The Enchiridion or Handbook of the first-century AD Stoic Epictetus was used as an ethical treatise both in Christian monasteries and by the sixth-century pagan Neoplatonist Simplicius. Simplicius chose it for beginners, rather than Aristotle's Ethics, because it presupposed no knowledge of logic. We thus get a fascinating chance to see how a pagan Neoplatonist transformed Stoic ideas. The text was relevant to Simplicius because he too, like Epictetus, was teaching beginners how to take the first steps towards eradicating emotion, although he is unlike Epictetus in thinking that they should give up public life rather than acquiesce, if public office is denied them. Simplicius starts from a Platonic definition of the person as rational soul, not body, ignoring Epictetus' further whittling down of himself to just his will or policy decisions. He selects certain topics for special attention in chapters 1, 8, 27 and 31. Things are up to us, despite Fate. Our sufferings are not evil, but providential attempts to turn us from the body. Evil is found only in the human soul. But evil is parasitic (Proclus' term) on good. The gods exist, are provident, and cannot be bought off.With nearly all of this the Stoics would agree, but for quite different reasons, and their own distinctions and definitions are to a large extent ignored. This translation of the Handbook is published in two volumes. This is the second volume, covering chapters 27-53; the first covers chapters 1-26.
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The "Enchiridion" or "Handbook" of the first-century AD Stoic Epictetus was used as an ethical treatise both in Christian monasteries and by the sixth-century pagan Neoplatonist Simplicius. This is the second volume of a translation of Simplicius' commentary on Epictetus' "Handbook".
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Preface
Introduction
Textual Emendations
TRANSLATION
Notes
Bibliography English-Greek
Glossary Greek-English Index
Index of Passages Cited
Subject
Index

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The Enchiridion or Handbook of the first-century AD Stoic Epictetus was used as an ethical treatise both in Christian monasteries and by the sixth-century pagan Neoplatonist Simplicius. This is the second volume of a translation of Simplicius' commentary on Epictetus' Handbook.
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The latest volume in a prestigious scholarly series

The Ancient Commentators on Aristotle series is a prestigious scholarly project, which translates into English the principal works of the Neoplatonist commentators on Aristotle. The translation in each volume is accompanied by an introduction, comprehensive commentary notes, bibliography, glossary of translated terms and a subject index.

Praise for the series:

"A truly breathtaking achievement, with few parallels in the history of scholarly endeavour"
Times Literary Supplement

"Well-known and renowned"
Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"One of the great scholarly achievements of our time"
British Journal for the History of Philosophy

"Without any doubt, it is this enterprise of R. Sorabji which has had the greatest impact among historians of ancient philosophy."
Ilsetraut Hadot in Le Néoplatonicien Simplicius à la lumière des recherches contemporaines

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Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781472557360
Publisert
2014-04-10
Utgiver
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC; Bloomsbury Academic
Vekt
290 gr
Høyde
234 mm
Bredde
156 mm
Aldersnivå
U, P, 05, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
240

Om bidragsyterne

Tad Brennan is Associate Professor at the Department of Philosophy, Yale University, USA.
Charles Brittain is Associate Professor at the Department of Classics, Cornell University, USA.