Polycentric Polytheism and the Philosophy of Religion
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/pome.v10i2.207Keywords:
Polytheism, Neoplatonism, Proclus, Henotheism, DemiurgeAbstract
The comparison drawn by the Neoplatonist Olympiodorus between the Stoic doctrine of the reciprocal implication of the virtues and the Neoplatonic doctrine of the presence of all the gods in each helps to elucidate the latter. In particular, the idea of primary and secondary “perspectives” in each virtue, when applied to Neoplatonic theology, can clarify certain theoretical statements made by Proclus in his Cratylus commentary concerning specific patterns of inherence of deities in one another. More broadly, the “polycentric” nature of Neoplatonic theology provides a theoretical articulation for henotheistic practices within polytheism without invoking evolutionist notions of “monotheistic tendencies.” The Neoplatonic distinction between the modes of unity exhibited by divine individuals (“henads”) and ontic units (“monads”), which is integral to the polycentric theology, also provides a theoretical basis for the non reductive crosscultural comparison between deities. The polycentric theology thus offers a promising foundation for a polytheistic philosophy of religion.References
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Pasquali, Georgio, ed. Proclus Diadochus in Platonis Cratylum Commentaria. Leipzig: Teubner, 1908.
Saffrey, Henri Dominique, and L. G. Westerink, Proclus: Théologie Platonicienne. 6 vols. Paris: Les Belles Lettres, 1968-1997.
Assmann, Jan, Moses the Egyptian: The Memory of Egypt in Western Monotheism. Cambridge. Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1997
Baines, John. “Egyptian Syncretism: Hans Bonnet’s Contribution.” Orientalia 68 (1999):199-214.
Bonnet, Hans. “On Understanding Syncretism.” Translated by John Baines. Orientalia 68 (1999), 181-98.
Butler, Edward P. “Offering to the Gods: A Neoplatonic Perspective.” Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft 2 (2007), 1-20. doi:10.1353/mrw.0.0029
Clarke, Emma C., J. M. Dillon and J. P. Hershbell, trans. Iamblichus: On the Mysteries. Atlanta: Society for Biblical Literature, 2003.
Cousin, Victor, ed. Procli Philosophi Platonici Opera Inedita. Frankfurt am Main: Minerva, 1962
Creuzer, Friedrich, ed. Olympiodori In Platonis Alcibiadem Priorem Commentarii. Frankfurt am Main: Brönner, 1821.
Diehl, Ernst, ed., Procli Diadochi In Platonis Timaeum commentaria. 3 vols. Leipzig: Teubner, 1903-6).
E. R. Dodds, Proclus: The Elements of Theology, 2nd ed. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1963.
Eck, Diana L. Darsan: Seeing the Divine Image in India. New York: Columbia University Press, 1998.
Hadot, Pierre. Porphyre et Victorinus. 2 vols. Paris: Études Augustiniennes, 1968.
Hornung. Erik. Conceptions of God in Ancient Egypt: The One and the Many. Translated by John Baines. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1982.
Long, A.A. and D. N. Sedley. The Hellenistic Philosophers. 2 vols. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987.
Morrow, Glenn R., and John M. Dillon. Proclus’ Commentary on Plato’s Parmenides. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1987.
Müller, F. Max. A History of Ancient Sanskrit Literature. London: Williams and Norgate, 1859.
———. Lectures on the Origin and Growth of Religion as Illustrated by the Religions of India. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1879.
———. Selected Essays on Language, Mythology and Religion. 2 vols. London: Longmans, Green, and Co, 1881.
Pasquali, Georgio, ed. Proclus Diadochus in Platonis Cratylum Commentaria. Leipzig: Teubner, 1908.
Saffrey, Henri Dominique, and L. G. Westerink, Proclus: Théologie Platonicienne. 6 vols. Paris: Les Belles Lettres, 1968-1997.
Published
2009-04-20
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Articles
How to Cite
Butler, E. P. (2009). Polycentric Polytheism and the Philosophy of Religion. Pomegranate, 10(2), 207-229. https://doi.org/10.1558/pome.v10i2.207
