Bachelor thesis | Griekse en Latijnse taal en cultuur (BA)
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My thesis has brought to light two Arabic translations of Proclus' De Aeternitate Mundi and argues their substantial text-critical value, given that our current edition by Rabe (1899) is derived...Show moreMy thesis has brought to light two Arabic translations of Proclus' De Aeternitate Mundi and argues their substantial text-critical value, given that our current edition by Rabe (1899) is derived from a single Greek manuscript, which is not only younger than the Arabic ones but also merely based on quotations from Philoponus' refutation. The primary focus of my research is the Arabic rendition by the renowned translator Isḥāq b. Ḥunayn. For the first time, I provide an English translation of this work and conduct a comparative analysis of the Arabic with Rabe's Greek edition and the Arabic version by Anonymus. The first chapter of my thesis delves into Isḥāq's approach to the text and his translation technique. In the second chapter, I undertake a comprehensive text-critical analysis, including a critical apparatus. My findings address the question of a probable Vorlage of the two Arabic versions and whether they were translated directly from Proclus or from Philoponus' Contra Proclum, culminating in a stemma (Lachmann) of De Aeternitate Mundi.Show less
This thesis constitutes an inquiry into the foundations and implications of Neoplatonic metaphysics in and between Proclus (fl. AD 412-485) and the pseudonymous ‘Dionysius the Areopagite’ (fl. c....Show moreThis thesis constitutes an inquiry into the foundations and implications of Neoplatonic metaphysics in and between Proclus (fl. AD 412-485) and the pseudonymous ‘Dionysius the Areopagite’ (fl. c. AD 485-528). I propose that the systematic coherence of either of these philosophers depends upon a logic originating in and dependent upon a theological grammar revealed by a First Principle beyond Being. This is accomplished by first establishing the Parmenidean identification of logic and Being with its various implications as necessitating a First Principle beyond Being. From this foundation, I reconstruct Proclus’ and Dionysius’ deductive account of the declension of Being from this Principle. I show that in both cases an aporia arises with respect to reconciling the absolute unity of the One and the multiplicity of Being. This, I argue, can only be resolved through recognizing the common revelatory source of logic and a theological grammar that permits speech about a multiplicity beyond Being. In doing this, I outline the differing forms this takes for the Hellenic Pagan Proclus and the Christian Dionysius as well as the implications that this bears for the relation between philosophical reason, revelation, and theurgic activity.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
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This thesis focuses on the philosophical meaning of literal silence in the later Platonic tradition (first to sixth century AD). With ‘literal silence’ I mean the phenomenon or act of silence...Show moreThis thesis focuses on the philosophical meaning of literal silence in the later Platonic tradition (first to sixth century AD). With ‘literal silence’ I mean the phenomenon or act of silence itself that is explicitly indicated in a text. As this thesis shows, silence is not a static but a dynamic concept whose meaning is transformed over time. The first chapter treats the silent philosopher trope in the (Neo)Pythagorean tradition and shows that silence was seen as a philosophical virtue and a (better) alternative to language. These types of silence were intentional and immanent, and also often communicative. The second chapter focuses on quietness as a characteristic of the first principle and as an ontological posture in Middle Platonic and Neoplatonic thought. In this philosophical development, silence is no longer immanent to speech but transcends the human capacity for language. In the last chapter, I show how the thoughts on the limits of language impact the dialectical method and the literary form of some Christian Platonic dialogues that stand out for their silent interlocutors. The conclusion reflects on the different instances of silence and shows how their meanings flow into each other while being transformed throughout antiquity with every author.Show less
