Theurgy and the Soul: The Neoplatonism of Iamblichus (2nd edition)
by Gregory Shaw
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Iamblichus was once considered one of the great philosophers. The Emperor Julian followed Iamblichus's teachings to guide the restoration of traditional pagan cults in his campaign against Christianity. Although Julian was unsuccessful, Iamblichus's ideas persisted well into the Middle Ages and beyond. His vision of a hierarchical cosmos united by divine ritual became the dominant worldview for the entire medieval world. Even Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote that he expected a reading of Iamblichus show more to cause a "revival in the churches." But modern scholars have dismissed him, seeing theurgy as ritual magic or "manipulation of the gods." Shaw, however, shows that theurgy was a subtle and intellectually sophisticated attempt to apply Platonic and Pythagorean teachings to the full expression of human existence in the material world. show lessTags
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This is a heavy slog. Platonism is not intuitive at all. The author seems mainly concerned to defend Iamblichus against charges that theurgy was more primitive than other forms of Platonism. No real guide to practice.
Very academic work, however, filled with much interesting and detailed information.
Whoa, this author's in depth knowledge of Platonic and Theurgic thought blew me away. He made these long lost ideas and philosophies come back to life. This is one of my favorite books.
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The ESOTERICA Library by Dr. Justin Sledge (Neo-Platonism)
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