I finished reading Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's Before We Visit the Goddess today, and I'd like to share a few passages from 125-128, the pages that had the most impact on me. The book is an excellent read, and in the selections below, I've tried to avoid spoilers. Far as I know, I've never been inside … Continue reading A Miscellany of Quotations: A Few Thought-Provoking Passages from Fiction
Tag: commonplace book
Three Thoughtworms
There are many quotations rolling around in my mind all of the time. I read a lot. Because it is (a) November and we are entering the holiday shopping season and (b) I am watching the Twitter headlines with horrified fascination, I would like to present the following three quotations. It is a sacrilege not … Continue reading Three Thoughtworms
Some Passages from Damascius’ Philosophical History
At the beginning of the month, I devoured the fragments of Damascius' Philosophical History, an out-of-print translation filled with interesting anecdotes about people in the polytheistic intellectual scene of Late Antiquity. The translator, Polymnia Athanassiadi, identifies many continuities between the world of Damascius and Mediterranean cultures today even while emphasizing the extreme cultural loss and … Continue reading Some Passages from Damascius’ Philosophical History
Two Quotations — van den Berg on Proclus not being Athenian and what that means for sympatheia and Proclus’ prose prayer to the Gods in the Parmenides commentary
This week, after over a month of waiting, my Brill MyBooks came in. One of the books was Iamblichus' De Anima — or, after the front cover, shall I say <html>Iamblichus' De Anima (yes, literally, I guess he was in fact Very Online) — and the other was a MyBook print-on-demand of Proclus' Hymns by van … Continue reading Two Quotations — van den Berg on Proclus not being Athenian and what that means for sympatheia and Proclus’ prose prayer to the Gods in the Parmenides commentary
Some Quotations from Olympiodorus’ Commentary on Plato’s PHAEDO
In January, I read eight books, among them Olympiodorus' Commentary on Plato's Phaedo. It comes from notes taken during his lectures, so as with any lecture notes, mileage may vary based on the likely-Christian student's (or students') accuracy and attentiveness. Here are a few notes. (As a reminder, I have a commonplace book tag with … Continue reading Some Quotations from Olympiodorus’ Commentary on Plato’s PHAEDO
Some Passages from Damascius’ Commentary on the PHAEDO
I just finished reading Damascius' discussion of the Phaedo, and I have a few quotations that I would like to share with you all. It's sometimes an unwieldy challenge to pull quotations that are striking from a commentary because the passages are very contextual. Here, the discussion of the Phaedo focuses on the various arguments … Continue reading Some Passages from Damascius’ Commentary on the PHAEDO
Being Held Submerged
Reading one of Proclus' hymns and relating it to passages in the Platonic Theology was my very unexpected (unofficial) winter break hobby.
Heads Become (OK, Are) Roots
I read the final 108 translated pages of Proclus' Commentary on Plato's Timaeus yesterday. It took about six hours, and I was so excited about it that it was difficult to sleep — well worth it, though, as several months ago when I was in the thick of harmonic ratios, it seemed like the words … Continue reading Heads Become (OK, Are) Roots
Offspring of the Gods — Something from Proclus’ Commentary on Plato’s TIMAEUS
The passage below is of great theological interest. Previously on this blog, I have mentioned that being in the train of a God is not particularly unique because it could be said about each and every person, and this is yet another passage that deals with that. It's also striking to me looking at this … Continue reading Offspring of the Gods — Something from Proclus’ Commentary on Plato’s TIMAEUS
KALLISTI 