Brill’s Companion to the Reception of Plato in Antiquity offers a comprehensive account of the ways in which ancient readers responded to Plato, as philosopher, as author, and more generally as a central figure in the intellectual heritage of Classical Greece, from his death in the fourth century BCE until the Platonist and Aristotelian commentators in the sixth century CE. The volume is divided into three sections: ‘Early Developments in Reception’ (four chapters); ‘Early Imperial Reception’ (nine chapters); and ‘Early Christianity and Late Antique Platonism’ (eighteen chapters). Sectional introductions cover matters of importance that could not easily be covered in dedicated chapters. The book demonstrates the great variety of approaches to and interpretations of Plato among even his most dedicated ancient readers, offering some salutary lessons for his modern readers too.
Harold Tarrant, Ph.D. (1972), Durham University, is Professor Emeritus at the University of Newcastle Australia. He has published, as author, editor or translator, numerous articles and fourteen books relating to ancient Platonism, including
Proclus: Commentary on Plato’s Timaeus, vols. I and VI (Cambridge).
Danielle A. Layne, Ph.D (2009), Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Gonzaga University, Spokane WA. She is the author of numerous articles on Plato and Neoplatonism and was the co-editor with Harold Tarrant of
The Neoplatonic Socrates (Penn Press).
Dirk Baltzly, Ph.D. (1994), Ohio State University, is Professor and Head of Philosophy & Gender Studies at the University of Tasmania. He has published extensively on ancient Platonism, including
Proclus: Commentary on Plato’s Timaeus, vols. III-V. His current projects include Proclus’
Republic Commentary and the
Phaedrus Commentary of Hermias.
François Renaud, Ph.D. (1996), Universität Tübingen, is Professor of Philosophy at the Université de Moncton (Canada). He has published mostly on Plato and Platonic interpretation, including
The Platonic Alcibiades I: The Dialogue and its Ancient Reception co-authored with Harold Tarrant.
Contributors are: Crystal Addey, Sara Ahbel-Rappe, Francesca Alesse, Polymnia Athanassiadi, Dirk Baltzly, Mauro Bonazzi, Michael Chase, Dennis Clark, John Finamore, Ryan C. Fowler, Gary Gabor, Lloyd Gerson, Michael Griffin, Christina Hoenig, Phillip Sidney Horky, Danielle A. Layne, Carl S. O’Brien, Dominic J. O’Meara, Jan Opsomer, Federico M. Petrucci, Ilaria Ramelli, François Renaud, Julius Rocca, Geert Roskam, Charles Snyder, Harold Tarrant, John D. Turner, Gerd Van Riel, Sarah Klitenic Wear, Sami Yli-Karjanmaa.
"Viene ricostruito, in maniera sempre chiara e ben argomentata, non solo quanto e come i filosofi, in nove secoli di storia, si siano sentiti legati a Platone a tal punto da costruirne ognuno una immagine coerente col proprio sistema di pensiero, ma anche e soprattutto quanto articolata sia stata la creazione e la difesa di una auctoritas filosofica, scientifica, teologica e letteraria. Gli editori – nomi ben noti nel panorama dei pioneristici ma anche recenti studi sul Platonismo –, Harold Tarrant, Danielle A. Layne, Dirk Baltzly e François Renaud, hanno il merito di costruire attorno a un’idea un disegno narrativo unitario. (...) tutti i saggi, benché ognuno a suo modo, appaiono costituire in sé una unità testuale che non interrompe, ma anzi consolida l’unitaria finalità del volume. Da esso traspare come la lettura e l’interesse per Platone riescano a nutrire intellettuali di eccezionale erudizione che hanno mantenuto viva l’eredità scritta del grande filosofo facendosi suoi interlocutori sulla scena delle diverse epoche storiche." - Anna Motta, in:
Elenchos 2018; 39(1): 171–178
