Neoplatonism

Neoplationism

Neoplatonists would have called themselves Platonists, following as they did the teachings of Plato. Helena Blavatsky would have called Neoplatonists Theosophists. From The Keys to Theosophy she states: “The name Theosophy dates from the third century of our era, and began with Ammonius Saccas and his disciples who started the Eclectic Theosophical system.” “They (Neoplatonists) were the Theosophists of early centuries."

Neoplatonists felt themselves to be interpreting Plato, not altering his teachings. However during the 19th Century, historians and philosophers decided that the beliefs of this group differed sufficiently from Plato’s original ideas to require the prefix “neo,” meaning “new”, to the root word. This school of thought began in the third century AD in Alexandria by followers of Ammonius Saccas. Ammonius was born to devout Christian parents and he was officially educated at Christian schools but he rejected the exclusive narrowness of his parents Christianity, claiming that he was “god-taught.” He took a far more expanded view of religious philosophy than any one religion could offer.

Saccas believed that knowledge consisted of three grades, ascending from mere opinion derived from sense perception, to science gained through dialectic, to illumination gained from direct spiritual intuition. This essentially is the same as Plato’s three grades of knowledge outlined in the Republic. HP Blavatsky suggests that Ammonius’ endorsement of solitary prayer or meditation to achieve enlightenment is found in Plato’s belief that direct realization of the Form of the Good occurred when one remained “silent in the presence of the divine ones.”

Neoplatonists addressed subjects that Plato did not explore and tried to do so as Plato would have. Such subjects as evil, memory and the new rage in the third century - Christianity. The goal was to separate Plato, the man, from Platonism, his philosophy.

Ammonius Saccas left no written works, so his student, Plotinus, who compiled Saccas’s teachings in the Enneads, is actually credited with the founding this philosophy but through Plotinus and other famous students of Saccas, such as Clement, Origen, Porphyry, Longinus, Iamblicus and, of course HPB, we have learned about the school of Neoplatonism and its founder’s intent.

Online resources

Articles

• The Eclectic Philosophy by Alexander Wilder

Audio

• Neoplatonism and the Theosophy of H. P. Blavatsky Anton Lysy

Video

• Turning-Points for the West: From Pythagoras and Plato through Gnosticism and Neoplatonism (3 Parts) by Stephan Hoeller and Tony Lysy