List of ancient Platonists Platonists are followers of Platonism, the philosophy of Plato. Platonism can be said to have begun when Plato founded his academy c. 385 BC. Ancient Platonism went on to last until the end of the last remaining pagan school of Platonism in Alexandria which was brought on by the Muslim conquest of Egypt in 641, over a thousand years after the opening of the first Platonic school. Platonism had an immense impact on the intellectual life of the ancient world eventually becoming the dominant philosophy of late antiquity. Name Life School Aedesia fl. 5th century Neoplatonist Aedesius died 355 Neoplatonist Aeneas of Gaza fl. 5th century / died c. 518 Neoplatonist Aeschines of Neapolis fl. c. 110 BC New Academy Agapius fl. 5th - 6th century Neoplatonist Albinus fl. c. 150 Middle Platonist Alcinous fl. c. 2nd century Middle Platonist Ambrosius Theodosius Macrobius fl. 395 – 423 Neoplatonist Amelius fl. c. 250 - 300 Neoplatonist Ammonius Hermiae c. 440 - c. 520 Neoplatonist Ammonius of Athens fl. 1st century Middle Platonist Ammonius Saccas fl. 3rd century Neoplatonist Antiochus of Ascalon c. 130 BC – 68/67 BC Middle Platonist Antoninus fl. 4th century Neoplatonist Apuleius c. 125 – c. 180 Middle Platonist Arcesilaus c. 316 BC - c. 241 BC Middle Academy Aristonymus fl. 4th century BC Academy Asclepigenia fl. 430 Neoplatonist Asclepiodotus of Alexandria fl. c. 550-600 Neoplatonist Atticus fl. c. 175 Middle Platonist Axiothea of Phlius fl. 4th century BC Academy Calippus of Syracuse died 351/0 BC Academy Carneades of Carnea c. 214 BC – 129/8 BC New Academy Cassius Longinus c. 213–273 Middle Platonist Charmadas 164 BC - c. 95 BC New Academy Chaeron of Pellene fl. 4th century BC Academy Chrysanthius of Sardis fl. 4th century Neoplatonist Clitomachus 187 BC - 109 BC New Academy Coriscus of Scepsis fl. 4th century BC Academy Crantor born c. 350 BC Academy Crates of Athens died 268-265 BC Academy Damascius born c. 458, died after 538 Neoplatonist Demetrius of Amphipolis fl. 4th century BC Academy Dexippus fl. 350 Neoplatonist Dio of Alexandria fl. 1st century BC New Academy Diocles of Cnidus fl. 3rd or 2nd century BC? Diodorus of Adramyttium fl. 1st century BC New Academy Domninus of Larissa c. 420 - c. 480 Neoplatonist Erastus of Scepsis fl. 4th century BC Academy Euaeon of Lampsacus fl. 4th century BC Academy Eudoxus of Cnidus 410/408 BC – 355/347 BC Academy Eusebius of Myndus fl. 4th century Neoplatonist Eustathius of Cappadocia c. 400 Neoplatonist Evander fl. c. 215 - c. 205 Middle Academy Gaius the Platonist fl. 2nd century Middle Platonist Hagnon of Tarsus fl. 2nd century BC New Academy Hegesinus of Pergamon fl. c. 160 BC Middle Academy Hegias fl. c. 500 Neoplatonist Heliodorus of Alexandria fl. 5th century Neoplatonist Heraclides of Aenus fl. 4th century Academy Heraclides Ponticus 387 BC - 312 BC Academy Hermias born c. 410 - died c. 450 Neoplatonist Hermodorus of Syracuse fl. 4th century BC Academy Hestiaeus of Perinthus fl. 4th century BC Academy Hierius fl c. 500 Neoplatonist Hierocles of Alexandria fl. c. 430 Neoplatonist Hypatia of Alexandria born 350-370 – 415 Neoplatonist Iamblichus Chalcidensis c. 245-c. 325 Neoplatonist Isidore of Alexandria fl. c. 475 Neoplatonist Lacydes of Cyrene before 241 - c. 205 BC Middle Academy Lastheneia of Mantinea fl. 4th century BC Academy Marinus of Neapolis born c. 450 Neoplatonist Maximus of Ephesus died 372 Neoplatonist Maximus of Tyre fl. 2nd century Middle Platonist Menedemus of Pyrrha fl. c. 350 BC Academy Metrodorus of Stratonicea fl. 2nd century BC New Academy Numenius of Apamea fl. c. 275 Middle Platonist Nymphidianus of Smyrna fl. c. 360 Neoplatonist Olympiodorus the Younger c. 495-570 Neoplatonist Onasander fl. 1st century Middle Platonist Origen the Pagan fl. c. 250 Middle Platonist Philip of Opus fl. 4th century BC Academy Philo of Alexandria 20 BC - 50 AD Middle Platonist Philo of Larissa 159/158 BC – 84/83 BC New Academy