You're welcome! Thank you and temporaryreality for nudging me into it!
But I also don't regard Neoplatonism as a religion
If I am reading Murray correctly, I think he would disagree with you: to him, Greek philosophy is inextricably intertwined with Greek religion; furthermore, just as Platonism, Stoicism, Epicureanism (yes, even them), etc. are flowerings of Greek religion in its prime, Neoplatonism is the flowering of Greek religion in its old age. That later cultures have been able to repurpose Greek philosophy is simply a testament to its richness and beauty.
I don't regard myself as well-read enough to have a dog in this fight, though, so please just take it as a paraphrase! I refer you to Five Stages of Greek Religion if you wish to dig into it further.
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Date: 2022-03-24 09:13 pm (UTC)If I am reading Murray correctly, I think he would disagree with you: to him, Greek philosophy is inextricably intertwined with Greek religion; furthermore, just as Platonism, Stoicism, Epicureanism (yes, even them), etc. are flowerings of Greek religion in its prime, Neoplatonism is the flowering of Greek religion in its old age. That later cultures have been able to repurpose Greek philosophy is simply a testament to its richness and beauty.
I don't regard myself as well-read enough to have a dog in this fight, though, so please just take it as a paraphrase! I refer you to Five Stages of Greek Religion if you wish to dig into it further.