Neoplatonism

Neoplatonism is a version of Platonic philosophy that emerged in the 3rd century AD against the background of Hellenistic philosophy and religion. The term does not encapsulate a set of ideas as much as a series of thinkers. Among the common ideas it maintains is monism, the doctrine that all of reality can be derived from a single principle, “the One”.

Neoplatonism began with Ammonius Saccas and his student Plotinus (c. 204/5 – 271 AD) and stretched to the sixth century. After Plotinus there were three distinct periods in the history of neoplatonism: the work of his student Porphyry (third to early fourth century); that of Iamblichus (third to fourth century); and the period in the fifth and sixth centuries, when the academies in Alexandria and Athens flourished.

Neoplatonism had an enduring influence on the subsequent history of Western philosophy and religion. In the Middle Ages, Neoplatonic ideas were studied and discussed by Christian, Jewish, and Muslim thinkers. In the Islamic cultural sphere, Neoplatonic texts were available in Arabic and Persian translations, and notable philosophers such as al-Farabi, Solomon ibn Gabirol (Avicebron), Avicenna (Ibn Sina), and Maimonides incorporated Neoplatonic elements into their own thinking.

Christian philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) had direct access to the works of Proclus, Simplicius of Cilicia, and Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, and he knew about other neoplatonists, such as Plotinus and Porphyry, through second-hand sources. The German mystic Meister Eckhart (c. 1260 – c. 1328) was also influenced by neoplatonism, propagating a contemplative way of life which points to the Godhead beyond the nameable God. Neoplatonism also had a strong influence on the perennial philosophy of the Italian Renaissance thinkers Marsilio Ficino and Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, and continues through 19th-century Universalism and modern-day spirituality.

wikipedia/en/Neoplatonism

There are no fundamentally different “types” of Neoplatonism, but rather different historical periods and influential thinkers who developed the philosophy in their own ways. The main schools of thought are defined by their key figures, such as Plotinus and his early followers like Porphyry, Iamblichus, and later scholars like Proclus and Augustine of Hippo. These variations involve differences in cosmology, views on the divine, and the path to salvation. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Plotinian and early Neoplatonism

Key figure: Plotinus (205–270 AD).
Core ideas: Developed the basic framework of emanation, a hierarchy of being that starts with “The One” and flows down through Nous (Intellect) and Psyche (Soul) to the material world.
Focus: Contemplation and the return to the One through philosophical understanding. [1, 6, 7, 8, 9]

Iamblichean Neoplatonism

Key figure: Iamblichus (c. 245–325 AD).
Core ideas: Diverged from Plotinus by emphasizing the role of the gods and rituals in achieving divine union.
Focus: Theurgy, a system of rituals and divine interventions, was considered a necessary and more direct path to the divine than philosophical contemplation alone. [1, 4, 10, 11, 12]

Proclean Neoplatonism

Key figure: Proclus (412–485 CE).
Core ideas: Expanded on the complex, hierarchical structure of the divine and the cosmos, building upon the work of Iamblichus.
Focus: The systematic explanation of the entire cosmos and the relationships between all divine and created beings. [1, 4]

Christian and other Neoplatonic traditions

Key figures: Augustine of Hippo (354–430 AD) and the Cambridge Platonists.
Core ideas: Adapted Neoplatonic ideas into a Christian framework, with Augustine using concepts like the One to describe God and evil as a privation of good.
Focus: The integration of Neoplatonic philosophy with religious and mystical traditions, shaping the development of later Christian theology. [2, 3, 13, 14, 15]

AI responses may include mistakes.

[1] https://iep.utm.edu/neoplato/

[2] https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-examples-of-contemporary-Neo-Platonism

[3] wikipedia/en/Neoplatonism_and_Christianity

[4] https://www.miskatonicbooks.com/2023/12/neoplatonism-a-historical-timeline/

[5] https://handwiki.org/wiki/Philosophy:Neoplatonism

[6] https://philosophyball.miraheze.org/wiki/Neoplatonism

[7] https://philosophy-and-fiction.fandom.com/wiki/Neoplatonism

[8] https://fiveable.me/greek-philosophy/unit-18/hierarchy-emanation/study-guide/25sD2dDqzmJLwZjK

[9] wikipedia/en/Plotinus

[10] https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/8/1084

[11] https://oxfordre.com/classics/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-3221?p=emailAesbL2VEuQED.&d=/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-3221