Cambridge Ancient Hi.. - Index of

848 28. philosophy and philosophical schools
Athens and Alexandria were linked to differences in metaphysics and in
types of commentary. He thought that the influence of Christianity could
already be discerned in the metaphysics of Hierocles and persisted
throughout the life of the Alexandrian school; the concentration on
Aristotle and, as he thought, the more sober approach to his work
confirmed that the Alexandrians were turning away from the dangerous
pagan theology which the Athenian philosophers found in Plato. We have
seen that, even if Alexandrian, or at least Ammonian, metaphysics does
differ from Athenian in the way suggested by Verrycken, the One is the
supreme principle for both groups. The work of Hadot and Verrycken has
demolished any suggestion that there is Christian influence here. We have
also seen that it was Ammonius who turned the Alexandrian school more
strongly towards Aristotle, at least for a time. What was Ammonius’ attitude
to Christianity? Study of Ammonius’ writings reveals no influence of
Christianity on his thought: like any good pagan Platonist, he believed in
the eternity of the world, in the world soul and in the pre-existence and
reincarnation of the human soul.
There is, however, a celebrated report by Damascius that Ammonius
‘being greedy and prepared to do anything for money, made agreements’
with the patriarch of Alexandria. 29 What did Ammonius agree to? The
standard interpretation is that he agreed not to teach Plato; hence, it is supposed,
his concentration on Aristotle. If this was the substance of the
agreement, it was not faithfully adhered to. Damascius heard Ammonius
lecture on Plato some time between 475 and 485, and Olympiodorus listened
to a course on the Gorgias. The agreement was made either with Peter
Mongus, patriarch in 482–9, or with Athanasius II, patriarch c. 489–96. It is
thus quite possible that Damascius heard Ammonius before the agreement
on which he pours scorn was made and that Ammonius did give up teaching
Plato for a time but resumed it later when both Peter and Athanasius
were dead. There have been other suggestions: that Ammonius pledged
himself to silence on pagan doctrines such as the eternity and divinity of
the world – if so, the silence did not endure, any more than a silence about
Plato; or that Ammonius agreed to teach elementary philosophy courses to
ecclesiastics. 30 Neither of these is particularly convincing. A Christian patriarch
might conceivably be worried about Ammonius teaching Plato and
doctrines associated with Platonism such as the eternity of the world; it
seems unlikely that he would want Ammonius to teach his own flock. But
something else associated with Neoplatonism would worry a patriarch
much more, and that is the practice of theurgy.
As we have already seen, the Athenian Neoplatonists followed in the
Iamblichan tradition of practising the magic rites associated with the
29 Damascius, Life of Isidorus fr. 316 Zintzen. 30 Westerink (1990) 327. Blumenthal (1986) 321–3.
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