By the third century, Greek philosophy was beginning
to lose the creativity and vitality that had
nourished it for so long. The rise of Christianity
and the country’s long subjugation by Rome had
eroded Greek intellectual activity. Among the last
of the great philosophers was Porphyry, who was a
great exponent of the philosophy known as Neoplatonism.
Little is known about Porphyry’s life. He was
from the city of Tyre, on the Mediterranean coast
of what is now Lebanon. During his life, the social
order of the Roman Empire was beginning to collapse,
and barbarian invasions were penetrating
the imperial frontiers. In the midst of all this, the
Christian Church was growing rapidly, altering
both society and intellectual and philosophical
thought.
Porphyry came into contact with many of the
great intellectuals and philosophers of his day, and
was a disciple of PLOTINUS, who largely developed
Neoplatonism. It is unknown precisely when the
two philosophers met, but they remained companions
until 268. Porphyry not only edited Plotinus’s
works, creating his Enneads (ca. 301), but also
wrote a biography of his teacher. Another of Porphyry’s
teachers was the philosopher LONGINUS,
and he was also acquainted with the great Christian
thinker, Origen.
Based on these influences and his own studies,
Porphyry authored many philosophical works,
most of which have been lost. Perhaps his most famous
work is Against the Christians (ca. 270), in
which he attempts to show that the ideas of pagan
Greek philosophers, such as PLATO and ARISTOTLE,
were superior to the new ideas of the Christian
Church. Porphyry also wrote Life of Pythagoras, a
biography of the great philosopher and mathematician;
and numerous commentaries on Aristotle’s
works, including Eisagoge (an introduction to
Aristotle’s Categories), which would greatly influence
medieval philosophy.
Porphyry was not nearly as important to the
development of Neoplatonism as was his teacher,
Plotinus, but his contributions were nevertheless
significant. Further, it was because of Porphyry
that much of the philosophical thinking of Plotinus,
PYTHAGORAS, and Aristotle has been preserved.
English Versions of Works by Porphyry
Porphyry’s Against the Christians. Translated by
Joseph Hauffmann. Buffalo, N.Y.: Prometheus
Books, 1994.
Porphyry’s Launching-Points to the Realm of the Mind:
An Introduction to the Neoplatonic Philosophy of
Plotinus. Translated by Kenneth Sylvan Guthrie.
Grand Rapids,Mich.: Phanes Press, 1989.
A Work about Porphyry
Smith, Andrew. Porphyry’s Place in the Neoplatonic
Tradition: A Study in Postplotinian Neoplatonism.
New York: Kluwer Academic Press, 1975.