Amelius

Amelio Gentilianos (Greek Ἀμέλιος Γεντιλιανός Amelio Gentilianós; * probably 216-226; † probably 290-300 ) was an ancient philosopher. He was Neoplatonists and belonged to the school of philosophy in Rome, which was led by his teacher Plotinus, the founder of Neo-Platonism.

Among the pupils of Plotinus Amelio played a prominent role. When his teacher fell ill fatal, he left 268/269 Rome and moved to the East of the Roman Empire. He settled in Apamea in Syria. His extensive body of work has been preserved only in fragments.

As a Platonist Amelio took introduced by Plato 's theory of ideas, which he ran out of the Neoplatonic interpretation. Among the ideas Platonists understood the eternal metaphysical archetypes of perishable objects of sense. The ideas they wrote an objective existence in a purely spiritual realm of the intelligible world, too. Emphatically to Amelio began for the Neo-Platonic belief according to which ideas are to be located only within the Nous, the divine world reason. However, the prevailing opinion in ancient Platonism, the number of ideas is limited, he refused. He thought that there was an infinite number of ideas. Thus he accepted the unacceptable for other Platonist idea of ​​a numerical infinity in the intelligible reality.

Life

Amelio came from Etruria. Although he thus was not of Greek origin, he used, as the Platonists was customary in his works always the Greek language. His name ( cognomen ) was originally Gentilianos (Latin Gentilianus ). For some unknown reason he was nicknamed ( super omen ) Amelio, is of Greek origin (derived from Ameles " carefree", " careless "). Plotinus, who found this epithet inappropriate, wanted him to Amerios change (of améreia, " indivisibility ", a property of the supreme deity ).

Since Amelio, when he joined 246 Plotinus, was probably about 20 to 30 years old, the period 216-226 is assumed for its birth. He received his first philosophical lessons from a Stoic named Lysimachus. Early on, he was inclined to Platonism, however, because he copied almost all the writings of the famous Mittelplatonikers Numenios and knew most as good as out. Under the influence of the teachings of Numenius he turned away from the Stoics and was a Platonist. The philosophy of Numenius ' friend Kronios may have influenced him already at this time. At that time there were around him probably no organized instruction in Platonic philosophy. This changed when, in 244 Plotinus came to Rome and founded his school of philosophy, of which the Neoplatonism took his output. Amelio came to this school a 246. He was a confidant of Plotinus and one of its most outstanding students.

In the lectures of Plotinus Amelio made ​​on transcripts. He also held himself in school classroom. At the polemics between the school of Plotinus and philosophical opponents, who were held in writing, he took strong share. Within the school there was a philosophical dispute between him and his classmates prominent Porphyry.

In contrast to Plotinus, the traditional religious ceremonies and sacrifices meant nothing, Amelio like to visit such events; he tried in vain to move Plotinus to participate.

268/269, apparently just before Plotinus his teaching had to illness definitely set Amelio left school. He went to the East of the Roman Empire, where he, copies of works of Plotinus brought the philosopher Longinus, who was advisor to the Queen Zenobia of Palmyra. As Plotinus 270 died, Amelio was in the Syrian city of Apamea. There he seems to be the civil rights gains and the rest of his life spent to have. In Apamea he adopted a local philosopher named Hostilianos Hesychius, to whom he dedicated his notes from the lectures of Plotinus.

Works

From the works of Amelio, who achieved a considerable overall size, only fragments remain. Some of her subjects are known from references in other authors.

• Records from the teaching of Plotinus: Up to 263 Amelio wrote no writings except a compilation of notes from the lectures of Plotinus. This collection grew over time - it was probably extended to 268/269 - to about a hundred books. Apparently, Amelio was not satisfied with mere reproduction of the classroom heard, but commented, where he incorporated his views and interpretations. His collection was not only intended for his personal use, but gained a certain distribution. The fact that he devoted to the philosopher Hostilianos Hesychius the records as a separate work, which can realize that he held his own share of overweight.

