"To Try to Bring the Divine in Us Back Up to the Divine in the All": The Gnostic Background of Plotinus's Last Words

Controversy has long surrounded Plotinus's dying words to his disciple Eustochius, as reported by Porphyry in his Vita Plotini. This paper focuses not on the philological difficulties of his last words, but their philosophical significance. First, it argues that these words are in fact intellig...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Mazur, Zeke 1969-2016 (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Johns Hopkins Univ. Press [2017]
In: Journal of early Christian studies
Year: 2017, Volume: 25, Issue: 4, Pages: 561-580
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Porphyrius 233-301, Vita Plotini / Plotinus 205-270 / Last words / Valentinianism / Platonism / Deification
RelBib Classification:AG Religious life; material religion
BF Gnosticism
TD Late Antiquity
VA Philosophy
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
Volltext (doi)

MARC

LEADER 00000caa a22000002 4500
001 1581921543
003 DE-627
005 20190129141450.0
007 cr uuu---uuuuu
008 181015s2017 xx |||||o 00| ||eng c
024 7 |a 10.1353/earl.2017.0053  |2 doi 
035 |a (DE-627)1581921543 
035 |a (DE-576)511921543 
035 |a (DE-599)BSZ511921543 
040 |a DE-627  |b ger  |c DE-627  |e rda 
041 |a eng 
084 |a 1  |a 0  |2 ssgn 
100 1 |e VerfasserIn  |0 (DE-588)1169098185  |0 (DE-627)1032737409  |0 (DE-576)511923864  |4 aut  |a Mazur, Zeke  |d 1969-2016 
109 |a Mazur, Zeke 1969-2016  |a Mazur, Alexander J. 1969-2016  |a Mazur, Alexander "Zeke" J. 1969-2016 
245 1 0 |a "To Try to Bring the Divine in Us Back Up to the Divine in the All"  |b The Gnostic Background of Plotinus's Last Words  |c Zeke Mazur 
264 1 |c [2017] 
336 |a Text  |b txt  |2 rdacontent 
337 |a Computermedien  |b c  |2 rdamedia 
338 |a Online-Ressource  |b cr  |2 rdacarrier 
520 |a Controversy has long surrounded Plotinus's dying words to his disciple Eustochius, as reported by Porphyry in his Vita Plotini. This paper focuses not on the philological difficulties of his last words, but their philosophical significance. First, it argues that these words are in fact intelligible within Plotinus's overall system: they evoke an insoluble paradox at the very center of his conception of contemplative ascent. Second, it argues that these words find significant parallels in Platonizing Sethian sources, by which Plotinus was likely influenced (and not vice versa). Third, it suggests that his final words may have been a ritual utterance, something like the “redemption” rite performed at the moment of death among followers of the Valentinian heresiarch Marcus, as reported by Irenaeus. This would help to explain the urgency of his dying words: could Plotinus have been waiting on Eustochius precisely so he could utter this “last rite,” as it were, in his company and thus “bring the divine in us back up to the Divine in the All”? 
652 |a AG:BF:TD:VA 
