Customer Reviews

Iamblichus on the Mysteries of the Egyptians, Chaldeans, and Assyrians

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"On the Mysteries" by Iamblichus is one of the, if not THE most important surviving ancient Pagan text from the late Classical world. Iamblichus was considered to be one of the great Neoplatonist philosophers and Theurgists. His works continued to inspire debate for centuries after his death, and was lauded by philosophers and condemned by the Church in the Middle Ages. In this work Iamblichus gives not only a complete Canon of pagan religious thought and belief... he explains the "whys" behind it all. He works to provide the sense and logic behind ancient spiritual beliefs and practices. The Emperor Julian, the last Pagan Emperor of Rome (360 AD) considered Iamblichus to be divinely inspired. The Emperor Julian studied this work for years and used it as the basis for his own writings, which are also available from Amazon.com. Anyone researching the subjects of ancient paganism, philosophy or theurgy will find this book to be an invaluable addition to their library. The translator of this ancient work, Thomas Taylor, does an excellent job of providing footnotes and commentary which makes the text even more accessible. Highly recommended!

In this work are collected the neoplatonist Porphyry's "Letter to Anebo" (in which he voices modern-sounding criticisms of religious ritual) and his student Iamblichus' answer to these criticism (which takes the form of an elaborate rationale and defense for these sacramental practices as legitimate *philosophical* means of establishing union with the divine). This work is of interest because 1) it articulates an authentic philosophical understanding of the role of ritual as it is is related to the neoplatonic goal of re-unification with the divine oneness 2) certain of its important arguments remain relevant to contemporary discussion in the philosophy of religion, 3) and it holds historical interest in that it was influential on all subsequent neoplatonism.

Particularly interesting (and most enduringly relevant) is Iamblichus' argument for the impropriety of Porphyry's admission of the existence of the gods (though Iamblichus of course holds that gods are real). The problem with Porphyry's concession is that it treats gods as ontic beings either having or lacking existence like other beings, rather than what neoplatonists held them to be, the ontological source of being holding all being in existence through its own. Of ontological being, Iamblichus argues, we are comprehended in it, and cannot therefore ascribe or refute its existence; we are in it and are all that we are through it, and cannot speak of it at all unless granted some vantage point as a gift from the beyond (hence the rituals Iamblichus prescribes as the divine self-revelation given to humans for establishing that vantage point). A rather sophisticated and modern-sounding argument (and one quite natural to the ideas under consideration) for how empirical-sounding proofs and disproofs for the existence of the divine are misguided about what it means for a god to be a god, and for how the ritual practices prescribed in religions are integral to their philosophical significance rather than negotiable packaging, of perhaps inestimable value to contemporary theistic apologetic.

As usual, Thomas Taylor's highly sympathetic inveighing adds considerable charm to a classic pagan text. And if you want familiarity with high paganism this book certainly should be on your study list. The crucial issue explored here is Theurgy. As Taylor remarks, it appears to have been an element of orthodox ancient religion that has become lost to modernity. Theurgists presumably were able through long years of training to invoke angels and deities. One is reminded of the communion of saints in the Apostles Creed. Similar ideas also arise in connection with the purported grimoire of Pope Honorious, the Heptameron, and in the ceremonial magic of the Golden Dawn and Joseph Lisiewski.

A very humorous technique employed by Iamblichus is to set up his text as a dialogue-by-mail from the Greek philosopher Porphyry to the Egyptian priest Anebo; the Greek's assertions and questions are followed by the Egyptian's replies. And as the Egyptians considered themselves far superior to the Greeks in all matters philosophical and mystical and magical and religious, it comes as no surprise at all that the Egyptian priest corrects the Greek on every occasion:

"It must be granted that there are gods", Porphyry opens.

"Not so", counters the Egyptian priest. "An innate knowledge of the Gods is built into the very fabric of our very being, and so to frame the question thus, as though it could be disputed, is in error." (This of course is a throwback to The Divine Pymander in which it is asserted that "Whatever can be seen has a creator".)

If you wish to seriously study and appreciate this classic text of high paganism, you should obtain a copy of Manly P Hall's taped lecture on it from the Philosophical Research Society, Los Angeles, CA. Similarly, you might wish to consult the works of Donald Tyson and Israel Regardie. Also, the Prometheus Trust now publishes the collected works of Thomas Taylor in attractive volumes.

Iamblichus' (245-325 AD) biographer Eunapius tells us how one of the philosopher's servants witnessed him perfoming "certain rites alone," when he saw Iamblichus' "garments change to a beautiful golden hue," as he levitated in mid air about "ten cubits" off the ground (Lives, M.S.S. 458 Loeb). Eunapius also divulges another fabulous story in which Iamblichus and his disciples were bathing at the Springs of Eros and Anteros in Gadara, where "he touched the water with his hand...and uttering a brief summons he called forth a boy from the spring," an "Eros" with "golden hair." Iamblichus then performed the same utterance at the other spring and another "Eros" (Anteros?) appeared, who looked like the first, yet his image was of a shadowy figure (ibid 459). Now, whether or not these extravagant tales happened, or contemporary minds are willing to believe they could have happened, this one thing is true--that it links Iamblichus to the pre-Platonic legends of Pythagoras' "golden thigh" and Empedocles "ascent" to Mt. Etna wearing the "golden sandle" of Hecate; and also to the reputed "magical" powers of Empedocles. Additionally, these stories in Eunapius would have undoubtedly given some credibility to the legitimacy of theurgical "manifestations" and "unification" in the esoteric philosophical circles of late-antiquity. Thus, Eunapius has enshrined Iamblichus in the pantheon of Hellenstic wonder-working philosopher-magus' along with Apollonius Tyana, Pythagoras and Empedocles. That Iamblichus and many subsequent philosophers, like Proclus, believed in the authenticity of theurgy and considered it an imperative for unification with the super-essential Deity, the One, is unquestionable. No further proof of this is needed, other than what many regard as Iamblichus' magnum opus, the `De Mysteriis.' The work is classified as Platonic, yet it is rooted in the Chaldaean Oracular tradition; and it is also brilliantly fused with the mystical theologies of the ancients, of the Egyptians, Persians, Babylonians, Orphics and Pythagoreans. Antecedent to the `Mysteries' is Porphyry's `Letter to the Priest Anebo' in which he raises doubts as to the veracity, dignity and usefulness of theurgy in philosophy. The `Mysteries' therefore is Iamblichus' exhaustive and precise response to Porphyry's inquiry, in which he essentially demonstrates that theurgy operates off of a phenomenal "sympathy," extending from the sensible-cosmos to the super-cosmic realm of the purely divine, whereto the theurgist becomes united, with the assistance of the gods, to that higher realm. Iamblichus argues that this unity cannot be achieved through philosophical contemplation alone; instead, the sage must be assimilated to the gods through theurgical `reasons.' All in all, The `De Mysteriis' is a great source for ancient daemonlogies, neo-Platonic metaphysics and theology, or for philosophers of history. Thomas Taylor's elucidating annotations, his relevant excerpts from other significant ancient authors and selections from his commentary on the `Mysteries' add a further depth and luster to this already invaluable work.