• Polemics against Porphyry: Porphyry turned soon after his admission to the school of Plotinus against the represented there doctrine that the Platonic ideas exist within the Nous. He even wrote a script in which he set out his objections to the position of his teacher, and laid them before him. Plotinus commissioned Amelios with the rebuttal. Then Amelio wrote an extensive treatise entitled "Against the aporias of Porphyry ," in which he attributed to the assistant of Porphyry contradictions in Plotinus' teaching on misunderstandings. Porphyry replied in a written reply. These Amelio took in another polemic position. Finally Porphyry changed under the impact of counter-arguments his opinion and wrote a retraction ( palinode ) his allegations, he lectured at the school. The controversy between Amelio and Porphyry should have played to 263/264.

• " On the Nature of Philosophy of Plotinus ' teaches in Athens Platonist Longinus represented as initially Porphyry also the belief that the ideas exist outside the Nous. At this opinion he held even after he had read the cancellation of Porphyry. He wrote an opinion on this issue, in which he received critical also to other teachings of the Roman school. Amelio defended the ruling in the Roman school views in a letter to Longinus, who had the form of a treatise entitled " On the Nature of Philosophy of Plotinus ." Since he particularly expressed there for interpretation of Plato's concept of justice, this letter treatise is called "On the justice according to Plato ." The detailed response letter of Longinus also reached the perimeter of a treatise. This exchange of letters occurred in the period around the mid-sixties.

• "Against the Book of Zostrianos ": These 40 books comprehensive polemic heard in the context of the polemic of Plotinus and his circle against the teachings of the Gnostics. Plotinus himself wrote a general treatise against the Gnostics, his students took on his behalf to individual gnostic works position. The Gnostics appealed inter alia on the Iranian religious founder Zoroaster, who lived later than the 6th century BC; in Rome were circulating in them revelatory literature that were put under his name. Against such literature was directed criticism of the neo-Platonists. So Porphyry wrote a treatise in which he exposed alleged revelations of the " Zoroastres " ( a Greek form of the name Zarathustra ) as a forgery. Amelio turned against a Gnostic work, the " Zostrianos " (another name variant Zarathustra ) was attributed, but probably originated in reality only in the first half of the 3rd century. From this anti-Gnostic polemic possibly comes from a formulated Amelio's Paraphrase of the Prologue of John's Gospel, the church father Eusebius cites of Caesarea in his Praeparatio evangelica.

• " On the difference between Plotinus and Numenius in terms of their doctrines ": This treatise written Amelio in three days after it had asked Porphyry. The dedicatory letter addressed to Porphyry has been preserved. Amelio writes that philosophers who had come from Greece, Plotinus accused that he had plagiarized Numenius, and also criticized his style. Against these attacks, the work of Amelio, whose purpose was to demonstrate the independence of Plotinus' thought and the essential characteristics of his philosophy in memorable form taught to hold.

• Plato Annotation: It is unknown whether traditional expressions of Amelios to individual dialogues of Plato ( Timaeus, Politeia, Parmenides, Philebus ) come from comments that he wrote to these dialogues, or memories of Porphyry based on oral communications of Amelio.

• Oracle of Apollo: How Porphyry reported Amelio inquired after Plotinus' death to the god Apollo - is apparently meant the oracle of Delphi - where the soul of the deceased had escaped. Porphyry handed a detailed answer of Apollo 51 in hexameters. In research, it is assumed that Amelio himself has sealed the verses in whole or in part, but also comes Porphyry as an author into consideration.

Teaching

The philosophy of Amelios be reconstructed only a relatively small part on the basis of fragmentary tradition. As the information also largely come from works whose authors assess the views of Amelio's critical is to be expected distortions caused by unilateral playback position.

Metaphysics

In metaphysics Amelio takes the Neoplatonic idea of ​​the intelligible world, which consists of the One, the Nous ( intellect ) and the soul for him, as for Plotinus. The term " soul " he understands the soul of the world as well as the individual souls of beings that are by their very nature do not distinguish from the world soul; the world soul is present in all individual souls. As far as the world soul "up " position, it forms a unit; by " descending ", it produces the numbers two, three and four. This is how the Tetraktys ( " Tetrad " ) of the Pythagorean cosmology, ties in with the Amelio.

