Elias (commentator)

Elias (Greek Ἠλίας Elias ) was a late ancient philosopher ( Neoplatonist ). His teaching activity falls well in the center and in the second half of the 6th century. He evidently belonged to the philosophical school of Alexandria, writing in the Greek language.

Life

About the life of Elijah no details have survived; all assumptions represented in the research are inferences from circumstantial evidence in his works. That he was at least nominally Christian, is inferred from his Christian name, but is not proven. His thinking is from Neoplatonism, the dominant in Late Antiquity philosophical direction marked.

Numerous passages in the writings, probably partly secure, partly suspected of Elias, agree in works Olympiodorus the Younger with points. Olympiodorus was a prominent pagan philosopher; he taught in the Neo-Platonic school of Alexandria. Therefore, the assumption is obvious that Elias has also lived and taught in Alexandria and that he was a pupil of Olympiodorus. However, speculative is the assumption that Olympiodoros conductor ( Scholarch ) the school was and that Elias succeeded him in this office. From Elias ' likely participation in the teaching of Olympiodorus gives an approximate chronology of his philosophical activity, as Olympiodorus is the last time attested in the year 565 as alive.

Elias was entitled apo epárchōn ( " Apoeparch ," former eparch ). As the name eparch was often used for high administration officials, it has been suggested, the philosopher Elias was identical with the homonymous Eparch ( praetorian prefect ) of Illyria, which is attested in the year 541 as a caretaker. The title " Apoeparch " but was awarded the Eastern Roman Empire also honorary scholar at; Therefore, the implication is that Elias has had an office, not mandatory.

Works

The works of Elias were probably not intended by him for publication. As with many late antique writings of this kind is at least partially to unauthorized transcripts of students from his classes. With this restriction, the following works are attributed to him as genuine:

  • " Prolegomena to Philosophy ," an anonymous betrayer of twelve lessons ( praxeis ) existing introduction to the Neo-Platonic philosophy. The " Prolegomena " have the character of a Protreptikos ( an encouragement to the philosophy of writing); Elias emphasizes the Platonic idea of ​​the philosophy deify humans, and praises the philosophical activity enthusiastic. With many quotes he refers to Plato, Homer, and other conventional authorities.
  • An Introduction ( " Prolegomena " ) and a commentary on the Neoplatonist Porphyry of Isagoge. The work is delivered anonymously, but is cited in Byzantine scholia stating the author's name Elias.
  • Scholia (explanations of individual passages ) to the De interpretatione ( Peri hermēneías ) of Aristotle. Elias is attested as a writer handwritten. The scholia are probably parts of a lost commentary of Elijah to this work of Aristotle.
  • A comment on the Analytica priora of Aristotle, of which only the beginning is preserved. It is indicated in the heading as a recording of a student from class of Elijah.
  • One of Elias mentioned at the end of his introduction to Isagoge, otherwise unknown commentary on the Analytica posteriora that is either lost or not been identified.

The following works are possibly or certainly not authentic:

  • A commentary on the Categories of Aristotle ( "Declaration of the ten categories of philosophy " ) with an introduction to the philosophy of Aristotle. In Alexandria, it was common for a category Commentary accompanied by such an introduction. This work is not only Greek handed, but also in an incompletely preserved Armenian version, missing from the only in the handwriting of beginning and end. While in the Armenian manuscript no Responsibility is to find the plant in the Greek tradition is referred to as postscript from the lessons of the philosopher David, another Neoplatonist. In the research is controversial, who wrote it. The publisher Adolf buses follow a number of historians philosophy, argues for an appreciation of Elias; other researchers, including Ilsetraut Hadot, David hold for the author. A clue for the dating results from the fact that the damage caused in the first half of the 6th century Category Commentary of John Philoponus is quoted.
  • " Prolegomena to Plato's philosophy ," an anonymous handed down work. The unknown author belongs to the school of thought Olympiodorus the Younger; maybe it is one of his students - perhaps Elias - or to a disciple of Elijah.
  • A comment on Isagoge, the part of David, some Elias is attributed in the manuscript tradition, but can come in reality none of these two philosophers. The name of the author as a " pseudo - Elijah" has become common.
  • "On the directions " (Greek Peri hairéseōn ), a commentary on Galen 's De sectis, to the Elias possibly alludes to one point in his " Prolegomena to Philosophy ". The reference is not clear, and otherwise is not aware of such a work of Elias known. Anyway, is not meant a treatise on philosophical schools.

