X-Xlth ce ntury- from the Great Lavra Monastry on Mt. Athos) we read on f. 153- 154 the following note: i:ov µev TI11.ai:wva unoµvfjµai:(~01JOL :7t/l.ELITTOL, XPYJOLµWi:EpOL 0£ fatoi;, ' A11.~tvoi;, TipwKwvoi; , Taupoi;, Ilp6K11.oi;, 6aµaoKwi;, ' lw