Chapter There's Always the Sun Metaphysics and Antiquarianism in Macrobius

• Autor principal: Van Nuffelen, Peter (auth)
• Outros Autores: Hömke, Nicola (Editor), Franco Chiai, Gian (Editor), Jenik, Antonia (Editor)
• Formato: Recurso Electrónico Capítulo de Livro
• Idioma: inglês
• Publicado em: Berlin/Boston De Gruyter 2016
• Assuntos: Literary studies: classical, early & medieval; Classical history / classical civilisation; Western philosophy: Ancient, to c 500; Monotheism; image rhetoric; late antiquity
• Acesso em linha: OAPEN Library: download the publication; OAPEN Library: description of the publication

Resumo

The present paper asks how Macrobius thinks his extensive allegories of statues of the gods and other elements of traditional religion are possible. He can be shown to espouse a Neoplatonic theory of images. This entails that truthful images are only possible of the Soul and the lower levels of the world, whereas the two highest hypostases cannot be grasped by language and man-made images. Even so, as the sun is an image of the highest principle, Macrobius' reduction of all deities to the sun can be understood as a discourse on the highest deity, albeit obliquely. How are images, then, truthful? He defends a common theory of inspiration, according to which the creators of images participate in the Logos when creating them. Philosophy is seen as the primordial discipline, containing the knowledge necessary to create and interpret images. These conclusions allow us to pinpoint more precisely the differences between Middle and Neoplatonism.

ISBN

9783110517569-006
9783110516739; 9783110517040

Acesso

Open Access