"(...) this collection covers a vast range of material in a solid, perspicuous and enlightening way, and has given me, at least, a much better grasp of the foundation of Platonism and the way Plato was read for nearly a millennium." - Øyvind Rabbås, in:
The International Journal of the Platonic Tradition 2019; 13: 87-90
"Although the reception of Plato’s philosophy is discussed to various degrees in the standard handbooks and companions to Plato published in the last two decades,
Brill’s Companion to the Reception of Plato in Antiquity is the first English-language publication to do so in a truly comprehensive and systematic manner. (...) The volume will certainly set a new standard for research on the reception of Plato in Antiquity, but it will hopefully also encourage scholars specializing on Plato to reconsider Plato’s thought in light of later Platonism." - Adrian Pirtea, in:
Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2019.06.31
"In jedem Falle trägt Brill's Companion damit den Bedürfnissen eines Publikums Rechnung, das eine erste Orientierung auf einem Gebiet sucht, das selbst unter Altertumswissenschaftlern nur wenigen vertraut ist. Doch auch ein Spezialist dürfte kaum mit allen Bereichen des antiken Platonismus so vertraut sein, dass er nicht etliche Artikel mit Gewinn lesen wird." - Christian Pietsch, in:
H-Soz-Kult February 2019
Acknowledgements Abbreviations Notes on Contributors Introduction Part I. Early Developments in Reception Introduction: The Old Academy to Cicero 1 Speusippus and Xenocrates on the Pursuit and Ends of Philosophy Phillip Sidney Horky 2 The Influence of the Platonic Dialogues on Stoic Ethics from Zeno to Panaetius of Rhodes Francesca Alesse 3 Plato and the Freedom of the New Academy Charles E. Snyder 4 Return to Plato and Transition to Middle Platonism in Cicero François Renaud Part II. Early Imperial Reception of Plato Introduction: Early Imperial Reception of Plato 5 From Fringe Reading to Core Curriculum: Commentary, Introduction and Doctrinal Summary Harold Tarrant 6 Philo of Alexandria Sami Yli-Karjanmaa 7 Plutarch of Chaeronea and the Anonymous Commentator on the Theaetetus Mauro Bonazzi 8 Theon of Smyrna: Re-thinking Platonic Mathematics in Middle Platonism Federico M. Petrucci 9 Cupid's Swan from the Academy (De Plat. 1.1, 183): Apuleius' Reception of Plato Geert Roskam 10 Alcinous' Reception of Plato Carl S. O'Brien 11 Numenius: Portrait of a Platonicus Polymnia Athanassiadi 12 Galen and Middle Platonism: The Case of the Demiurge Julius Rocca 13 Variations of Receptions of Plato during the Second Sophistic Ryan C. Fowler Part III. Early Christianity and Late Antique Platonism Introduction: Early Christianity and Late Antique Platonism 14 Origen to Evagrius Ilaria Ramelli 15 Sethian Gnostic Appropriations of Plato John D. Turner 16 Plotinus and Platonism Lloyd P. Gerson 17 Porphyry Michael Chase 18 The Anonymous Commentary on the Parmenides Dennis Clark 19 Iamblichus, the Commentary Tradition, and the Soul John Finamore 20 Amelius and Theodore of Asine Dirk Baltzly 21 Plato's Political Dialogues in the Writings of Julian the Emperor Dominic J. O'Meara 22 Plato's Women Readers Crystal Addey 23 Calcidius Christina Hoenig 24 Augustine's Plato Gerd Van Riel 25 Orthodoxy and Allegory: Syrianus' Metaphysical Hermeneutics Sarah Klitenic Wear 26 Hermias: On Plato's Phaedrus Harold Tarrant and Dirk Baltzly 27 Proclus and the Authority of Plato Jan Opsomer 28 Damascius the Platonic Successor: Socratic Activity and Philosophy in the 6th Century CE Sara Ahbel-Rappe 29 The Anonymous Prolegomena to Platonic Philosophy Danielle A. Layne 30 Olympiodorus of Alexandria Michael Griffin 31 Simplicius of Cilicia: Plato's Last Interpreter Gary Gabor Conclusion Bibliography General Index Index Locorum