Save

Socrates’ Debt to Asclepius: Physicians and Philosophers with Asclepian Souls in Late Antiquity

In: Numen
Author:
Svetla Slaveva-Griffin Florida State University, Department of Classics 205A Dodd Hall, Tallahassee, FL 32306 sslavevagriffin@fsu.edu

Search for other papers by Svetla Slaveva-Griffin in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
Download Citation Get Permissions

Access options

Get access to the full article by using one of the access options below.

Institutional Login

Log in with Open Athens, Shibboleth, or your institutional credentials

Login via Institution

Purchase

Buy instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):

$40.00

This article examines the development of the aspect of health in late Neoplatonic ontology as originated in Proclus and illustrated in Marinus’ Life of Proclus and Damascius’ Life of Isidore. In light of the steadily growing Neoplatonic interest in the philosophic value of the body and the widely spreading presence of the new and only Savior, Proclus looks closer at the Demiurge’s cosmological activity in the universe to discern its health-instituting nature based upon which he builds a health register distinguishing between Demiurgic and Asclepian health. The former maintains the orderly balance in the universe; the latter restores the individual’s health. Between the two kinds of health extends a healing ontological “chain” unfolding from the Demiurge through Apollo, Asclepius, and the healing heroes, ending in certain individual souls, which are endowed with special healing powers, i.e., Asclepian souls. Two examples of such souls are Proclus himself, as portrayed in his biography by Marinus, and one Iacobus Psychristus, as documented in Damascius’ Life of Isidore. The fact that one is a philosopher and the other is a physician captures the symbiotic relation of philosophy and medicine in late antiquity.

Content Metrics

All Time Past 365 days Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 510 85 7
Full Text Views 248 3 0
PDF Views & Downloads 96 8 0