Asclepius of Tralles

Asclepius of Tralles (Greek Ἀσκληπιός Asklepios, Asclepius of Tralles also ) was a late ancient philosopher. He belonged to the Neo-Platonic direction. His birth perhaps falls into the late 5th century, his work in the 6th century. He came from the city of Aydin in western Asia Minor and studied in Alexandria.

Life

About the life of Asclepius almost nothing is known. From his own statements indicate that he was a disciple of the renowned Neoplatonist Ammonius Hermeiou who taught in Alexandria. Like his teacher was Asklepios on the old religion, that stood in opposition to Christianity, which was at that time the state religion. He is not to be confused with the homonymous scholar who was a pupil of Ammonius also and taught medicine.

Works

Asklepios wrote two works that have been preserved: a commentary on the beginning ( Books A to Z) of the metaphysics of Aristotle, and a commentary on the introduction to the arithmetic of Nicomachus of Gerasa. Both comments are based primarily on records, who prepared Asklepios in the teaching of Ammonius, and thus give a large extent the views of Ammonius again. The Metaphysics comment is the most important source for the Metaphysics of Ammonius. Asklepios adds material derived from the incompletely preserved Metaphysics commentary of Alexander of Aphrodisias; He is heavily influenced by Alexander. Whether he was present a complete copy of Alexander's work, however, is uncertain. Even the Metaphysics comment Syrianos he has used.

Teaching

Like his teacher Ammonius represents Asklepios widespread in Neuplatonikerkreisen view that Aristotelian philosophy agree essentially with the Platonism. Aristotle did not Plato's ontology discarded, but only their erroneous interpretation of some Platonists. Therefore cares Asklepios Aristotelian positions to defend, but if he disagrees with Aristotle, he does not shy away from criticism. An independent existence of the ideas he rejects; he thinks that the ideas exist in the Demiurge ( Creator ).

Reception

John Philoponus, another pupil of Ammonius, wrote a commentary metaphysics, for the comment of Asclepius was a major source. In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the more in-depth work of Philoponus achieved a far stronger aftereffect than that of Asklepios.

In modern research is the question of whether the comments of Asclepius are mere compilations, or a philosophical self- performance of Asclepius is recognizable and are perceived differently. Leonardo Taran assumes that Asclepius had barely introduced their own thoughts. Similarly, negatively judged in the 19th century Alfred Gercke and Michael Hayduck, the editor of the Metaphysics commentary. Other investigations have resulted in a better estimation; so thinks, for example, Arthur Madigan, Asklepios had relatively uninhibited sought an understanding of the philosophy of Aristotle, instead of just presenting his own way of thinking.

Text output

  • Leonardo Taran (ed.): Asclepius of Tralles: Commentary to Nicomachus ' Introduction to Arithmetic. The American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia 1969.
  • Asclepii in Aristotelis libros metaphysicorum A-Z Commentaria, ed. Michael Hayduck. Georg Reimer Verlag, Berlin 1888 ( Commentaria in Aristotelem Graeca vol 6, part 2; critical edition ).
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