Hermias On Plato Phaedrus 227A245E [Hardcover]

This commentary records, through notes taken by Hermias, Syrianus' seminar on Plato'sPhaedrus, one of the world's most influential celebrations of erotic beauty and love. It is the only Neoplatonic commentary on Plato'sPhaedrusto have survived in its entirety. Further interest comes from the recorded interventions by Syrianus' pupils - including those by Proclus, his eventual successor as head of the Athenian school, who went on to teach Hermias' father, Ammonius.

The first of two volumes of Hermias' commentary, the chapters translated here discuss the argument that the soul can be proved immortal as being the self-moving source of eternal motion. Aristotle explicitly disagreed with Plato on this treatment of the soul and Syrianus, having previously (in a commentary on theMetaphysics) criticised Aristotle severely when he disagreed with Plato, feels obliged here, too, to address the apparent disagreement. This new translation is thus vital for understanding Syrianus' attitude to Aristotle.

Dirk Baltzlyis Professor of Philosophy and Head of Discipline for Philosophy & Gender Studies at the University of Tasmania, Australia.

Michael Shareis Adjunct Researcher at the School of History & Classics, University of Tasmania, Australia.

Abbreviations
Conventions

Introduction

Departures from Lucarini and Moreschini's Text
Translation

Notes

Bibliography

English-Greek Glossary
Greek-English Index
Subject Index

Accurate and fluid, reaping the full benefits of its German predecessor and surpassing it in many cases. It is also copiously annotated, with over 800 notes for 126 pages of translation. This heavy annotation is useful given how little the Scholia have been studied and how many passages there are that seem more like a series of crabbed notes than pieces of polished exegesis. -Bryn Mawr Classical Review

An English translation of the commentary on Pll3\