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Research Seminar

Porphyry’s Commentary on the Timaeus

Porphyry’s (c. 234-305) Commentary on the Timaeus (ed. Sodano 1964) is the best preserved and most influential among Porphyry’s Platonic commentaries. The surving fragments are mainly paraphrases deriving largely from Proclus’ Commentary on the Timaeus but also from Macrobius, Philoponus (verbatim quotations, including Fr. 172 Smith), and even Michael Psellus (fr. 471 Smith). Furthermore, A. R. Sodano’s edition includes nine fragments from Calcidius, the porphyrian origin of which has, however, been put into question (Reydams-Schils 2020), as well as two uncertain fragments drawn from Simplicius and Al-Shahrastani. The question of the Syriac text’s On Principles and Matter (Arzhanov 2021) relation to Porphyry’s Commentary on the Timaeus has to be assessed as well. Following Sodano’s edition and taking into account the most recent editions of the quoting authors (including Bakhouche 2011 and Van Riel 2022), we aim to provide a collection and annotated translation of the fragments (Greek and Latin text with alternative suggested readings and facing French translation) accompanied by critical essays and supplemented by an English translation.

Team:

Cristina D’Ancona
(Università di Pisa)

Béatrice Bakhouche
(Université Paul Valéry-Montpellier)

Luc Brisson
(Centre Jean Pépin, CNRS-UMR 8230 & École Normale Supérieure, Paris)

Tiziano Dorandi
(Centre Jean Pépin, CNRS-UMR 8230 & École Normale Supérieure, Paris)

Mark Edwards
(University of Oxford)

Constantinos Macris
(LEM, CNRS-UMR 8584)

Jan Opsomer
(KU Leuven)

Federico Maria Petrucci
(Università di Torino)

Gretchen Reydams-Schils
(University of Notre Dame)

Andrew Smith
(University College Dublin)

Konstantinos Spanoudakis
(University of Crete)

Gerd Van Riel
(KU Leuven)

Irini-Fotini Viltanioti
(University of Crete & IMS-FORTH)

Organisers:

Luc Brisson
(Centre Jean Pépin, CNRS-UMR 8230 & École Normale Supérieure, Paris)

Tiziano Dorandi
(Centre Jean Pépin, CNRS-UMR 8230 & École Normale Supérieure, Paris)

Irini-Fotini Viltanioti
(University of Crete & IMS-FORTH)