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Encyclopedia of Medieval Philosophy pp 1078–1081Cite as

Proclus, Arabic

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Abstract

The name of the Greek philosopher Proclus figures quite prominently in the Arabic philosophical literature. However, his doctrines are often changed beyond recognition. Fourteen Proclean works were allegedly translated into Arabic and Syriac, but today none of these translations is known to be extant in its entirety. Among them, his Proofs that the World is Eternal and his Elements of Theology were the most influential ones. The latter was reworked in several recensions and became a main source for Neoplatonic thought in Arabic: the One identified with pure Being was established as the first principle and the cause of everything else; the concept of emanation and creatio mediante intelligentia was expounded; the hierarchy of being was arranged in the scheme One – Intellect – Soul – Nature, and the dichotomy between spiritual and corporeal world was stressed.

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Bibliography

Primary Sources

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Classics and Ancient History, Warwick University, Coventry, UK

    Elvira Wakelnig

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  1. Elvira Wakelnig
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  1. Department of Philosophy, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada

    Henrik Lagerlund

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Wakelnig, E. (2011). Proclus, Arabic. In: Lagerlund, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Medieval Philosophy. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9729-4_420

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9729-4_420

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