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DOUGLAS BURTON-CHRISTIE
The Pagan Philosopher's Quest for Holiness: Plotinus and his Circle
From Douglas Burton-Christie, The Word in the Desert, Oxford University Press 1993, pp. 49-54
Page 3
Plotinus's attitude toward the pagan cultural tradition and his influential social location suggest the extent to which the philosopher's quest for holiness could be understood only within the world of traditional pagan values and culture. The precise means through which the pagan philosopher pursued holiness varied widely. However, we can learn much about the meaning of holiness in this setting by examining what Hadot calls the exercices spirituels of the philosopher. One of these exercices which is worth looking at, especially because of the comparison it allows us to make with early monasticism, is the reading and interpretation of texts - especially the philosophical texts of Plato.[16] The centrality of this aspect of the pagan paideia in the philosophical schools suggests the importance accorded to learning - especially of the pagan philosophical tradition - the philosopher's quest for holiness. Also, Plotinus's characteristic method of interpreting Plato's writing among his circle of disciples, reveals what a religious exercise such interpretation was. Meaningful interpretation of these texts depended on the depth of the philosopher's religious experience and on his sensitivity as a director of souls. It was only through plumbing the depths of a tradition shared by their contemporaries that Plotinus and his circle came to enjoy such prestige and power within their world.
A certain amount of preparation was required in order to be able to interpret the works of Plato properly. Central to this preparatory work was the practice of asceticism and the cultivation of virtue. Asceticism meant the practice of certain elements of the Pythagorean ideal, including vegetarianism, refusal to bathe in public,[17] frugality, reduction of time of sleep,[18] celibacy, and to some extent, simplicity with regard to material goods. This practice of asceticism reveals a certain pessimism toward the body, something reflected in Porphyry's description of Plotinus that "he seemed ashamed of being in the body."[19] The ascetic impulse also reflected a desire to overcome undue anxiety about the things of this world and the inward division caused by such anxiety.[20] Virtue was understood to be that which leads one to God, through the interior transformation of one's being. "Without virtue," Plotinus said, "God is only a word."[21] The practice of asceticism and the cultivation of virtue, as Plotinus understood it, was meant to lead to an extremely simple attitude. The goal of the philosophical life, then, was not to remove oneself from society, but to be so transformed inwardly that one was able to live within society with a freedom which came from a simple regard for "the One."
Cf. Plotinus,
The soul's movement
will be about its source,
Music leads to the absolute beauty
Plato, Books
can be your worst enemies |||
Plato
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