Divine powers in late antiquity / edited by Anna Marmodoro and Irini-Fotini Viltanioti.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Marmodoro, Anna, 1975- editor.

Viltanioti, Irini-Fotini, editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Gods--Congresses.

Gods.

Genre:

Conference papers and proceedings.

Physical Description:

xi, 288 pages ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York, NY : Oxford University Press, 2017.

Summary:

Is power the essence of divinity, or are divine powers distinct from divine essence? Are they divine hypostases or are they divine attributes? Are powers such as omnipotence and omniscience modes of divine activity? Is there a multiplicity of gods whose powers fill the cosmos or is there only one god from whom all power derives and whose power permeates everything? These are questions that become central to philosophical and theological debates in Late Antiquity (roughly corresponding to the period between the second and the fifth centuries CE). The Pagan Neaplatonic thinkers of this era postulate a complex hierarchy of gods, whose powers express the unlimited power of the ineffable One, whereas, Christians proclaim the existence of only one God, one divine power or one 'Lord of all powers'. The first part of Divine Powers in Late Antiquity examines aspects of the notion of divine power as developed by the four major figures of Neoplatonism: Plotinus (c.204-270), Porphyry (c.234-305), Iamblichus (c.245-325), and Proclus (c.412-485). It focuses on an aspects of the notion of divine power that have been so far relatively neglected in the literature. Part two investigates the notion of divine power in early Christian authors, from the New Testament to the Alexandrian school (Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Athanasius) and to the Cappadocian Fathers (Basil, Gregory of Myssa), as well as in some of these as authors' sources (the Septuagint, Philo of Alexandria). The traditional view tends to overlook the fact that the Bible, particularly the New Testament, was at least as important as Platonic philosophical texts in the shaping of the early Christian thinking about the Church's doctrines. Whilst challenging the received interpretation by redressing the balance between the Bible and Greek philosophical texts, the chapters of this volume nevertheless argue for the philosophical value of early Christian reflections on the notion of divine power. The two groups of thinkers that each of the sections deal with (the Platonic-Pagan and the Christian one) share largely the same intellectual and cultural heritage; they are concerned with the same fundamental questions; and they often engage in more or less public philosophical and theological dialogue, directly influencing one another. Book jacket.

Contents:

Part I The Powers of the Gods: From Plotinus to Proclus

1 The Sources and Structures of Power and Activity in Plotinus / Kevin Corrigan Corrigan, Kevin 17

2 Human Action and Divine Power in Plotinus / Pauliina Remes Remes, Pauliina 38

3 Divine Powers and Cult Statues in Porphyry of Tyre / Irini-Fotini Viltanioti Viltanioti, Irini-Fotini 61

4 Iambhchus on Divination: Divine Power and Human Intuition / Peter T. Struck Struck, Peter T. 75

5 Powers and Poieseis: Statue Animation and Divine Manifestation in Proclus Diadochus' Commentary on the Timaeus / Todd Krulak Krulak, Todd 88

6 The Sceptre and the Sickle: The Transmission of Divine Power in the Orphic Rhapsodies / Marco Antonio Santamaria Álvarez Álvarez, Marco Antonio Santamaria 108

Part II The Powers of God: From Philo of Alexandria to the Cappadocian Fathers

7 Divine Powers in Philo of Alexandria's De opificio mundi / Baudouin S. Decharneux Decharneux, Baudouin S. 127

8 The Self-giving Power of God: Dunamis in Early Christianity / Jonathan Hill Hill, Jonathan 140

9 The Power of God in Some Early Christian Texts / Mark Edwards Edwards, Mark 163

10 Divine Power in Origen of Alexandria: Sources and Aftermath / Ilaria L. E. Ramelli Ramelli, Ilaria L. E. 177

11 Powers and Properties in Basil of Caesarea's Homiliae in hexaemeron / Andrew Radde-Gallwitz Radde-Gallwitz, Andrew 199

12 Gregory of Nyssa on the Creation of the World / Anna Marmodoro Marmodoro, Anna 218.

ISBN:

9780198767206

019876720X

OCLC:

928442814

Publisher Number:

99972303356