Stephen Cooper on Marius Victorinus, Philosophy, Panpsychism, and a Modern Religious Platonism
We keep the tape running and continue our discussion with Prof Cooper, asking him how Victorinus’ thought might provide useful tools for thinking toward a philosophically-satisfying Christianity today. Things get psychedelic, philosophic, and Platonistic.
Primary Sources
Cotton MS Tiberius C I
This manuscript acts as a dual manual for the medieval mind. It provides the tools to map the movements of stars and calculate the tides of time while simultaneously arming the believer against spiritual threats. The authors argue that the universe functions through mathematical precision, yet they
royal ms 12 e xx
This manuscript acts as a direct link to the minds of medical giants like Hippocrates and Galen. It moves beyond theory to show how practitioners categorized illnesses, interpreted bodily discharges, and weighed the risks of surgery against the dangers of doing nothing at all. The text argues that n
Galen (Cambridge, Gonville and Caius College, MS 360/587)
This manuscript captures the aggressive intellectual stance of a physician determined to ground medicine in observable reality. Galen rejects the invisible atoms and voids proposed by his rivals, favoring a model of nature that acts with foresight and technical skill. He treats the human body as a c
Pal.gr.182
This work functions as the primary archive of ancient Greek philosophy. It moves beyond abstract theories to track the personal successions, dramatic exits, and bitter rivalries of history's greatest thinkers. You will encounter everything from the early cosmologies of pre-Socratic thinkers to the r
The Consolation of Philosophy
This 1486 edition presents a cornerstone of Western thought, blending Boethius's poetic tragedy with Thomas Waleys’s rigorous medieval commentary. As a former statesman unjustly condemned to death, Boethius argues that true freedom is found not in political power or material wealth, but in the 'secr
Parva Naturalia and Ambigua
Reg.gr.80 is a monumental intellectual tapestry that weaves together Classical philosophy and Patristic theology into a singular vision of human existence. The text moves boldly from Porphyry’s defense of Homeric epics to the radical 'Hesychast' claim that man can experience God through stillness an
Medical Compendium: Galen and Hippocrates
This manuscript offers a rare, panoramic view of the late antique mind, synthesizing the empirical observations of Aelius Galenus with a rigorous spiritual inquiry into the nature of the Logos and the Mosaic Law. It posits bold claims: that the human 'imaginative spirit' is the sovereign organ of bo
Plutarchi Vitae . Ploutarchou Bioi
Arist. De arte poetica . Aristotelous Peri poietikes . Ac praeterea Plutarchi, Herodoti, Dionis Chrysostomi, Libanii, Menandri, ac Demetrii Phalerei quaedam
Aristotle changed how we think about storytelling, but this volume goes much further. It includes essential guidance from Plutarch and Demetrius on how to read, write, and think critically. You will discover why poetry is more philosophical than history and how to spot a writer who is trying to dece
The Histories of Herodotus and Works of Plutarch and Gemistus Plethon
The authors examine why civilizations collapse and how leaders lose their grip on reality. By juxtaposing Herodotus's accounts of imperial hubris with the metaphysical arguments of Plethon and Plutarch, the text bridges the gap between ancient storytelling and systematic philosophy. You will encount
Parallel Lives
Bodleian Library MS. Barocci 226 offers a profound exploration of leadership, civic identity, and the transition from tyranny to democracy. Plutarch navigates the 'Growing Argument' through the legendary Ship of Theseus while providing a harrowing account of the Roman Republic's earliest days—where
De Civitate Dei
On the Institution of Music (De institutione musica)
De institutione musica is a foundational pillar of Western thought, transforming music from a mere performance art into a rigorous mathematical discipline of the Quadrivium. Boethius argues that the true 'musician' is not the one who plays an instrument, but the thinker who understands the numerical
Quaestiones Convivales (Moralia 46 = Plan. 78) (defective at the end and with lacunae) (Cambridge, University Library, MS Nn.2.39)
This text invites you to pull up a chair at a table populated by the greatest minds of antiquity. Plutarch bridges the gap between the trivial and the cosmic, arguing that how we dine, drink, and converse reflects our deepest moral character. He treats the symposium not as a place for simple revelry
The Consolation of Philosophy
The Consolation of Philosophy is a profound meditation on the fickleness of fate, composed by a Roman statesman at the brink of death. Boethius presents a revolutionary argument: that 'Ill Fortune' is actually more beneficial than 'Good Fortune' because it strips away illusions and reveals the truth
The Histories and Parallel Lives
Herodotus treats the past as a global crime scene where oracles mislead kings and empires vanish overnight. Plutarch then shifts the focus to the individuals behind the power, weighing the moral worth of lawgivers and tyrants alike. Together, they document how the wheel of fortune turns regardless o
Genève, Bibliothèque de Genève, Ms. gr. 42
This manuscript acts as a clinical manual for the ancient world, prioritizing physical testing over the abstract theories of competing medical sects. Galen argues that a physician must understand the specific temperament of a substance relative to the human body to achieve a successful cure. He reje
On Nature and Grace and On the Spirit and the Letter
In this definitive defense of Divine Grace, Augustine of Hippo confronts the bold Pelagian claim that human nature is inherently capable of sinlessness. He argues that while humanity was created good, original sin has left the race as a 'mass of perdition,' unable to achieve righteousness without th
