Platonism at Rome by Dudley Marvin Canright

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 15, 1870

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 35, Nos. 8 & 9.

Platonism at Rome.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

We have already traced the history of Platonism to Rome. We are now ready to note its efforts there. That Rome received its religion mostly from Greece, is attested by all writers. “The religion of the Romans,” says a learned author, “appears to have been that of Greece—a mixture of Syrian and Egyptian fables. The principal gods of both people were the same.” “The religious system of the Romans,” says Mr. Fisk, “gives clear evidence of its Grecian descent, being in scarcely any part of it a native growth, but borrowed chiefly from the Greek colonies in Italy.” Dr. Good says, “The philosophers of Rome present us with nothing new; for they merely followed the dogmas of those of Greece.” For several hundred years the Romans were a very rude, barbarous people; and it was not till near the time of Christ that they began to cultivate philosophy among them. About this time, Rome opened its arms to Grecian philosophy, which, “having been thus transplanted to Rome, the exotic plant flourished with vigor in its new soil.” Very soon, every Grecian sect of philosophy had its numerous patrons among the Romans.

Platonism was embraced by some very illustrious men, among whom was Cicero. He was a great admirer of Plato, and said and wrote much to prove the immortality of the soul. He did for that doctrine among the Romans what Plato had done for it among the Greeks. Rome was then mistress of the world. This brought all nations to Rome, and threw them much together.

THE ALEXANDRIAN SCHOOL.

About this time there was a singular school started at Alexandria, in Egypt, then a part of the Roman empire. It was called The Eclectic or New Platonic School. The origin of it was this: Certain philosophers, seeing the endless disputes and contradictions among the many different sects of philosophy and religion, formed the plan of gleaning from all whatever was good and consonant to reason, and rejecting the rest. Platonism was the basis of this school, and the doctrine of the immortality of the soul held a conspicuous place in it. It was through this school, further improved by Ammonius, that this doctrine came into the church; hence we are interested in it. It is not certain just when it started; but probably not far from the birth of Christ. So say Dr. Mosheim, Enfield, The Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, &c. One Potamon, a Platonist, is supposed to have been its founder. Says the Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, “They held Plato in the highest esteem, but did not scruple to join with his doctrine, whatever they thought conformable to reason in the tenets of other philosophers.”

But the man who did the most to make this school what it finally became in its influence on Christianity, was Ammonius Saccas, who was born toward the close of the second century. He was born of Christian parents, and taught that religion; but he apostatized, either wholly or in part, to heathenism. He joined the Eclectic School at Alexandria, and undertook to unite heathenism and Christianity into one system. The learned Dr. Mosheim thus states with regard to this man and his work: “This (Eclectic) mode of philosophizing was changed near the close of the (second) century, when Ammonius Saccas, with great applause, opened a school at Alexandria, and laid the foundation for that sect which is called the New Platonic. This man was born and educated a Christian, and, perhaps, made pretensions to Christianity all his life. Being possessed of great fecundity of genius, as well as eloquence, he undertook to bring all systems of philosophy and religion into harmony; or, in other words, to teach a philosophy by which all philosophers, and the men of all religions, the Christian not excepted, might unite together and have fellowship. * Ammonius held that all sects held one and the same system of truth, with only some difference in the mode of stating it, and some minute difference in their conceptions; so that, by means of suitable explanations, they might, with little difficulty, be brought into one body. He moreover held this new and singular principle, that the popular religions, and likewise the Christian, must be understood and explained according to this common philosophy of all the sects; and that the fables of the vulgar pagans and their priests, and so, too, the interpretations of the disciples of Christ, ought to be separated from their respective religions.”

Says Mosheim: “The grand object of Ammonius, to bring all sects and religions into harmony, required him to do much violence to the sentiments and opinions of all parties, philosophers, priests, and Christians; and, particularly, by means of allegorical interpretations, to remove very many impediments out of the way. To these assumptions he added the common doctrines of the Egyptians (among whom he was born and educated), concerning the universe and the Deity; as constituting one great whole*, [Pantheism] concerning the eternity of the world, the nature of the soul, providence, the government of this world by demons, and other received doctrines, all of which he considered as true, and not to be called in question.” Enfield says about the same of this school.

