Iamblichus 245 AD – 325 AD
Iamblichus of Chalcis was a Syrian Greek Neoplatonist philosopher and the founder of the Syrian school of Neoplatonism. Departing from Plotinus and Porphyry, he held that intellectual contemplation alone is insufficient for the soul's ascent and that ritual practice, or theurgy, is also required to unite with the divine. He composed a Pythagorean encyclopedia, of which the Life of Pythagoras and Protrepticus survive, and his treatise On the Mysteries defended the religious philosophy that would shape the last phase of pagan thought.
Key facts
- Nationality
- Syrian-Greek
- Era
- Ancient
- Movements
- Platonism
Selected quotes
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Attributed to Iamblichus:
“It is not pure thought that unites theurgists to the gods.”
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Attributed to Iamblichus:
“The Pythagorean way of life held to silence as a discipline of the soul.”
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Attributed to Iamblichus:
“The whole of human virtue lies in the imitation of the divine.”
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Attributed to Iamblichus:
“Friendship is the most accurate image of unity.”
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Attributed to Iamblichus:
“Mathematics is the bridge by which the soul ascends to the contemplation of the divine.”