Proclus: Commentary on Plato's Timaeus: Volume 5, Book 4

This volume provides a clear, rigorous translation of one of the most important works of Platonic philosophy from late antiquity.

Proclus (Author), Dirk Baltzly (Edited and translated by)

9781316505250, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 7 January 2016

360 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 2 cm, 0.52 kg

Proclus' commentary on Plato's dialogue Timaeus is arguably the most important commentary on a text of Plato, offering unparalleled insights into eight centuries of Platonic interpretation. It has had an enormous influence on subsequent Plato scholarship. This edition offers the first new English translation of the work for nearly two centuries, building on significant recent advances in scholarship on Neoplatonic commentators. It provides an invaluable record of early interpretations of Plato's dialogue, while also presenting Proclus' own views on the meaning and significance of Platonic philosophy. The present volume, the fifth in the edition, presents Proclus' commentary on the Timaeus, dealing with Proclus' account of static and flowing time; we see Proclus situating Plato's account of the motions of the stars and planets in relation to the astronomical theories of his day. The volume includes a substantial introduction, as well as notes that will shed new light on the text.

Acknowledgement
Notes on the translation
Introduction
1. The structure of Book IV
2. The eighth gift of time: eternity and the higher time
3. The ninth gift: visible time and the planets
4. Platonic exegesis and contemporary astronomy
5. The greatest gift of all: the four kinds of living creature
6. Conclusion
Works cited
Commentary on Plato's Timaeus: Volume V, Book 4
Proclus on time and the stars
Analytical table of contents
Translation
English-Greek glossary
Greek word index
General index.

Subject Areas: Western philosophy: Ancient, to c 500 [HPCA], History of Western philosophy [HPC], Ancient history: to c 500 CE [HBLA], Literary studies: classical, early & medieval [DSBB]