De spiritu et litera liber unus
On Faith and Works
In 'De fide et operibus' (On Faith and Works), Aurelius Augustine confronts a controversy that remains strikingly modern: the tension between the grace of baptism and the necessity of moral transformation. He vigorously refutes the notion that the sacrament serves as a 'get out of hell free' card fo
Lives of the Philosophers
This text acts as the primary record for the history of Western philosophy. Diogenes does not just summarize complex arguments about atoms, the soul, or the nature of justice. He hunts for the truth in the strange habits, dying words, and scandalous behavior of his subjects. Readers encounter a mix
The Writings of Hippocrates and Galen
In this 1846 masterpiece of medical scholarship, John Redman Coxe issues a defiant challenge to a medical establishment he views as increasingly shallow and unoriginal. By providing the first substantial English summary of the sprawling Hippocratic and Galenic corpora—works that originally spanned t
On the Properties of Simple Medicines
This 1561 edition of Galen's treatise acts as an ancient manual for testing the true power of drugs. Galen refuses to accept that a substance works simply because of its color or smell. Instead, he demands that we test every plant and mineral through direct experience and logical demonstration. He a
Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers
Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers is the ultimate ancient gossip column, preserved by Diogenes Laertius to reveal the personalities behind the grand theories. Rather than dry academic analysis, this work captures the 'successions' of Greek thought through colorful anecdotes, personal wills,
Complete Works Vol. I (Opera Omnia)
This volume serves as a radical manifesto for empirical medicine. Galen argues that health is a fragile balance maintained against a volatile environment, where celestial shifts and weather patterns directly dictate the onset of pestilence. He dismantles the errors of his contemporaries, insisting t
The Consolation of Philosophy
Written by a statesman facing execution, 'The Consolation of Philosophy' is a timeless dialogue between a fallen hero and the personified Lady Philosophy. This specific 17th-century translation by René de Ceriziers frames Boethius’s journey as a 'public medicine' for the soul, moving from the bitter
Boethius Consolation of Philosophy (English 1609)
This text presents the conversation between a man condemned to death and the embodiment of Philosophy herself. Boethius strips away the illusions of wealth, political power, and public fame to reveal the core of human existence. He argues that misery is a subjective choice rather than an external co
On Isis and Osiris
In this treatise, Plutarch rescues Egyptian theology from the twin errors of superstition and skepticism. He argues that myths about dismemberment and divine struggle are not accounts of ancient kings, but symbolic representations of moral and metaphysical forces. By mapping these stories onto the b
M. T. Cicero His Offices, Or His Treatise Concerning the Moral Duties of Mankind
Cicero writes this guide to moral duty to prove that virtue and utility are inseparable. He rejects the idea that a person can profit from dishonesty or deceit. Instead, he positions reason and nature as the foundations for all ethical conduct. His work serves as a blueprint for leaders and citizens
Patrologia Latina Vol. 8: Marius Victorinus — Against Arius and Works
This text provides a front-row seat to the collision of ancient philosophy and emerging Christian orthodoxy. It documents the emperor’s transition from a military leader to a self-appointed mediator of church affairs. Marius Victorinus challenges the logic of polytheism, offering instead a rigorous
Diogenes Laertius Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers
This work stands as the primary historical record for the lives of the Greek philosophers. Laertius does not just list ideas; he records the character flaws, witty insults, and personal tragedies that defined these thinkers. He treats the history of philosophy as a human drama rather than a dry coll
Fundamentals of Arithmetic; Fundamentals of Music
This work stands as the primary bridge between ancient Pythagorean philosophy and the medieval intellectual tradition. Boethius argues that physical senses are unreliable witnesses, requiring the cold precision of arithmetic to uncover truth. He maps the three divisions of music: the celestial motio
Plutarch's Morals, Vol. 4 (includes Isis and Osiris)
In this compelling volume of 'Morals,' Plutarch investigates the enigmatic mechanics of the 'spirit of divination,' arguing that prophecy is as much a physical phenomenon as it is a divine one. By examining the transformative power of natural vapors and the 'dry' temperament of the soul, he suggests
Plutarch's Morals, Vol. 5
This volume provides a fascinating window into Plutarch’s dual mastery of political ethics and natural philosophy. Plutarch moves beyond mere biography to offer bold claims about the physical world—arguing that cold is an active force rather than a mere absence of heat, and critiquing the Stoic visi
Parallel Lives
The Parallel Lives strips away the polished marble of history to reveal the raw, often contradictory, motives of ancient legends. Plutarch acts as both biographer and moralist, using his subjects as mirrors to test the virtues of justice, ambition, and restraint. He forces readers to grapple with th
On the Natural Faculties
In this seminal work, Galen of Pergamon bridges the gap between medicine and philosophy to define the very essence of biological life. He rejects the 'dead' physics of the atomists—who viewed the body as a machine of unchanging particles—in favor of a 'Nature' that acts as an internal artisan. Throu