Teaching

Unclear is the religious belief of Elijah. Your determination preclude two difficulties. First, it is uncertain whether the relevant evidence in the comment attributed to him to the categories of Aristotle can be utilized because the authenticity of the comment is moot. Second, it is likely that it is clearly Christian individual observations in the " Prolegomena to Philosophy " by insertions ( interpolations ) is that do not originate from the author, because the content they are foreign bodies. Since the traditional text appear to contain such additives of a Christian, the authenticity of all the Christian references in the works of Elias is questionable. However, it is also possible that Christian remarks that are partly polemically antipagan and contradict the other content, were interspersed by the author himself, because he wanted to protect themselves in this way against the suspicion of disbelief.

What is certain is that the possibly identical with Elias author of the Categories commentary the conviction of the pagan Neoplatonist informed us that the physical world exists eternally. So he rejects implicitly church doctrine of the creation of the world in time and from the world to end. Thus it can be assumed that he was Christianized either pagan or only very superficially. The " Prolegomena to Philosophy " are characterized by paganem thinking. Therefore, Christian Wildenberg doubted even the existence of a philosopher named Elias; he thinks that the Elias works ascribed by an unknown pagan Neoplatonist come.

In Isagoge comment claiming Elias, the idea that God is physically, do not be absurd. This for a Platonist as well as for a Christian unusual and offensive -sounding statement is not to be understood as meaning that Elias has believed in a physical God. Rather, he has investigated the possibility of a material God only theoretical.

Reception

In Byzantine logic compendiums from the period from the late 6th to the middle of the 8th century texts by Elias and David were recycled. At that time there was a demand for scarce summaries of Aristotelian logic, which presented the substance of the relevant doctrinal writings of the late Alexandrian school in didactically processed form.

Text output

  • Adolf Busse ( eds.): Eliae in Porphyrii Isagogen et Aristotelis Categorias Commentaria. Georg Reimer Verlag, Berlin 1900 ( Commentaria in Aristotelem Graeca vol 18 part 1; critical edition of the " Prolegomena to Philosophy ", the Prolegomena and the comments about Isagoge and categories commentary )
  • Sen S. Arevšatyan (ed.): Erkasirowt'iwnk ' p'ilisop'ayakank '. Haykakan SSH GA Hrat, Erevan 1980, p 193-300 ( edition of the Armenian version of the Categories commentary )
  • Adolf Busse ( eds.): Ammonius: In Aristotelis De interpretatione commentarius. Georg Reimer Verlag, Berlin 1897 ( Commentaria in Aristotelem Graeca Vol 4 Part 5; therein pp. XXVI- XXVIII critical edition of the coming of Elias scholia to De interpretatione )
  • Leendert Gerrit Westerink (ed.): Elias on the Prior Analytics. In: Leendert Gerrit Westerink: Texts and Studies in Neoplatonism and Byzantine Literature. Collected Papers. Hakkert, Amsterdam 1980, ISBN 90-256-0765-9, pp. 59-72 ( critical edition )

Translations

  • Athanase Papadopoulos: Un ouvrage inconnu du philosophe Élie. Un nouveau manuscrit of " Prolégomènes à la philosophie " de David. In: Revue des sciences sociales roumaine. Série de philosophie et logique 13, 1969, pp. 343-353 ( pp. 349-353 contains a French translation part of the commentary on the Analytica priora on the basis of a manuscript in Bucharest )
  • Olof Gigon (ed.): Aristotle: Introduction writings. German Taschenbuch Verlag, Munich 1982, ISBN 3-423-06117-0 ( includes S. 322-343 a partial translation of the introduction to the Categories commentary: " The ten main points of Aristotelian philosophy " )
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