The Golden Chain: An Anthology of Pythagorean and Platonic Philosophy (Treasures of the World's Religions)

the Goal Of The Ancient Philosophers Was To Understand How To Live In Harmony With Nature And To Transcend The Limitations Imposed By Sense Experience And Discursive Reasoning. Cover Series Pages Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents FOREWORD INTRODUCTION PART I - TRADITIONAL ACCOUNTS ON THE LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF PYTHAGORAS 1. Anonymous - The Life of Pythagoras 2. Diogenes Laertius - The Life of Pythagoras 3. Porphyry - The Life of Pythagoras 4. Iamblichus - On the Pythagorean Life PART II - TESTIMONIES OF PYTHAGOREAN AND NEOPYTHAGOREAN TRADITION 1. The Golden Verses of Pythagoras 2. Pythagorean Sentences 3. Fragments of Philolaus 4. Pythagorean Pseudepigrapha PART III - PLATO: PHILOSOPHY AS THE REGROWTH OF WINGS Plato’s Dialogues and Letters PART IV - NEOPLATONIC HERMENEUTICS AND THE WAY TO GOD 1. Porphyry - On the Life of Plotinus 2. Plotinus - Enneads 3. Porphyry - Letter to Marcella 4. Iamblichus - Exhortation to Philosophy 5. Iamblichus - On the Mysteries of the Egyptians 6. Hierocles - Commentary on the Golden Verses 7. Hermeias - Commentary on Plato’s Phaedrus 8. Marinus - Proclus or About Happiness 9. Proclus - Commentary on Plato’s Alcibiades I 10. Proclus - Theology of Plato 11. Proclus - Commentary on the Timaeus of Plato 12. Proclus - Commentary on the Chaldean Oracles 13. Proclus - Commentary on Plato’s Parmenides 14. Damascius - Commentary on Plato’s Phaedo 15. Damascius - On the First Principles GLOSSARY SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR FURTHER READING BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES INDEX “Neither Aristotle nor any other Platonic, or genuinely Hellenic philosopher, would have approved of what the modern European man, in his greedy desire for profit, and demonic will to power, has made out of Hellenic philosophia” —Christos C. EvangeliouIn modern times, Hellenic philosophy is almost always equated with “rationalism,” pure and simple, devoid of any spiritual contents. This could not be further from the truth. The unique approach in this book corrects the modern view of what Hellenic philosophy is and what kind of wisdom it presents. In reality, the Platonic and Pythagorean philosophy is a way of life and a means of spiritual realization. Its objective is to establish for practitioners a harmony with the cosmos, purifying their souls, and leading to union with the Divine Intellect and the One. Such philosophy is closer to the eternal Mysteries than to the fashions of Western logicians. By the Platonists and Pythagoreans themselves, their philosophy has been regarded as the “Golden Chain” of succession and transmission of essential and unchangeable knowledge. Though Pythagoras (born c.570 B.C.E.) did not invent philosophy as such, his role as a spiritual guide who reinterpreted and synthesized all available religious and philosophic knowledge (including the mysteries of Egypt and the science of Babylonia, inherited from Sumer) was crucial to the rise of the Hellenic intellectual tradition and the establishment of the so-called esoteric "house of mysteries."