Ammonius died about A. D. 243. “The school of Ammonius was continued, and the Eclectic system completed by the most celebrated of his disciples, Platinus, the chief of the Alexandrian Platonists, from whom the school afterwards took its name.” He was born A. D. 205. By his great abilities, the school became very famous, and very successful in its object, as we shall see. Plato’s doctrine of the immortality of the soul he implicitly received. The following from Enfield will illustrate this: “It was another proof of the fanatical spirit of Platinus, that, though well skilled in the medical art, he had such contempt for the body, that he could never be prevailed upon to make use of any means to cure or alleviate his pains. He had learned from Pythagoras and Plato that the soul is sent into the body for the punishment of its former sins, and must, in this prison, pass through a severe servitude before it can be sufficiently purified to return to the divine fountain from which it flowed. When he found his end approach-

ing, he said to Eustachius, ‘The divine principle within me is now hastening to unite itself with that divine Being which animates the universe;’ herein expressing a leading principle of his philosophy, that the human soul is an emanation from the divine nature, and will return to the source whence it proceeded.” This shows what a prominent place Plato’s doctrine of the human soul held in this system.

Platinus died A. D. 270. “The succession of the Platonic or Eclectic school in Alexandria terminated in Damascus, a native of Syria.” That this school was chiefly founded upon the doctrines of Plato, especially that relating to the soul, is attested by all authorities on this subject. Dr. Mosheim says, “Those who originated this species of philosophy (the Eclectic), took their leading principles from the system of Plato; considering almost every thing which he advanced respecting the Deity, the soul, the world, the demons, as indisputable axioms.” Plato was the highest authority with them. To him all, even Christ, must bow. It is their doctrine concerning the soul that we are especially interested in, and this we see was the same as taught by Plato, and was received directly from him. Their doctrines on this point are thus clearly described by Mosheim. “Man, therefore, while he continued here below, was supposed to be compounded of two principles, acting in direct opposition to each other; 1st, a terrestrial and corrupt or vitiated body; 2d, a soul partaking of the nature of the Deity, and derived from the region of purity and light. The soul, or ethereal part, being, through its connection with the body, confined as it were within a prison of matter, was constantly exposed to the danger of becoming involved in ignorance and acquiring every sort of evil propensity from the impulse and contagion of the vitiated mass by which it was enveloped.”

“The body, on the contrary, as the source of every depraved appetite, was, according to them, to be reduced and brought into subjection by hunger, thirst, and every other species of mortification; and neither to be supported by flesh nor wine, nor indulged in any of those gratifications to which it is naturally prone; in fact, a constant self-denial was to be rigorously observed in every thing which might contribute either to the convenience or amenitas [Latin, pleasantness] of this life; so that the material frame being thus by every means weakened and brought low, the celestial spirit might the more readily escape from its contagious influence, and regain its native liberty. Hence it was that the Manichæans, the Marcionites, the Encratites, and others, passed their lives in one continued course of austerity and mortification.” “Every one who laid claim to the character of a wise man, was strictly enjoined by him (Ammonius) to assert the liberty of his divine and immortal part, by extracting it, as it were, from all connection with the body; the consequence of which would be, that it would, even in this life, enjoy communion with the Deity; and when death should disencumber it of every gross and corporeal tie, escape free and unpolluted into the arms of the first great Parent of all things.”

It would seem that a very little penetration would discern in this the original of the modern theological doctrine of the immortality of the soul, going to Heaven at death, &c. With this school the resurrection of the body was either of little importance or denied entirely. This would naturally follow from their view of the impurity of matter. These facts I think sufficient to give a clear idea of the doctrines of this celebrated school concerning man, both soul and body.

ITS GREAT POPULARITY

We will briefly notice how popular and extensive this school became. All agree that it acquired a wonderful degree of eminence, and soon extended itself over most of the Roman empire and eclipsed the glory of all other sects. To this effect writes Mosheim: “While the emperors and magistrates were striving to subvert the Christian commonwealth by means of laws and punishments, it was assailed with craft and subtlety, during this whole century, by the philosophers of the Ammonian school; who assumed the name of Platonists, extended their disciples over nearly all the Roman empire, and gradually obscured the glory of all other sects.” Again: “The school of Ammonius, the origin and dogmas of which have been already stated, gradually cast all others into the back ground. From Egypt it spread in a short time over nearly the whole Roman empire; and drew after it almost all persons inclined to attend to metaphysical studies. This prosperity of the sect was owing especially to Platinus, the most distinguished disciple of Ammonius, a man of intellectual acumen, and formed by nature for abstruse investigation. For he taught first in Persia and afterwards at Rome and in Campania, to vast concourses of youth; and embodied his precepts in various books.” Says Enfield, “The pernicious influence of the Eclectic system, both upon opinions and manners, through many succeeding ages, will be seen in the sequel.”

Thus it will be seen that this school was exceedingly popular, and its influence was very widely extended.

D. M. Canright.