Between pistis and logos

Iamblichus and the (re)encountering of Philosophy and religion

Authors

  • Gilvan Ventura da Silva Federal University of Espírito Santo

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34024/herodoto.2021.v6.13911

Keywords:

Roman Empire, Late Antiquity, Philosophy, Religion, Iamblichus

Abstract

This article reflects on the approximation between pistis (belief) and logos (reason) that began to deepen in the Imperial period, largely due to the work of authors such as Philo of Alexandria and Nigidius Figulus, who placed philosophy at the service of religion. The trend asserted itself in subsequent centuries and reached its full-fledged form in Iamblichus, a Neoplatonist master who became notable not only as a philosopher, but also as a hierophant and, beyond that, as a theurgist – that is, a sorcerer. For this reason, it is perhaps not an exaggeration to state that in Iamblichus’ thought, philosophy and religion can be practically taken for each other, at a time when the ancestral deities of Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Phoenicians and many other peoples were targeted by the severe blows of Christians, as they sought to establish a new world purified from Pagan “impiety”.

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Author Biography

  • Gilvan Ventura da Silva, Federal University of Espírito Santo

    Assistant Professor – Federal University of Espírito Santo, Vitória, Brazil.

References

Documentação textual

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https://www.phil-fak.uni-duesseldorf.de/philo/galerie/antike/jamblich.html

Published

2022-05-22

How to Cite

Between pistis and logos: Iamblichus and the (re)encountering of Philosophy and religion. (2022). Heródoto: Revista Do Grupo De Estudos E Pesquisas Sobre a Antiguidade Clássica E Suas Conexões Afro-asiáticas, 6(2), 49-76. https://doi.org/10.34024/herodoto.2021.v6.13911