Plato 428/427 BC - 348/347 BC Academy Plotinus c. 204 – 270 Neoplatonist Plutarch c. 46 – 120 Middle Platonist Plutarch of Athens c. 350 – 430 Neoplatonist Polemon before 314 BC - 270/269 BC Academy Porphyry of Tyre 234 – c. 305 Neoplatonist Priscian of Lydia fl. c. 550 Neoplatonist Priscus of Epirus c. 305-c. 395 Neoplatonist Proclus Lycaeus 412 – 485 Neoplatonist Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite fl. 500 Neoplatonist Python of Aenus fl. 4th century BC Academy Simplicius of Cilicia c. 490 - c. 560 Neoplatonist Sopater of Apamea died before 337 Neoplatonist Sosipatra of Ephesus fl. c. 325 Neoplatonist Speusippus c. 407 BC – 339 BC Academy Synesius c. 373 - c. 414 Neoplatonist Syrianus died c. 437 Neoplatonist Telecles of Phocis died 167/1666 BC Middle Academy Theodorus of Asine fl. 3rd century Neoplatonist Timaeus the Sophist fl. between 1st and 4th centuries Middle Platonist Timolaus of Cyzicus fl. 4th century BC Academy Xenocrates of Chalcedon c. 396 BC – 314 BC Academy Zenodotus fl. c. 475 Neoplatonist
Olympiodorus the Younger (Greek: Ὀλύμπιόδωρος ὁ Νεώτερος) (c. 495–570) was a Neoplatonist philosopher, astrologer and teacher who lived in the early years of the Byzantine Empire, after Justinian's Decree of 529 A.D. which closed Plato's Academy in Athens and other pagan schools. Olympiodorus was the last pagan to maintain the Platonist tradition in Alexandria (see Alexandrian School); after his death the School passed into the hands of Christian Aristotelians, and was eventually moved to Constantinople. Life Olympiodorus was the disciple of Ammonius Hermiae at the philosophy school in Alexandria, and succeeded him as its leader when Ammonius died c. 520. He was still teaching and writing in 565, because in his commentary on Aristotle's Meteorology, he mentions a comet that appeared that year. Olympiodorus himself was able to survive the persecution experienced by many of his peers (see, for example, Hierocles of Alexandria), possibly because the Alexandrian School was less involved in politics (for example, the attempts by the Emperor Julian to re-establish Mithraic cults) and also possibly because it was more scholastic and less religious than the Athenian Academy. He is called Olympiodorus the Younger or The Younger Olympiodorus in contemporary references because there was an earlier (5th century) Peripatetic philosopher also called Olympiodorus (Olympiodorus the Elder) who also taught in Alexandria. This man was most well known for being among the students of Proclus. Writings Among the extant writings of Olympiodorus the Younger are a biography of Plato, commentaries on several dialogues of Plato and on Aristotle, and an introduction to Aristotelian philosophy. Olympiodorus also provides information on the work of the earlier Neoplatonist Iamblichus which is not found elsewhere. The surviving works are: Commentary on Plato's Alcibiades Commentary on Plato's Gorgias Commentary on Plato's Phaedo Life of Plato Introduction (prolegomena) to Aristotle's logic Commentary on the Aristotle's Meteorology Commentary on the Aristotle's Categories In addition, a Commentary by Olympiodorus is extant on Paulus Alexandrinus' Introduction to astrology (which was written in 378 AD). Although the manuscript of the Commentary is credited in two later versions to a Heliodorus, L.G. Westerink argues that it is actually the outline of a series of lectures given by Olympiodorus in Alexandria between May and July 564 AD. The Commentary is an informative expatiation of Paulus' tersely written text, elaborating on practices and sources. The Commentary also illuminates the developments in astrological theory in the 200 years after Paulus. Spurious works In addition there are two works ascribed to Olympiodorus, but which are now believed to be by other authors: An alchemical treatise concerning Zosimus' On Activity A commentary on Plato's Philebus - now thought to be the work of Damascius.
