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PLOTINUS (A.D. 204-270)

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Originally appearing in Volume V21, Page 850 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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PLOTINUS (A.D. 204-270) , the most important representative of See also:Neoplatonism, was See also:born of See also:Roman parents at Lycopolis in See also:Egypt. At See also:Alexandria he attended the lectures of Ammonius Saccas (q.v.), the founder of the See also:system, until 242, when he joined the See also:Persian expedition of See also:Gordian III., with the See also:object of studying Persian and See also:Indian See also:philosophy on the spot. After the assassination of Gordian in 244, Plotinus was obliged to take See also:refuge in See also:Antioch, whence he made his way to See also:Rome and set up as a teacher there. He soon attracted a large number of pupils, the most distinguished of whom were Amelius, Eustochius and See also:Porphyry. The See also:emperor See also:Gallienus and his wife Salonina were also his enthusiastic admirers, and favoured his See also:idea of See also:founding a Platonic See also:Commonwealth (Platonopolis) in See also:Campania (cf. See also:Bishop See also:Berkeley's See also:scheme for the Bermuda islands), but the opposition of Gallienus's counsellors and the See also:death of Plotinus prevented the See also:plan from being carried out. Plotinus's wide popularity was due partly to the lucidity of his teaching, but perhaps even more to his strong See also:personality. Assent See also:developed into veneration; he was considered to be divinely inspired, and generally credited with miraculous See also:powers. In spite of See also:ill-See also:health, he continued to See also:teach and write until his death, which took See also:place on the See also:estate of one of his See also:friends near See also:Minturnae in Campania. Under Ammonius Plotinus became imbued with the eclectic spirit of the Alexandrian school. 'Having accepted the Platonic metaphysical See also:doctrine, he applied to it the Neo-See also:Pythagorean principles and the See also:Oriental doctrine of See also:Emanation (q.v.).

The results of this introspective See also:

mysticism were collected by him in a See also:series of fifty-four (originally See also:forty-eight) See also:treatises, arranged in six " Enneads," which constitute the most authoritative exposition of Neoplatonism. This arrangement is probably due to Porphyry, to whose editorial care they were consigned. There was also another See also:ancient edition by Eustochius, but all the existing See also:MSS. are based on Porphyry's edition. The Enneades of Plotinus were first made known in the Latin See also:translation of Marsilio See also:Ficino (See also:Florence, 1492) which was reprinted at See also:Basel in 158o, with the See also:Greek See also:text of Petrus Perna. Later See also:editions by Creuzer and See also:Moser (" See also:Didot Series," 1855), A. See also:Kirchhoff (1856), H. F. See also:Muller (1878–188o), R. Volkmann (1883–1884). There is an See also:English translation of selected portions by See also:Thomas See also:Taylor, re-edited in See also:Bohn's Philosophical Library (1895, with introduction and bibliography by G. R. S.

See also:

Mead). On Plotinus generally see See also:article in SuIdas; See also:Eunapius vitae sophistarum; and above all the Vita Plotini by his See also:pupil Porphyry. Among See also:modern See also:works, see the treatises on the school of Alexandria by J. F. See also:Simon, i. (1845), and E. See also:Vacherot (1846); A. See also:Richter, Ueber Leben and Geistesentwicklung See also:des Plotin (See also:Halle, 1864–1867) ; T. Whittaker, The Neoplatonists (1901) ; A. Drews, Plotin and der Untergang der antiken Weltanschauung (1907) ; E. See also:Caird, See also:Evolution of See also:Theology in the Greek Philosophers (1904), ii. 210–257; See also:Rufus M.

See also:

Jones, Studies in Mystical See also:Religion (1909). A detailed See also:account of Plotinus's philosophical system and an estimate of its importance will be found in the article NEOPLATONISM, the works above referred to, and the histories of philosophy. For his See also:list of categories, see CATEGORIES; also See also:LOGOS; MYSTICISM; MAGIC.

End of Article: PLOTINUS (A.D. 204-270)

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