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See also: Neoplatonism, was See also: born of See also: Roman parents at Lycopolis in See also: Egypt
.
At Alexandria he attended the lectures of Ammonius Saccas (q.v.), the founder of the See also: system, until 242, when he joined the Persian expedition of See also: Gordian III., with the See also: object of studying Persian and See also: Indian philosophy on the spot
.
After the assassination of Gordian in 244, See also: Plotinus was obliged to take See also: refuge in See also: Antioch, whence he made his way to See also: Rome and set up as a teacher there
.
He soon attracted a large number of pupils, the most distinguished of whom were Amelius, Eustochius and Porphyry
.
The emperor See also: Gallienus and his wife Salonina were also his enthusiastic admirers, and favoured his idea of founding a Platonic See also: Commonwealth (Platonopolis) in See also: Campania (cf
.
See also: Bishop See also: Berkeley's scheme for the Bermuda islands), but the opposition of Gallienus's counsellors and the See also: death of Plotinus prevented the See also: plan from being carried out
.
Plotinus's wide popularity was due partly to the lucidity of his teaching, but perhaps even more to his strong See also: personality
.
Assent See also: developed into veneration; he was considered to be divinely inspired, and generally credited with miraculous See also: powers
.
In spite of See also: ill-See also: health, he continued to teach and write until his death, which took place on the estate of one of his See also: friends near See also: Minturnae in Campania
.
Under Ammonius Plotinus became imbued with the eclectic spirit of the Alexandrian school
.
'Having accepted the Platonic metaphysical See also: doctrine, he applied to it the Neo-See also: Pythagorean principles and the See also: Oriental doctrine of Emanation (q.v.)
.
The results of this introspective mysticism were collected by him in a series of fifty-four (originally See also: forty-eight) See also: treatises, arranged in six " Enneads," which constitute the most authoritative exposition of Neoplatonism
.
This arrangement is probably due to Porphyry, to whose editorial care they were consigned . There was also another See also: ancient edition by Eustochius, but all the existing See also: MSS. are based on Porphyry's edition
.
The Enneades of Plotinus were first made known in the Latin See also: translation of Marsilio See also: Ficino (Florence, 1492) which was reprinted at See also: Basel in 158o, with the See also: Greek text of Petrus Perna
.
Later See also: editions by Creuzer and Moser (" See also: Didot Series," 1855), A
.
Kirchhoff (1856), H
.
F
.
See also: Muller (1878–188o), R
.
Volkmann (1883–1884)
.
There is an
See also: English translation of selected portions by See also: Thomas
See also: Taylor, re-edited in
See also: Bohn's Philosophical Library (1895, with introduction and bibliography by G
.
R
.
S
.
Mead)
.
On Plotinus generally see article in SuIdas;See also: Eunapius vitae sophistarum; and above all the Vita Plotini by his pupil Porphyry
.
Among See also: modern See also: works, see the treatises on the school of Alexandria by J
.
F
.
See also: Simon, i
.
(1845), and E
.
See also: Vacherot (1846); A
.
See also: Richter, Ueber Leben and Geistesentwicklung See also: des Plotin (See also: Halle, 1864–1867) ; T
.
Whittaker, The Neoplatonists (1901) ; A
.
Drews, Plotin and der Untergang der antiken Weltanschauung (1907) ; E
.
Caird, See also: Evolution of See also: Theology in the Greek Philosophers (1904), ii
.
210–257; Rufus M
.
See also: Jones, Studies in Mystical
See also: Religion (1909)
.
A detailed account of Plotinus's philosophical system and an estimate of its importance will be found in the article NEOPLATONISM, the works above referred to, and the histories of philosophy . For hisSee also: list of categories, see CATEGORIES; also See also: LOGOS; MYSTICISM; MAGIC
.
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