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Episode 115·March 31, 2021·neoplatonism

The Esoteric Plotinus, Part I: Philosophic Silence and Esoteric Reading

We discuss elements of the esoteric in two sources: Porphyry’s Life of Plotinus and the Enneads. We examine how best to read Porphyry’s positioning of his master as a late-antique Platonist sage (and how literally we should take all his readings of Plotinus’ actions), and then examine Plotinus’ c...

Listen on SHWEP19 sources in collection · 18 translated

Primary Sources

Twenty-four Dialogues of Plato

Plato · 895 · Greek · 869 pages
Fully translated

On Paradoxical Machines

Anthemius of Tralles · 950 · Greek · 432 pages

In 'On Paradoxical Machines,' Anthemius of Tralles offers a rare synthesis of high Euclidean theory and the practical grit of Byzantine engineering. As one of the master architects of Constantinople, Anthemius argues that the most profound challenges of the physical world—from the construction of bu

Fully translated

The Enneads of Plotinus

Plotinus (copied by John Skutariotes for Ficino) · 1460 · Greek · 363 pages

The 'Plotini Enneades' is the foundational pillar of Neoplatonism, presented here in a historic 1460 copy transcribed by the renowned scribe John Skutariotes. Plotinus offers a transformative perspective on reality, arguing that the material world is but a shadow of the 'Intelligible Realm' and that

Fully translated

Plotinus, Enneads I-VI; Porphyry, Vita Plotini

Plotinus; Porphyry · 1464 · Greek · 602 pages

This collection, organized by Porphyry, serves as a direct guide for anyone seeking to understand the soul's origin and ultimate return to the One. Plotinus treats philosophy not as an academic exercise, but as a practical path toward enlightenment. He argues that the physical world is merely a shad

Fully translated

The Complete Works of Plato Translated by Marsilio Ficino

Plato; Ficino, Marsilio (translator) · 1518 · Latin · 796 pages

This collection serves as a portal to the mind of Plato as seen through the eyes of one of the 15th century's most influential thinkers. Ficino treats philosophy not as a sterile academic exercise but as a medicine for the soul. He constructs an argument for the harmony between pagan wisdom and Chri

Fully translated

The Iliad and the Odyssey

Homerus · 1535 · Greek-Latin · 860 pages

This document offers a startlingly original perspective on Homer’s foundational works by weaving technical bibliographical analysis into the social fabric of 1990 Zurich. While the text provides meticulous collation notes that deconstruct the physical signatures of the Greek-Latin edition, it simult

Fully translated

Enneads (1580 Greek-Latin, Ficino trans.)

Plotinus | Ficino, Marsilio (trans.) · 1580 · Latin · 850 pages
Fully translated

The Roman History

Ammianus Marcellinus · 1600 · Latin · 746 pages

This history is the final major account of the Roman Empire written by a contemporary witness. Ammianus writes with the precision of a soldier and the cynicism of a man who survived multiple political purges. He makes bold claims about the moral decay of the Roman aristocracy and the destructive pow

Fully translated

Complete Plato (Thomas Taylor trans.)

Plato | Taylor, Thomas (trans.) · 1804 · English · 2850 pages

Thomas Taylor’s 'Complete Plato' is a monumental achievement that offers more than a mere translation; it provides the 'key' to the Platonic system through the profound insights of ancient Neoplatonic commentators. Taylor argues that philosophy is a divine discipline designed to lead the soul away f

Fully translated

Plotini Opera Omnia cum Ficini commentariis

Plotinus; Marsilio Ficino (trans.) · 1835 · Latin · 544 pages

Plotini Opera Omnia represents the pinnacle of Neoplatonic thought, blending the original 3rd-century mystical insights of Plotinus with the intellectual fire of the Renaissance philosopher Marsilio Ficino. This text serves as a rigorous bridge between the classical logic of Plato and the burgeoning

Fully translated

Timaeus (Greek text with commentary)

Plato (ed. R.D. Archer-Hind) · 1888 · Greek · 380 pages

R.D. Archer-Hind’s edition of the Timaeus offers a radical reinterpretation of Plato’s later philosophy, arguing that this dialogue represents the culmination of Platonic metaphysics where the dualism of mind and matter is finally resolved. By identifying Being with a Universal Mind, the text presen

Fully translated

Phaedo

Plato · 1890 · Greek · 320 pages

The Phaedo captures the final conversation of a man facing his own execution with absolute calm. Socrates argues that the philosopher spends their entire life preparing for death because the body acts as a prison for the truth. He maintains that true knowledge belongs only to the soul, which must ev

Fully translated

Works of Plato (Republic, Timaeus, Critias)

Plato · 1902 · Greek · 562 pages

Plato, the architect of Western philosophy, invites readers into a series of intellectual battles that remain startlingly modern. In these pages, he dismantles the cynical view that 'might makes right' and proposes a revolutionary vision of an ideal state where gender is no barrier to leadership and

Fully translated

The Homeric Hymns (Allen & Sikes Critical Edition)

Homer · 1904 · Greek · 422 pages

This landmark 1904 critical edition by Allen and Sikes offers a rigorous reconstruction of the Homeric Hymns, presenting them as vibrant 'rhapsodic preludes' that once set the stage for the performance of the Iliad and the Odyssey. Beyond mere translation, the editors make the bold claim that the te

Fully translated

Homer's Iliad (Books I-XII)

Homer · 1907 · Greek · 310 pages

This volume presents a critical foundation for the first half of the Trojan War. It cuts through centuries of scholarly debate to place the reader directly in the camp of the disgruntled Achilles. The text forces a confrontation with the brutal reality of leadership, where a king's vanity often dict

Fully translated

Works (Laws, Definitions)

Plato · 1907 · Greek · 618 pages
Fully translated

Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns, and Homerica

Hesiod & Homer (tr. Evelyn-White) · 1914 · Greek · 716 pages

This volume captures the transition of early Greek epic from the romantic, heroic tales of Ionia to the blunt, moralistic voice of the Boeotian school. It addresses the fundamental tension between divine will and human struggle. Readers will encounter the origins of the cosmos, the inescapable natur

72% translated

The Enneads of Plotinus Vol. I

Plotinus / Stephen McKenna · 1917 · English · 178 pages

The Enneads of Plotinus, translated with poetic intensity by Stephen McKenna, stands as the foundation of Neoplatonism and a bridge between classical Greek logic and Western mysticism. Plotinus offers a bold metaphysical hierarchy—The One, the Intellectual-Principle, and the Soul—arguing that our tr

Fully translated

Hesiod: Theogony, Works and Days, Testimonia

Hesiod; trans. Glenn W. Most · 2006 · Greek

This edition serves as the essential modern replacement for the century-old Evelyn-White translation, bringing contemporary scholarship to the ancient foundations of Greek myth and morality. Most presents the bold claim that Hesiod’s authority rests not on human apprenticeship, but on a direct, divi

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