Theurgy and the Soul: The Neoplatonism of Iamblichus (2nd

Theurgy and the Soul: The Neoplatonism of Iamblichus (2nd edition)

Theurgy and the Soul is a study of Iamblichus of Syria (ca. 240â€“325), whose teachings set the final form of pagan spirituality prior to the Christianization of the Roman Empire. Gregory Shaw focuses on the theory and practice of theurgy, a term meaning â€œdivine action,â€ the most controversial and significant aspect of Iamblichusâ€™s Platonism. Unlike previous Platonists, who stressed the elevated status of the human soul, Iamblichus taught that the soul descends completely into the body and requires the performance of theurgic ritesâ€”-revealed by the gods--to unite the soul with the One.

Iamblichus was a seminal Platonic philosopher whose views on the soul and the importance of ritual profoundly influenced subsequent thinkers such as Proclus, Damascius, and Dionysius the Areopagite. Iamblichusâ€™s vision of a hierarchical cosmos united by divine ritual became the dominant worldview for the entire medieval world, and played an important role in the Renaissance Platonism of Marsilio Ficino. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote that he expected a reading of Iamblichus to cause a â€œrevival in the churches.â€ Yet, until recently, modern scholars have dismissed him, seeing theurgy as ritual magic or an attempt to manipulate the gods. Shaw, however, shows that theurgy was a subtle and intellectually sophisticated attempt to apply Platonic and Pythagorean teachings to the full expression of human existence in the material world. This new edition includes a foreword by John Milbank and Aaron Riches showing the Christian sacramental implications of Iamblichean theurgy, and a new preface from the author.
Country USA
Manufacturer Angelico Press/Sophia Perennis
Binding Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate 2015-01-27
Format Kindle eBook

Country	USA
Manufacturer	Angelico Press/Sophia Perennis
Binding	Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate	2015-01-27
Format	Kindle eBook

Theurgy and the Soul: The Neoplatonism of Iamblichus (2nd edition)

You might also like...