User:Bmorton3/First International Conference on Neoplatonism and Gnosticism

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The First International Conference on Neoplatonism and Gnosticism at the University of Oklahoma in 1984 explored the relationship between Neoplatonism and Gnosticism. The conference also led to a book named Neoplatonism and Gnosticism.

The book's intent was to document the creation of a conference in the academic world exploring the relationship between late and middle Platonic philosophy and Gnosticism. The book marked a turning point in the discussion on the subject of Neoplatonism because it takes into account the understanding of the gnostics of Plotinus' day in light of the discovery of the Nag Hammadi library. Further discussions of the topics covered in the book have lead to the formation of a new committee of scholars to once again translate Plotinus' Enneads. Both Richard Wallis and A.H. Armstrong, the major editors of the work, have died since the completion of the book and conference.

This conference was held to cover some of the controversies surrounding these issues and other aspects of the two groups. The objective of the event (and the book that documents the event) was to clarify the relationship between Neoplatonism / Neoplatonists and the sectarian groups of the day, the Gnostics. The book republishes the works of a wide spectrum of scholars in the field of philosophy. The book's content consists of respective presentations that the experts delivered at the first International Conference. One purpose was to clarify the meaning of the words and phrases repeated in other religions and belief systems of the Mediterranean region during Plotinus' time. Another was to try to clarify the extent to which Plotinus' work followed directly from Plato, and how much influence Plotinus had on the religions of his time and vice versa. The conference and the book documenting it is considered a key avenue for dialogue among the different scholars in the history of philosophy.

Topics from the conference[edit]

  • "Theourgia Demiourgia: A Controversial issue in Hellenistic Thought and Religion" John P. Anton
In this text John Anton addresses the departure of Neoplatonism from pure philosophy into the realm of "magic" or "theurgy". Anton addressed the integration of the traditions of magic and their mysterious religions' origins into philosophy. John Anton follows that this change was brought about via Proclus and most importantly Iamblichus. This dialogue has also continued into more current works of philosophy by Gregory Shaw and his history of Iamblichus. (Theurgy and the Soul: The Neoplatonism of Iamblichus by Gregory Shaw.)
In this text the subject of the Gnostics misunderstanding or misuse of Plato's hypostasis is discussed and clarified.
Dr. Christos Evangeliou addresses the idea that the group of Gnostics that Plotinus was attacking in his "Against the Gnostics" were possibly Syncretic Christians, or Gnostic Christians. Dr Evangeliou also points out the parallel between orthodox Christians of the era and Gnostics. He also points out that some of the same arguments and techniques that Plotinus used against the Gnostics, Porphyry uses against the community of Christians of his time in Porphyry's "Against the Christians". This was also addressed by Richard Wallis in his History of Philosophy. This dialogue was challenged (though indirectly) by other scholars of the field in light of the Nag Hammadi discovery, most importantly by A. H. Armstrong.

Outcomes of the conference[edit]

One of the purposes of the conference and the book was to open and start dialogue on the subjects.

Another was to separate and clarify the events and persons involved in the origin of the term "Gnostic". From the dialogue, it appears that the word had an origin in the Platonic and Hellenistic tradition long before the group calling themselves "Gnostics" -- or the group covered under the modern term "Gnosticism" -- ever appeared. It would seem that this shift from Platonic to Gnostic usage has led many people to confusion. The strategy of sectarians taking Greek terms from philosophical contexts and re-applying them to religious contexts was popular in Christianity, Mithraism, the Cult of Isis and other ancient religious contexts including Hermetic ones (see Alexander of Abonutichus for an example).

In the case of gnosticism it is important to understand that Plotinus and the Neoplatonists may have viewed it as a form of heresy or sectarianism to the Pythagorean and Platonic philosophy of the Mediterranean and Middle East. Plotinus, for example, attacked the Gnostics he was familiar with for vilifing Plato's ontology of the universe contained in Timaeus, and the universes' creation by the demiurge. In this view the Demiurge is an artist or craftsman, in that he creates through mixing or amalgamating what already is. Plotinus accused Gnosticism of vilifing the Demiurge or craftsman that crafted the material world, even thinking of the material world as evil or a prison.

The Neoplatonic movement (though Plotinus would have simply referred to himself as a philosopher of Plato) seems to be motivated by the desire of Plotinus to revive the pagan philosophical tradition. Plotinus was not claiming to innovate with the Enneads, but to clarify aspects of the works of Plato that he considered misrepresented or misunderstood. Plotinus referred to tradition as a way to validate and understand correctly Plato's exact intentions. Because the teachings of Plato were for members of the academy rather than the general public, it was easy for outsiders to misunderstand Plato's intentions. However, Plotinus attempted to clarify how the philosophers of the academy had not arrived at the same erroneous conclusions (such as misotheism or Dystheism of the creator God as an answer to the problem of evil) as the targets of his criticism.

Later Conferences and Studies[edit]

Professor John D. Turner of the University of Nebraska has lead additional conferences covering topics and materials relating to Neoplatonism and Gnosticism. Presentations from seminars that took place between 1993 and 1998 are published in the book Gnosticism and Later Platonism: Themes, Figures, and Texts Symposium Series (Society of Biblical Literature). These works covered topics such as the following:

Professor John D Turner is quoted "In the late third century, Sethianism also became estranged from orthodox (Neo)Platonism under the impetus of attacks and refutations from the circle of Plotinus and other Neoplatonists which were just as effective as those of the Christian heresiologists. At this time, whatever Sethianism was left became increasingly fragmented into various derivative and other sectarian gnostic groups such as the Archontics, Audians, Borborites, Phibionites and others, some of which survived into the Middle Ages."

Professor John D Turner also states that the Allogenes group text was sethian gnostic and that the Neoplatonic circle of Plotinus knew this text and that this was what effected Plotinus to not only be critical of the gnostics but to also refine his own understanding of Plato's works such as Timaeus.

Current studies within the organizations such as International Society of Neoplatonic Studies and Ancient Philosophy Society have been continuing research on the common ground and interaction between the two philosophical and religious movements of Neoplatonism and Gnosticism. Works on this topic have been published by SUNY , University Press of the South,Universite Laval, and Society of Biblical Literature.

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