Ancient Philosophy, Mystery, and Magic: Empedocles and Pythagorean Tradition (Clarendon Paperbacks)

Empedocles played a crucial role in the development of western culture; yet little is known or understood about this man, who lived in Sicily in the fifth century BC. Using material never exploited before, this ts the first full-scale study of Empedocles to situate his fragmentary writings in their original context of philosophy as a way of life, of mystery religion and magic, and of the struggle to realize one’s own divinity. Peter Kingsley also presents fresh evidence which proves Empedocles was not an isolated figure and reveals new links between his work and ancient Pythagoreanism. The process of establishing these links now makes it possible to demonstrate, in detail, the Pythagorean origin of Plato’s myths. The second half of the book re-examines problems regarding the connections between ancient magic, science, and religion. More specifically, it traces for the first time a line of transmission from Empedocles and the early Pythagorcans down to southern Egypt, and from there into the world of Islam. This neglected process of transmission is of profound significance for our understanding not only of Greek philosophy but also of the background to ancient alchemy, Sufism, and medieval mysticism. Peter Kingsley is a former Fellow of the Warburg Institute, and now lives and teaches on the west coast of Canada. Empedocles played a crucial role in the development of western culture; yet little is known or understood about this man, who lived in Sicily in the fifth century BC. That is mainly because his teaching has been reconstructed by modern scholars first and foremost on the basis of Aristotle's hostile reports producing a picture which is disconnected and lacking in depth. Using material never exploited before, this is the first full-scale study of Empedocles to situate his fragmentary writings in their original context of philosophy as a way of life, of mystery religion and magic, and of the struggle to realize one's own divinity. Apart from providing a firm basis for understanding Empedocles' own teaching, the book presents fresh evidence which proves he was not an isolated figure and reveals new links between his work and ancient Pythagoreanism. The process of establishing these links now makes it possible to demonstrate, in detail, the Pythagorean origin of Plato's myths: a point of major importance for our appreciation not just of Plato himself, but also of the subsequent history of Neoplatonism. The second half of the book re-examines problems regarding the connections between ancient magic, science, and religion. More specifically, it traces for the first time a line of transmission from Empedocles and the early Pythagoreans down to southern Egypt, and from there into the world of Islam. This neglected process of transmission is of profound significance for our understanding not only of Presocratic philosophy but also of key themes in Greco-Egyptian magic and alchemy, and of the background to Sufism and medieval mysticism. Empedocles played a crucial role in the development of western culture; yet little is known or understood about this man, who lived in Sicily in the fifthcentury BC. This is mainly because his teaching has been reconstructed by modern scholars first and foremost on the basis of Aristotle's hostile reports producing a picture, which is disconnected, and lacking in depth. Using material never exploited before, Peter Kingsley presents the first fullscale study of Empedocles to situate his fragmentary writings in their original context of philosophy as a way of life, mystery religion and magic, and of the struggle to realize one's own divinity. This study also explores fresh evidence, which proves Empedocles was not an isolated figure and reveals new links between his work and ancient Pythagoreanism. The process of establishing these links now makes it possible to demonstrate, in detail, the Pythagorean origin of Plato's myths. Kingsley reexamines problems regarding the connections between ancient magic, science, and religion

This is the first book to analyze systematically crucial aspects of ancient Greek philosophy in their original context of mystery, religion, and magic. The author brings to light recently uncovered evidence about ancient Pythagoreanism and its influence on Plato, and reconstructs the fascinating esoteric transmission of Pythagorean ideas from the Greek West down to the alchemists and magicians of Egypt, and from there into the world of Islam.

Analyses key aspects of ancient Greek philosophy in their original context of mystery religion, and magic. The author brings to light evidence uncovered about ancient Pythagoreanism and reconstructs the transmission of Pythagorean ideas from the Greek West down to the alchemists and magicians of Egypt, and from there into the Islamic world More specifically, he traces for the first time a line of transmission from Empedocles and the early Pythagoreans down to southern Egypt, and from there into the world of Islam. "Highly polemical new book ... The thesis is argued with immense learning." "Times Higher Education Supplement"