A special feature is the division of Nous in three areas: the first, second and third intellect at Amelio. He starts from a point in Plato's Timaeus. The first intellect is the one who "is" par excellence. The second is that given in the first intelligible; it is that which that which is in the first, "hat", it contains comprehensive and it participates. The third is the one who " considered "; He has what is in the second, and he considers the first. With increasing distance from the first is the "having" weaker. The first intellect characterizes Amelio as wanting, the second as by thinking erschaffend, the third as physically generating. He calls the three intellects three rulers ( "kings" ). The third intellect, he identified with the creator god Phanes, who plays an important role in Orphism. All three are the Creator ( Demiurge ), but the third is the creator of quality in the first place. This trinity is reminiscent of the cosmology of Numenius. However, it is not three separate hypostases, but Amelio emphasized their unity; they can thus be considered as three aspects of a Nous.

Amelio holds the number of ideas ( forms ) for infinity, thus it allows the principle of numerical infinity in the intelligible world. It follows for him that the universe, although it exists indefinitely, never takes all forms and maps. He assumes that not only good things but also bad their own ideas correspond as causes. It sets the themed in the prologue of John's gospel album with the soul of the world described in Plato's Timaeus the same. But He conceals the Christian context - he calls the evangelists not by name, but mentions him only as " barbarians " - and represents an entirely different cosmology than John. From the world-soul, which is under her sensible world receives their order by means of the logoi. The nature gets the logoi of the world soul and the matter has to the logoi of nature share.

With regard to the individual souls Amelio apparently represents essentially the traditional Platonic doctrine, to which the souls belongs. He's like Plato and Plotinus believed that a soul that has inspired a human body can migrate later in an animal body; Thus he considers the human and the animal souls do not like Porphyry and Iamblichus for essentially different. In his view, the soul is always in a position to definitely withdraw from the cycle of rebirths. The soul is homogeneous ( homoiomerḗs ), its nature is one and always the same; in each of its parts are the things available in their entirety. The individuation of souls ( the cause of their individual existence ) is the position and arrangement ( katátaxis ). In a sense, the soul remains always "up" in her home, located in another respect it differs from itself and returns to itself. This way it contributes to both the principle of rest as well as the movement in itself.

Ethics

In ethics Amelio seeks to harmonize necessity and free will, with his understanding of the need to influence from Stoic ideas suggested. He represents no consistent determinism, but approves of freedom of a real existence, but she sees embedded in a company controlled by the need for world order. With regard to the assessment of lust he opposes - as usual Platonists - strongly supports the view of the Epicureans. He rejects the " kinetic " ( associated with intense emotion ) desire, since they deprive the people of reason and wisdom (as opposed to static pleasure, which arises from the peace of mind and freedom from pain).

Reception

Contemporary Platonist Porphyry as Longinus and respected Amelio despite weighty philosophical disagreements. Porphyry praised his diligence, none of his contemporaries have surpassed, but blamed his " unphilosophical " prolixity. He appealed to Longinus, a style-conscious literary critic, who had criticized the style of Amelio as prolix. Leading late antiquity Neoplatonists thought of his philosophy little: Iamblichus and Proclus were hostile about his views, Syrianos grabbed his doctrine that never all forms are shown in the cosmos, sharply, for it seemed unacceptable that it models without images, and causes no effect there. However, a defender was in Amelios Theodoros of Asine, the most famous pupil of Iamblichus.

Historians of philosophy discuss the hypothesis that Hegel knew the text of Eusebius about Amelio and his interpretation of John's Prologue and used for his own interpretation of the prologue.

In modern research, the key role of Amelio's in the school of Plotinus and his remarkable productivity is highlighted. The relatively small after-effect of his philosophy and the loss of his works is explained by the fact that he was a " loser" the history of philosophy since the late antique philosophy was largely shaped by the views of his critics.

Source book

• Anastasios N. Zoumpos (ed.): Amelii Neoplatonici fragmentary, Athens, 1956 ( compilation of the source texts)