689 0 0 |d u  |0 (DE-588)4250677-3  |0 (DE-627)104752416  |0 (DE-576)210506350  |a Porphyrius  |2 gnd  |d 233-301  |t Vita Plotini 
689 0 1 |d p  |0 (DE-588)118595164  |0 (DE-627)079387861  |0 (DE-576)209069392  |2 gnd  |a Plotinus  |d 205-270 
689 0 2 |d s  |0 (DE-588)4167460-1  |0 (DE-627)104813148  |0 (DE-576)209908866  |2 gnd  |a Letzte Worte 
689 0 3 |d s  |0 (DE-588)4187346-4  |0 (DE-627)104122137  |0 (DE-576)210045167  |2 gnd  |a Valentinianismus 
689 0 4 |d s  |0 (DE-588)4046303-5  |0 (DE-627)106198513  |0 (DE-576)209068914  |2 gnd  |a Platonismus 
689 0 5 |d s  |0 (DE-588)4752314-1  |0 (DE-627)372513883  |0 (DE-576)216047285  |2 gnd  |a Vergöttlichung 
689 0 |5 (DE-627) 
773 0 8 |i Enthalten in  |t Journal of early Christian studies  |d Baltimore, Md. : Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 1993  |g 25(2017), 4, Seite 561-580  |h Online-Ressource  |w (DE-627)302925481  |w (DE-600)1492973-9  |w (DE-576)266224059  |x 1086-3184  |7 nnns 
773 1 8 |g volume:25  |g year:2017  |g number:4  |g pages:561-580 
856 4 0 |u https://muse.jhu.edu/article/679989  |x Verlag  |3 Volltext 
856 |u https://doi.org/10.1353/earl.2017.0053  |x doi  |3 Volltext 
951 |a AR 
ELC |a 1 
ITA |a 1  |t 1 
LOK |0 000 xxxxxcx a22 zn 4500 
LOK |0 001 3028829762 
LOK |0 003 DE-627 
LOK |0 004 1581921543 
LOK |0 005 20190129141450 
LOK |0 008 181015||||||||||||||||ger||||||| 
LOK |0 040   |a DE-Tue135  |c DE-627  |d DE-Tue135 
LOK |0 092   |o n 
LOK |0 852   |a DE-Tue135 
LOK |0 852 1  |9 00 
LOK |0 935   |a ixzs  |a ixzo 
LOK |0 936ln  |0 1442043415  |a BF 
LOK |0 936ln  |0 1442053844  |a VA 
LOK |0 936ln  |0 1442043229  |a AG 
LOK |0 936ln  |0 1442053585  |a TD 
ORI |a SA-MARC-ixtheoa001.raw 
REL |a 1 
STA 0 0 |a Deification,Last words,Platonism,Valentinianism,Valentinians 
STB 0 0 |a Dernières paroles,Divinisation,Platonisme,Valentinianisme 
STC 0 0 |a Divinización,Platonismo,Valentianismo,Últimas palabras 
STD 0 0 |a Divinizzazione,Platonismo,Ultime parole,Valentinianesimo 
STE 0 0 |a 华伦提奴主义,柏拉图主义 
STF 0 0 |a 柏拉圖主義,華倫提奴主義 
STG 0 0 |a Divinização,Platonismo,Valentianismo,Últimas palavras 
STH 0 0 |a Валентианизм,Обожествление,Платонизм,Последние слова 
STI 0 0 |a Βαλεντιανισμός,Θεοποίηση,Πλατωνισμός,Τελευταία λόγια 
SUB |a REL 
SYG 0 0 |a Porphyrius,233-301,Das Leben des Plotin,Porphyrius,233-301,Peri Plōtinu biu kai tēs taxeōs tōn biblion autu,Porphyrius,233-301,Vita di Plotino,Porphyrius,233-301,La vie de Plotin,Porphyrius,233-301,Ueber Plotins Leben und über die Ordnung seiner Schriften,Porphyrius,233-301,Vida de Plotino , Plotinus,Lycopolitanus,205-270,Plotinus,Alexandrinus,205-270,Plotinos,Platoniker,205-270,Plotin,de Lycopolis,205-270,Plotinos,Philosoph,205-270,Plotyn,205-270,Plotin,205-270,Plōtinos,205-270,Plotinus,Philosophus,205-270,Plotinus,Romanus,205-270,Plotino,205-270,Plotinos,205-270,Plotinos,Neuplatoniker,205-270,Plotinos,Alexandrinus,205-270,Plotinos,von Ägypten,205-270,Plotinos,Lycopolitanus,205-270,Plotinos,Philosophus,205-270,Aflūṭīn,205-270 , Sterbeworte,Sterbender , Valentinianische Gnosis , Theosis,Gottwerdung