Han Baltussen

Philosophy and Exegesis in Simplicius (eBook, ePUB)

The Methodology of a Commentator

• Format: ePub

Produktbeschreibung

This is the first book-length study in English of the interpretative and philosophical approach of the commentaries of Simplicius of Cilicia (c. AD 530). Simplicius' work, marked by doctrinal complexity and scholarship, is unusually self-conscious, learned and rich in its sources, and he is therefore one of those rare authors who is of interest to ancient philosophers, historians and classicists alike. Here, Han Baltussen argues that our understanding of Simplicius' methodology will be greatly enhanced if we study how his scholarly approach impacts on his philosophical exegesis. His commentaries are placed in their intellectual context and several case studies shed light on his critical treatment of earlier philosophers and his often polemical use of previous commentaries. "Philosophy and Exegesis in Simplicius" not only clarifies the objectives, pre-suppositions and impact of Simplicius' work, but also illustrates how, as a competent philosopher explicating Aristotelian and Platonic ideas, he continues and develops a method that pursues philosophy by way of exegetical engagement with earlier thinkers and commentators. The investigation opens up connections with broader issues, such as the reception of Presocratic philosophy within the commentary tradition, the nature and purpose of his commentaries, and the demise of pagan philosophy.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Bloomsbury eBooks UK
• Seitenzahl: 224
• Erscheinungstermin: 12. Dezember 2013
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781472521460
• Artikelnr.: 40319060

Autorenporträt

Han Baltussen is the Walter W. Hughes Professor of Classics at the University of Adelaide. His research broadly focuses on intellectual and cultural history, in particular the transmission pathways of Greek philosophy, epistemology and themes of enduring significance (grief, pain, censorship). His most recent books include a new Loeb translation of Eunapius' Lives of Philosophers and Sophists (Harvard University Press, 2023) and (with J.R. Clarke and D. King) the edited volume Pain Narratives in Greco-Roman Writings. Representations of Physical and Mental Suffering (SAM 58-Brill, 2023). He is preparing a monograph on grief and (self-)consolation in antiquity.

Inhaltsangabe

Contents
Abbreviations
Preface
Introduction. Simplicius of Cilicia and Philosophy in Late Antiquity
0.1 Philosophy in Late Antiquity: eclecticism, syncretism and
'post-classicism'
0.2 Simplicius of Cilicia: life and works
0.3 Method and outline of this study
1. The Scholar and His Books
1.1 The author: philosophical and intellectual context
1.2 Scholarly pursuits: exegetical objectives and practices
1.3 A puzzle about location
1.4 Of books and men: Simplicius' scholarly method
2. Rethinking Early Greek Philosophy? Origins of Ancient Wisdom
2.1 What we have thanks to Simplicius
2.2 Two views on unity and plurality: Parmenides and Empedocles
2.3 A special case: Anaxagoras
2.4 The unity of Greek philosophy
3. Towards a Canon: the Early Peripatetics
3.1 Succeeding Aristotle, understanding Aristotle
3.2 Teaching Aristotle: Theophrastus and Eudemus
3.3 Simplicius and the early Peripatetics
4. Ghost in the Machine? The Role of Alexander of Aphrodisias
4.1 Two commentators, two traditions
4.2 Alexander the pioneer: exegetical format and style
4.3 Simplicius' use of Alexander
4.4 Disagreeing with Alexander
4.5 The ghost in the machine and the making of commentary
5. Platonist Commentators: Sources and Inspiration
5.1 A new Platonism: Plotinus
5.2 Harmonising strategies: from Porphyry to Proclus
5.3 Simplicius' teachers
5.4 Two outsiders: Galen and Themistius
5.5 Platonist exegesis from Plotinus to Simplicius
6. Polemic and Exegesis in Simplicius: Defending Pagan Theology
6.1 Polemic and philosophy: a very brief history
6.2 Against the Christian Philoponus: defending Platonism or paganism?
6.3 Extensive quotation and disagreement: Alexander revisited
6.4 The rhetoric of interpretation
Epilogue. Simplicius and Greek Philosophy: The Last Pagan Gospel?
7.1 The commentator's craft
7.2 Simplicius on Simplicius: self-image and self-presentation
7.3 Exegesis and philosophy: a complex relationship
7.4 The methodology of a commentator: a final appraisal
Appendix I The 'Library' of Simplicius
Appendix II A. New Evidence on Alexander
B. Distribution of Alexander References in in Phys.
Appendix III Sumphônia in Simplicius
Notes
Bibliography
Index Locorum
Index of Names
Subject Index