Nemesius of Emesa Quotes
Nemesius of Emesa was a late-fourth-century Christian philosopher and bishop in Syria, whose On the Nature of Man fused the inheritance of Plato, Aristotle, Galen, and the Stoics into the most influential Christian philosophical anthropology of late antiquity. The work treated, in successive chapters, the soul, its faculties, the senses, the intellect, fate and providence, free will, and the resurrection, and provided the model for many later Greek and Latin Christian treatises on human nature. The quotes below are attributed to Nemesius of Emesa, organized by topic.
Nemesius of Emesa on Freedom
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Attributed to Nemesius of Emesa:
“Free will is the gift by which the soul makes itself into the image of its maker.”
Nemesius of Emesa on God
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Attributed to Nemesius of Emesa:
“Providence does not destroy the freedom of the will; it accomplishes itself through it.”
Nemesius of Emesa on Knowledge
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Attributed to Nemesius of Emesa:
“Knowledge of human nature is the beginning of medicine, of ethics, and of theology alike.”
Nemesius of Emesa on Mind
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Attributed to Nemesius of Emesa:
“The senses are servants of the soul; the intellect is its lord.”
Nemesius of Emesa on Nature
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Attributed to Nemesius of Emesa:
“Man stands on the boundary between the corporeal and the incorporeal worlds.”