Review of Seng et al. (eds.), Formen und Nebenformen des Platonismus in der Spätantike

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Helmut Seng, Luciana Gabriela Soares Santoprete, Chiara O. Tommasi Moreschini (ed.), Formen und Nebenformen des Platonismus in der Spätantike. Bibliotheca Chaldaica, 6. Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter, 2016. Pp. 424. ISBN 9783825366964. €55.00. Reviewed by Diego De Brasi, Philipps-Universität Marburg (debrasi@staff.uni-marburg.de).

The relationship between (Late Antique) Platonism and (more or less) “subphilosophical phenomena”1 like ancient Gnosticism, Hermeticism, and the Chaldean Oracles has been increasingly explored in the last decades.2 The volume under review is a welcome addition to this research trend, as it aims to examine how discussions among advocates of Platonism and of religiously influenced cultural phenomena contributed to shape their respective cultural/philosophical identities. 3

It is impossible to assess critically every contribution within the limits of a review; hence, after a very brief overview of the book’s structure, I will focus on those papers which I consider most stimulating.

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Some past posts on Neoplatonism and why it is interesting to PaleoJudaica are here, here, here, here, and links

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