A Text Worthy of Plotinus

How Plotinus and later Platonism became central to the study of ancient philosophy

A Text Worthy of Plotinus makes available for the first time information on the collaborative work that went into the completion of the first reliable edition of Plotinus’ Enneads: Plotini Opera, editio maior, three volumes (Brussels, Paris, and Leiden, 1951-1973), followed by the editio minor, three volumes (Oxford, 1964-1983). Pride of place is given to the correspondence of the editors, Paul Henry S.J. and Hans-Rudolf Schwyzer, with other prominent scholars of late antiquity, amongst whom are E.R. Dodds, B.S. Page, A.H. Armstrong, and J. Igal S.J. Also included in the volume are related documents consisting in personal memoirs, course handouts and extensive biographical notices of the two editors as well as of those other scholars who contributed to fostering the revival of Plotinus in the latter half of the 20th century. Taken together, letters and documents let the reader into the problems – codicological, exegetical, and philosophical – that are involved in the interpretation of medieval manuscripts and their transcription for modern readers. Additional insights are provided into the nature of collaborative work involving scholars from different countries and traditions.

A Text Worthy of Plotinus will prove a crucial archive for generations of scholars. Those interested in the philosophy of Plotinus will find it a fount of information on his style, manner of exposition, and handling of sources. The volume will also appeal to readers interested in broader trends in 20th century scholarship in the fields of Classics, History of Ideas, Theology, and Religion.

Contributors: Christopher Armstrong (Ilkley, Yorkshire), Luc Brisson (CNRS), Leo Catana (University of Copenhagen), Richard Dufour (Université Laval), Garry Gurtler (Boston College), Georges Leroux (Université de Montréal), Gerard O’Daly (University College London Emeritus), Martin Schwyzer (Zürich), Gregory Shaw (Stonehill College)

This publication is GPRC-labeled (Guaranteed Peer-Reviewed Content).

Chapter Five: Jean Trouillard (1907-1984)                                                   

5.1.    Life                                                                                                                        

5.2.    Jean Trouillard: Portrait of a Neoplatonic Thinker                                        

5.3.    Reminiscence of my meetings with Jean Trouillard                                      

5.4.    Letters                                                                                                                  

5.5.    Obituary                                                                                                              

5.6.    Bibliography of J. Trouillard                                                                              

Chapter Six: Jésus Igal S.J. (1920-1986)                                                            

6.1.    Life                                                                                                                        

6.2.    Letters                                                                                                                  

6.3.    Textual Notes on the Enneads                                                                          

6.4.    Notes for answer to Igal from Armstrong’s papers                                        

6.5.    Obituaries                                                                                                            

6.6.    Bibliography of J. Igal                                                                                        

Chapter Seven: Miscellaneous                                                                          

7.1.  Émile Bréhier (1876-1952)                                                                                  

7.2. Willy Theiler (1899-1977)                                                                                  

7.3. Bertram Samuel Page (1904-1993)                                                                                            

7.4. Evanghelos Roussos (1931-2016)                                                                      

Index Locorum                                                                                                          

Index Nominum                                                                                                          

Format: Edited volume - ebook

428 pages

ISBN: 9789461663672

Publication: February 04, 2021

Series: Ancient and Medieval Philosophy - Series 1 59

Languages: English

José C. Baracat Jr. is Professor of Ancient Greek Language and Literature at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil).
Kevin Corrigan is Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Interdisciplinary Humanities in the Department of Middle Eastern and South Asian Studies at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.
Suzanne Stern-Gillet is Professor of Ancient Philosophy at the University of Bolton and Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Manchester. She an editor of 'The International Journal of the Platonic Tradition'.

S. Stern-Gillet, K. Corrigan and J. C. Baracat orchestrate into a harmonious and sophisticated whole the polyphony and complexity of the archival material carefully gathered, annotated and further enriched thanks to the noteworthy contributions of an international team of outstanding specialists in Neoplatonism.

E. Delli

Philosophia, Number 51, 2021

 
Whilst acknowledging the immense editorial work and specific contributions of the three editors, it is also appropriate, in the context of scholarly collegiality, to mention the contributions made by Leo Catana, Martin Schwyzer, Richard Dufour, Elena Corrigan, Christopher Armstrong, Greg Shaw, Georges Leroux, Gary Gurtler, Luc Brisson, Gerard O'Daly, Michael Atkinson and Paul Kalligas. Although at times one could have wished for a fuller picture of this great enterprise, it is clear that the material which the editors had at their disposal was incomplete. From such incomplete and often fortuitous survivals, as is always the case when writing about those who care more about contributing to the advance of our understanding than about managing their 'legacy', the editors have managed to create a compelling account, a rich source of hitherto inaccessible comment on the Enneads, and a worthy celebration of the achievement of a previous generation of Plotinian scholars.
Andrew Smith, BMCR 2021.12.07, https://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2021/2021.12.07/
 
This is a remarkable book and one that will prove deeply interesting, and even entertaining, to at least that (admittedly rather limited) body of persons who have an interest in the philosopher Plotinus and specifically in the history of the production of the definitive edition of his works by Paul Henry (1906–84) and Hans-Rudolf Schwyzer (1908–93) back in the middle of the last century – to be precise, Plotini Opera (editio maior), Vol. I in 1951, Vol. II in 1959 and Vol. III in 1973, with the editio minor (viz. the Oxford text) following in 1964, 1977 and 1982. [...] All in all, a fascinating treasure-trove of material relative to this great edition and its authors, very well edited by Stern-Gillet, with much technical help, it seems, from Baracat. The volume is completed by a most useful index locorum and an index nominum.
John Dillon, The Classical Review , Volume 71 , Issue 2 , October 2021 , pp. 365 - 367, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0009840X21001438

 
Filip Karfik, « Suzanne Stern-Gillet, Kevin Corrigan, José C. Baracat Jr. (éd.), A Text Worthy of Plotinus. The Lives and Correspondence of P. Henry S.J., H.-R. Schwyzer, A. H. Armstrong, J. Trouillard and J. Igal S.J. », Philosophie antique [En ligne], Comptes rendus en pré-publication, mis en ligne le 27 mai 2021, consulté le 28 mai 2021. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/philosant/4268