Mateusz Stróżyński on Augustine and Platonism
We discuss Augustine’s engagement with the philosophy of the ‘books of the Platonists’ and, in a wide-ranging enquiry, a number of cognate matters. These include:
Primary Sources
The Enneads
The Enneads
The Enneads is a towering achievement of late antiquity that reshaped the trajectory of Western and Near-Eastern thought, influencing everything from Christian theology to Islamic mysticism. Plotinus presents a bold metaphysical hierarchy—the One, the Intellect, and the Soul—arguing that true happin
Plotinus . Plotinos . Scilicet Plotini Enneades VI et Maximi Tyrii Dissertationes XI
Plotinus strips away the distractions of the physical world to reveal the singular, transcendent source of all being. The text documents the final philosophical ascent of a man who viewed his own body as a temporary, secondary image. You will encounter arguments that collapse the boundaries between
The Enneads
The Enneads is a monumental achievement in Western philosophy, serving as the bridge between classical Hellenic thought and the burgeoning spiritual traditions of Late Antiquity. Plotinus offers a unique perspective on reality, viewing the physical world as a mere 'image of an image' while positing
Plotinus, Enneads I-VI; Porphyry, Vita Plotini
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
De Civitate Dei
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
Corpus Hermeticum and Plotinus' Enneads (Cambridge, Trinity College, MS B.9.9)
This rare collection documents the struggle of the human soul to recognize its divine origin while trapped in the sensible world. It presents the Hermetic tradition as an intuitive, performative realization of truth, contrasted against the systematic, dialectical path of Plotinus. The text argues th
Enneads (1580 Greek-Latin, Ficino trans.)
The Enneads
The Enneads represents the pinnacle of Neoplatonic thought, a monumental synthesis where logic meets mysticism. Through the lens of Marsilio Ficino’s Renaissance commentary, Plotinus’s work is presented as a 'philosophical bait' designed to lead the intellectual mind toward religious faith through p
The Enneads
Plotini Opera Omnia cum Ficini commentariis
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
Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 1, Vol. 1 (Augustine: Confessions, Letters)
Philip Schaff compiles an essential record of the early Church through the eyes of Eusebius, the man who first mapped out Christian history. The text tackles the messy reality of the Arian controversy and the precarious rise of Constantine. It forces you to confront the divide between a faith under
Confessions
This book is not a dry theological treatise. It is a desperate, articulate, and deeply personal inventory of a life spent running from the truth. Augustine argues that humans are inherently broken and built for a connection that transcends the material world. He strips away the pretenses of his stat
The Enneads of Plotinus Vol. I
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