The Heart of Plotinus: The Essential Enneads, Including Porphyry’s «On the Cave of the Nymphs»

Drawing parallels with other traditions, Uždavinys emphasizes that Plotinus' philosophy was not a purely mental or rational exercise, but a complete way of life incorporating the spiritual virtues. Plotinus is widely regarded as the founder of the school of Neo-Platonism and this book provides an introduction to his teachings and an informative commentary on the Enneads. Also included is a commentary by Plotinus' leading disciple, Porphyry (c. 233-305 A.D.), on an enigmatic passage from Homer's epic, the Odyssey. Foreword / By Jay Bregman -- The Philosophy Of Plotinus The Egyptian / By Algis Uždavinys. Plotinus And His Master Ammonius ; Plotinus And His School In Rome ; Plotinus And The Tradition Of Hellenic Philosophy ; The Metaphysics Of Plotinus ; Mystical Experience, Self-knowledge, And Union With The One ; Plotinus Between East And West ; Remarks On Stephen Mackenna's Translation -- Plotinus : The Enneads. Enn. I.2: On The Virtues ; Enn. I.3: On Dialectic ; Enn. I.6: On Beauty ; Enn. Ii.9: Against The Gnostics ; Enn. Iii.2: On Providence (i) ; Enn. Iii.5: On Love ; Enn. Iii.6: On The Impassivity Of The Unembodied ; Enn. Iii.8: On Nature, Contemplation, And The One ; Enn. Iv.3: Problems Of The Soul (i) ; Enn. Iv.4: Problems Of The Soul (ii) ; Enn. Iv.8: The Soul's Descent Into Body ; Enn. V.8: On The Intelligible Beauty ; Enn. Vi.5: On The Integral Omnipresence Of The Authentic Existent (ii) ; Enn. Vi.7: How The Multiplicity Of The Ideal-forms Came Into Being; And On The Good ; Enn. Vi.8: On Free Will And The Will Of The One ; Enn. Vi.9: On The Good, Or The One -- Porphyry's On The Cave Of The Nymphs And The Spiritual Exegesis Of Homer / By Algis Uždavinys. Porphyry And His Works ; Odysseus As A Philosopher And Spiritual Hero ; Porphyry's Allegorical Interpretation Of Homer ; Numenius And His Pythagorean Philosophy ; Cronius, The Companion Of Numenius ; Remarks On Thomas Taylor's Translation -- Porphyry : On The Cave Of The Nymphs. Edited By Algis Uždavinys ; Foreword By Jay Bregman. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 267-270) And Index. Cover Series Page Title Page Copyright c Page Contents Foreword The Philosophy of Plotinus the Egyptian Plotinus and His Master Ammonius Plotinus and His School in Rome Plotinus and the Tradition of Hellenic Philosophy The Metaphysics of Plotinus Mystical Experience, Self-Knowledge, and Unionwith the One Plotinus between East and West Remarks on Stephen MacKenna’s Translation Plotinus: The Enneads Ennead I.2: On the Virtues Ennead I.3: On Dialectic Ennead I.6: On Beauty Ennead II.9: Against the Gnostics Ennead III.2: On Providence (I) Ennead III.5: On Love Ennead III.6: On the Impassivity of the Unembodied Ennead III.8: On Nature, Contemplation, and the One Ennead IV.3: Problems of the Soul (I) Ennead IV.4: Problems of the Soul (II) Ennead IV.8: The Soul’s Descent into Body Ennead V.8: On the Intelligible Beauty Ennead VI.5: On the Integral Omnipresence of the AuthenticExistent (II) Ennead VI.7: How the Multiplicity of the Ideal-Forms Came intoBeing; and on the Good Ennead VI.8: On Free Will and the Will of the One Ennead VI.9: On the Good, or the One Porphyry's «On The Cave of the Nymphs» and The Spiritual Exegesis of Homer Porphyry and His Works Odysseus as a Philosopher and Spiritual Hero Porphyry's Allegorical Interpretation of Homer Numenius and His Pythagorean Philosophy Cronius, the Companion of Numenius Remarks on Thomas Taylor's Translation Porphyry: On the Cave of the Nymphs Selected Bibliography Biographical Notes Index Back Cover Drawing parallels with other traditions, the author emphasizes that Plotinus' philosophy was not a purely mental or rational exercise, but a complete way of life incorporating the spiritual virtues. He provides an introduction to his teachings and an informative commentary on the Enneads. Also included is a commentary by Plotinus' leading disciple, Porphyry (c. 233-305 A.D.), on an enigmatic passage from Homer's epic, the Odyssey. Plotinus was born at Lycopolis, in Upper Egypt in 204 CE, and died at Campania in 270 CE. In the twenty-eighth year of his life he applied himself to philosophy, and attended the lectures of the most celebrated men of that time in Alexandria. In 244 he went to Rome and won numerous adherents to his teaching, among them the Emperor Gallienus and his wife Salonina. He taught in Rome until about 268, retiring then to the country estate of a disciple in Campania. Plotinus did not reduce his doctrine to writing until toward the close of his life, and then did not publish it. His pupil Porphyry, arranged the fifty-four treatises of Plotinus in six Enneades, placing them in logical order from the simplest to the most abstruse, as well as chronological sequence. Drawing parallels with other traditions, U davinys emphasizes that Plotinus''philosophy was not a purely mental or rational exercise, but a complete way of life incorporating the spiritual virtues. Plotinus is widely regarded as the founder of the school of Neo-Platonism and this book provides an introduction to his teachings and an informative commentary on the Enneads. Also included is a commentary by Plotinus''leading disciple, Porphyry (c. 233-305 A.D.), on an enigmatic passage from Homer''s epic, the Odyssey.