Alcinous (Greek Ἀλκίνους), or Alcinoos, or Alkinoos, was a Middle Platonist philosopher. He probably lived in the 2nd century AD,[1] although nothing is known about his life.[2] He is the author of The Handbook of Platonism, an epitome of Middle Platonism intended as a manual for teachers. He has, at times, been identified by some scholars with the 2nd century Middle Platonist Albinus. Alcinous is the author of work called The Handbook of Platonism (Ἐπιτομὴ τῶν ∏λάτωνος δογμάτων), one of the few surviving works from the Middle Platonist period (ca. 90 BC – 250 AD). The book contains 36 chapters which cover topics ranging from logic to physics to ethics. It is thought to have been intended as a manual, not for students of Platonism, but for its teachers. The treatise is written in the esoteric manner typical of the Corpus Aristotelicum, and it often appropriates popular concepts from other philosophical schools - in particular the Peripatetic and Stoic schools - which could be seen as having been prefigured in the works of Plato. Alcinous's handbook has been dated to the middle of the 2nd century.[1] In 1879 the German scholar Jacob Freudenthal argued that Alcinous was really the philosopher Albinus, the teacher of Galen the physician. This theory remained largely unchallenged until 1974, when John Whittaker made a fresh case convincingly reaffirming Alcinous's authenticity.[3][4] Alcinous held the world and its animating soul to be eternal.[5] This soul of the universe was not created by God, but, to use the image of Alcinous, it was awakened by him as from a profound sleep, and turned towards himself, "that it might look out upon intellectual things and receive forms and ideas from the divine mind."[5] It was the first of a succession of intermediate beings between God and man.[6] The idea proceeded immediately from the mind of God, and were the highest object of our intellect; the "form" of matter, the types of sensible things, having a real being in themselves.[7] He differed from the earlier Platonists in confining the ideas to general laws: it seemed an unworthy notion that God could conceive an idea of things artificial or unnatural, or of individuals or particulars, or of any thing relative.[8] He seems to have aimed at harmonizing the views of Plato and Aristotle on the ideas, as he distinguished them from the eidos, forms of things, which he allowed were inseparable: a view which seems necessarily connected with the doctrine of the eternity and self-existence of matter.[9] God, the first fountain of the ideas, could not be known as he is: it is but a faint notion of him we obtain from negations and analogies: his nature is equally beyond our power of expression or conception.[10] Below him are a series of beings (daimones)[11] who superintend the production of all living things, and hold intercourse with men. The human soul passes through various transmigrations, thus connecting the series with the lower classes of being, until it is finally purified and rendered acceptable to God.[12] His system is understood as a synthesis of Plato and Aristotle, with some elements borrowed from the East, and perhaps derived from a study of the Pythagorean system, which experienced a revival of sorts concomitant to that which produced Middle Platonism.