The IMS-FORTH & ACHS Neoplatonic Lectures - Lecture by Professor Michael Griffin (23-05-2023)

Within the framework of the “Between Athens & Alexandria. Platonism, 3rd-7th c. CE“ Research Project, the Institute for Mediterranean Studies of the Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (IMS-FORTH) and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina’s Alexandria Center for Hellenistic Studies (ACHS) co-organize a monthly online lecture series on late antique Neoplatonism (3rd-7th c. CE). “The ACHS & IMS Neoplatonic Lectures“ host invited talks in English or French by leading scholars in the field. The topic of the 2023 talks is “Porphyry and Iamblichus“. More information about the project: For this meeting, Professor Michael Griffin (University of British Columbia) gave a lecture with the topic of “Ladders of Virtue and Inspiration: Harmonizing Porphyry and Iamblichus in Later Platonist Exegesis“. Abstract Damascius famously reports that Porphyry and Iamblichus give priority, respectively, to philosophy and hieratic practice (On Phaedo ). In this paper, I would explore how Hermias, Damascius, and Olympiodorus unpack and ultimately resolve the distinction. Some later Platonists frame Porphyrian philosophy as a ladder of virtues culminating, not only in contemplation, but in the ‘paradigmatic’ virtue that amounts to unity with Nous; ‘hieratic’ practice culminates in the highest inspiration, unity with the One. However, ‘hieratic’ virtue is also a parallel hierarchy coexisting alongside the philosophical scale of virtues, reaching each level of the soul by means of inspiration (enthousiasmos). Importantly, I would argue that each tier of inspiration also underlies and causes a tier of virtue, in a way that explains how Porphyry’ and Iamblichus’ views (as later Platonists construct them) can be reconciled.