Bøker av Plotinus

Regarded as the founder of Neo-Platonism, Plotinus (AD 204-70) was the last great philosopher of antiquity, producing 0works that proved in many ways a precursor to Renaissance thought. Plotinus was convinced of the existence of a state of supreme perfection and argued powerfully that it was necessary to guide the human soul towards this state. Here he outlines his compelling belief in three increasingly perfect levels of existence - the Soul, the Intellect, and the One - and explains his conviction that humanity must strive to draw the soul towards spiritual transcendence. A fusion of Platonism, mystic passion and Aristotelian thought, The Enneads offers a highly original synthesis of early philosophical and religious beliefs, which powerfully influenced later Christian and Islamic theology.

This complete collection of the Enneads unites the entire compendium by Plotinus, in an authoritative translation by classical scholars James MacKenna and B. S. Page.Following the traditional organization performed by Porphyry of Tyre, the six Enneads are comprised of a total of fifty-four tractates. Each of these concerns a subject of Plotinus' philosophy, be it the transit of the soul in the afterlife, the nature of phenomena such as beauty, or the characteristics of emotions such as happiness. Many of the writings are in the Platonist tradition, in keeping with the educational ideas of classical antiquity: Plotinus lived in Rome during the 3rd century AD, and was tutored in philosophy according to centuries of established practice.Significantly, Plotinus taught about the idea of the "One", a supreme being of the universe that could not be divided. His elaborations on this subject, plus his extensive discussions of human emotion and moral philosophy, made him a popularly referenced by pagans of his time, and successive waves of religious intellectuals, particularly from the Renaissance-era onward. In the 19th century a revival of interest took place, with the term neo-platonism assigned to late-classical era philosophies pioneered by Plotinus.

Plotinus (204/5-270 CE) was the first and greatest of Neoplatonic philosophers. His writings were edited by his disciple Porphyry, who published them sometime between 301 and 305 CE in six sets of nine treatises each (Enneads), with a biography of his master in which he also explains his editorial principles.

Plotinus III. Ennead VI

Plotinus II. Enneades IV et V

An English translation of Plotinus' seminal work in the development of early Western thought. The text offers detailed scholarly commentary on this area of Plotinus' philosophy, and should therefore be beneficial to those interested in ancient philosophy and early Christian theology.