Description
Book SynopsisIn the post-Enlightenment world, philosophy and religion have come to occupy different, even opposed, domains. But how were they related before this? What were the commonalities and dissimilarities between them? Did they already contain the seeds of their later division – or do they still share enough in common to allow meaningful conversation between them? This new Brill series “Ancient Philosophy & Religion” provides an interdisciplinary platform for monographs, edited volumes and commentaries on this issue. It is edited by two leading scholars in the fields it brings together, George Boys-Stones (Ancient Philosophy) and George van Kooten (New Testament Studies), and is supported by an editorial board whose members are known for their work in the area. It invites scholars of ancient philosophy, Classics, early Judaism, ancient Judaism, New Testament & early Christianity, and all other relevant fields, to showcase their research on ancient philosophy and religion and to contribute to the debate. The series’ subject matter is symbolized by its icon, used by courtesy and permission of the New Acropolis Museum in Athens. It represents a dialogue between philosophers, as shown on one of the reliefs of the funeral sacrificial table (mensa) from the “House of Proclus” on the Southern slope of the Acropolis at Athens, excavated in 1955. Dating from 350-325 BC, the reliefs of the mensa depict, after the lamentation and the farewell, the posthumous encounter of the deceased with the philosophers (1950 NAM 90). The editors very much welcome proposals for monographs, edited volumes and even commentaries on relevant texts.
Table of ContentsContents Figures and Table 1 Introduction Johan Leemans, Geert Roskam and Peter Van Deun Part 1: Human Goal and Divine Perfection in Plato and the Platonist Tradition 2 Assimilation to God and Practical Life from Plato to Plotinus Paolo Torri 3 The God-like Plotinus and Proclus Two Neoplatonic Patterns of Perfection Robbert M. van den Berg 4 One Ideal, Various Paths to Perfection ‘Becoming like God’ in Proclus’ Commentary on the First Alcibiades Thibaut Lejeune 5 More than Perfect? The Distinction between “Completely Perfect” (παντελής) and “More than Perfect” (ὑπερτέλειος) in Proclus’ Description of the Intelligible Gods Arthur Oosthout Part 2: Human Goal and Divine Perfection in Early Christian Thought 7 Christian versus Pagan Perfection George Karamanolis 7 The Reader, the Bible, and the Path to Perfection Philo, Clement & Origen Marco Rizzi 8 Love’s Early Christian Lives Schemata and Scenarios of Love’s Perfecting Work in Representative Greek Patristic and Monastic Writers Paul M. Blowers 9 On the Concept of ‘Perfection’ in Maximus Confessor’s Genuine Capita Collections (ThOec, Car, CapXV, CapX) A Lexical Survey Pietro D’Agostino Part 3: Models of Perfection: Greek and Christian 10 Human Perfection in Plutarch Finding the Right Balance between Philosophy and Politics in the Comparison of Aristeides and Cato Maior Laurens van der Wiel 11 Dealing with Models and Virtue Plutarchean Synkriseis and Cappadocian Typology Thomas Valgaeren 12 Perfect Imitators of Christ? Saints and Martyrs as Models of (Im-)Perfection Peter Gemeinhardt Part 4: Pursuits of Perfection: Greek and Christian 13 Nunc Est Sudandum Training and Exercises in Stoicism and Epicureanism Geert Roskam 14 Galen on Human Perfection and Enhancement Morality, Medicine, Cosmology Teun Tieleman 15 Perfection in the Two Ways Tradition Aspirational or Attainable? Julien C. H. Smith 16 A Thousand Pains and a Thousand Crowns Perfection in the Homiletic Tradition Olympe De Backer and Johan Leemans 17 The Road to Perfection in the Apocalypse of Paul Jan N. Bremmer 18 Perfection – a Main (Educational) Topic in John Cassian’s Conferences? Dorothee Schenk 19 “The Perfect Imperfect Perfection of the Perfects” Longing for Perfection in the Ladder of John Sinaites Maxim Venetskov Index
