Porphyry, >On Principles and Matter - (Scientia Graeco-Arabica) by Yury Arzhanov & Porphyry (Paperback)
About this item
Highlights
- The Syriac treatise published in the present volume is in many respects a unique text.
- About the Author: Yury Arzhanov, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
- 194 Pages
- Philosophy, History & Surveys
- Series Name: Scientia Graeco-Arabica
Description
About the Book
The treatise On Principles and Matter preserved in Syriac derives most probably from Porphyry of Tyre. This text is an important witness to late antique discussions among Platonists on First Principles and on Plato's concept of Prime Matter in theBook Synopsis
The Syriac treatise published in the present volume is in many respects a unique text. Though it has been preserved anonymously, there remains little doubt that it belongs to Porphyry of Tyre. Accordingly, it enlarges our knowledge of the views of the most famous disciple of Plotinus. The text is an important witness to Platonist discussions on First Principles and on Plato's concept of Prime Matter in the Timaeus. It contains extensive quotations from Atticus, Severus, and Boethus. This text thus provides us with new textual witnesses to these philosophers, whose legacy remains very poorly attested and little known. Additionally, the treatise is a rare example of a Platonist work preserved in the Syriac language. The Syriac reception of Plato and Platonic teachings has left rather sparse textual traces, and the question of what precisely Syriac Christians knew about Plato and his philosophy remains a debated issue. The treatise provides evidence for the close acquaintance of Syriac scholars with Platonic cosmology and with philosophical commentaries on Plato's Timaeus.
About the Author
Yury Arzhanov, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
