Philosophy in Late Antiquity

One of the most significant cultural achievements of Late Antiquity lies in the domains of philosophy and religion, more particularly in the establishment and development of Neoplatonism as one of the chief vehicles of thought and subsequent channel for the transmission of ancient philosophy to the medieval and renaissance worlds. Important, too, is the emergence of a distinctive Christian philosophy and theology based on a foundation of Greek pagan thought. This book provides an introduction to the main ideas of Neoplatonism and some of the ways in which they influenced Christian thinkers.

Autorentext

Andrew Smith has been Professor of Classics in University College Dublin since 1992. His main interest is Greek philosophy, especially Neoplatonism; his previous publications include Porphyry's Place in the Neoplatonic Tradition and the Teubner edition of Porphyry's fragments.

Zusammenfassung
Philosophy in Late Antiquity provides an essential new introduction to the key ideas of the Neoplatonists, which affected approaches to Plato as late as the nineteenth century. Andrew Smith shows how they influenced Christian thought and his approach not only allows us to appreciate these philosophical ideas in their own right, but it also gives us significant insights into the mentality of the age which produced them.