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Abstract:

Porphyry of Tyre (c. 234-305), Plotinus’s editor and the founder of the Neoplatonic Commentary tradition, is a prominent but also enigmatic figure in the history of philosophy. The main reason for this is the largely fragmentary state of his surviving writings, which have often reached us through the works of his opponents. Thus, Porphyry is generally known as the most sombre enemy of Christianity rather than as an innovative philosopher and logician, while the continuity of his thought and the place of Hellenism in his work are disputed. Using the evidence of the fragments and of his generally understudied metaphysical writings, this book undertakes an original account of Porphyry’s thought. It argues that Porphyry was a pionneer philosopher and makes a strong claim for the unity of his thought. In this light, Porphyry appears to be centered on Hellenic culture as this was reinterpreted through the authority of Plato, while his opposition to Christianity is seen as essentially philosophical.