Neoplatonic Virtue: Material Sacrifice and Divine Friendship
In this class, we delve into Iamblichus’ critique of the idea that sacrifice can be explained purely through natural sympathy — a view associated with Plotinus. Instead, Iamblichus argues that the true cause of sacrificial efficacy lies in philia (friendship), understood as the metaphysical bond between creators and their creations.
We explore how different levels of causality — from daimones to gods and ultimately Unity — respond to sacrificial acts according to their rank, and how the perfection of the ritual determines the range of its influence. This leads to a discussion of fire, divine assimilation, and the ethics of who should sacrifice and why.
Transcript
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