Hermeias of Alexandria

Hermeias (Hermias) of Alexandria (* probably around 410, † probably around 450) was a late ancient Greek philosopher of Egyptian origin. He belonged to the then predominant Neoplatonic trend.

Life

We only know about the origin of Hermeias that he came from Alexandria . His birth is dated around 410. In the 430s he studied in Athens at the renowned school of philosophy there, a private institution run by Neo-Platonists, which continued the tradition of the Platonic Academy . At that time, this school was the most important center of Platonism and therefore attractive to those from Egypt eager to learn. The philosopher Syrianos , who ran the school as a scholarch , became Hermeias' teacher. He married Aidesia, a relative of the Syrianos, who was famous for her philanthropic generosity. The later famous philosopher Proclus was one of his fellow students .

After finishing his studies, Hermeias returned to Alexandria. There he got a job as a publicly paid philosophy teacher. With Aidesia he had three sons, the eldest of whom died at the age of seven. The second oldest was Ammonios Hermeiou , the youngest was called Heliodorus. Hermeias probably died around 450.

After Hermeias death, the widow went to Athens with the two surviving sons; Ammonios and Heliodorus studied with Proclus. Ammonios later became an influential philosophy teacher and Aristotle commentator in Alexandria, Heliodorus worked as an astronomer.

The philosopher Damascius reports that Hermeias distinguished himself through unsurpassed hard work, but was not particularly astute and was unable to convincingly refute oral objections. Damascius also relates that Hermeias was so conscientious that he paid more than the asking price for a book if he thought that the seller had offered it too cheap out of ignorance.

Commentary on Plato's Phaedrus

Only one work by Hermeias, his commentary on Plato's dialogue Phaedrus , is known and has survived. Because of Damascius 'assessment of Hermeias' abilities, among other things, the majority of researchers assume that he hardly communicates his own views; rather, it is a recording from the lessons of his teacher Syrianos, which thus only reproduces his Phaedrus commentary. However, some people also believe that the dependence on Syrianos was less than traditionally assumed. The commentary is strongly influenced by the method of interpretation of Iamblichus of Chalkis , especially with regard to the attempt to show metaphysical backgrounds. The decision between allegorical and literal interpretation of a text passage is made dependent on the weighing of the respective circumstances. Hermeias emphasizes - following on from a requirement of Plato in Phaedrus (264c2ff.), According to which every writing must be coherently designed like a living being - that the dialogue is conceived towards a single goal ( skopós ), which is therefore authoritative for the interpretation of the everywhere Must be point of view. This dominating topic is "the beautiful in every sense". Hermeias refers to Iamblichus. Socrates is represented as a messenger from a divine world who wanted to redeem the sunken souls of men; Homer and Orpheus appear as divinely inspired poets and thus also as theological authorities (despite Plato's sharp criticism of Homer); they are counted among the "theologians".

reception

The oldest manuscript dates from the 13th century; the entire later tradition seems to depend on it. In the late 15th century, the humanist Marsilio Ficino translated the Phaedrus commentary into Latin. He was influenced by it with regard to the doctrine of the types of inspiration, but otherwise shows little proximity to Hermeias.

Editions and translations

• Carlo M. Lucarini, Claudio Moreschini (eds.): Hermias Alexandrinus: In Platonis Phaedrum scholia (= Bibliotheca Teubneriana 2010). De Gruyter, Berlin 2012, ISBN 978-3-11-020115-4 (critical edition)
• Hildegund Bernard (ed.): Hermeias von Alexandrien: Commentary on Plato's “Phaedrus” . Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen 1997, ISBN 3-16-146803-1 (translation)

literature

• Richard Goulet: Hermeias d'Alexandrie. In: Richard Goulet (ed.): Dictionnaire des philosophes antiques. Volume 3, Paris 2000, ISBN 2-271-05748-5 , pp. 639-641
• Matthias Perkams : Hermeias of Alexandria. In: Christoph Riedweg et al. (Ed.): Philosophy of the Imperial Era and Late Antiquity (= Outline of the history of philosophy . The philosophy of antiquity. Volume 5/3). Schwabe, Basel 2018, ISBN 978-3-7965-3700-4 , pp. 2002–2004, 2159 f.

Web links

• Literature by and about Hermeias of Alexandria in the catalog of the German National Library

Remarks

1. ↑ Matthias Perkams: Hermeias of Alexandria. In: Christoph Riedweg et al. (Hrsg.): Philosophy of the Imperial Era and Late Antiquity (= Outline of the History of Philosophy. The Philosophy of Antiquity. Vol. 5/3), Basel 2018, pp. 2002–2004, here: 2002.
2. ^ David Blank: Ammonius Hermeiou and his school. In: Lloyd P. Gerson (Ed.): The Cambridge History of Philosophy in Late Antiquity , Vol. 2, Cambridge 2010, pp. 654–666, here: 654f.
3. ↑ See on Aidesia Udo Hartmann : Spätantike Philosophinnen. Women in the philosophers' lives from Porphyrios to Damascius. In: Robert Rollinger , Christoph Ulf (Eds.): Women and Gender , Vienna 2006, pp. 43–79, here: 67.
4. ↑ Matthias Perkams: Hermeias of Alexandria. In: Christoph Riedweg et al. (Ed.): Philosophy of the Imperial Era and Late Antiquity (= Outline of the history of philosophy. The philosophy of antiquity. Vol. 5/3), Basel 2018, pp. 2002–2004, here: 2002f.
5. ^ David Blank: Ammonius Hermeiou and his school. In: Lloyd P. Gerson (Ed.): The Cambridge History of Philosophy in Late Antiquity , Vol. 2, Cambridge 2010, pp. 654–666, here: 655; Matthias Perkams: Hermeias of Alexandria. In: Christoph Riedweg et al. (Ed.): Philosophy of the Imperial Era and Late Antiquity (= Outline of the History of Philosophy. The Philosophy of Antiquity. Vol. 5/3), Basel 2018, pp. 2002–2004, here: 2002f .; Michael Schramm: Ammonios Hermeiou. In: Christoph Riedweg et al. (Ed.): Philosophy of the Imperial Era and Late Antiquity (= Outline of the History of Philosophy. The Philosophy of Antiquity. Vol. 5/3), Basel 2018, pp. 2007–2031, here: 2007.
6. ↑ This opinion u. a. Karl Praechter : Hermeias. In: Pauly-Wissowa RE, Volume 8/1, Stuttgart 1912, Sp. 733f .; Rosa Loredana Cardullo: Siriano, esegeta di Aristotle. Volume 1: Frammenti e testimonianze dei commentari all'Organon. Firenze 1995, pp. 25-28 and Christina-Panagiota Manolea: The Homeric Tradition in Syrianus. Thessaloniki 2004, pp. 47-58.
7. ↑ Hildegund Bernard: Hermeias von Alexandrien: Commentary on Plato's “Phaidros” , Tübingen 1997, pp. 4–23; Claudio Moreschini: Alcuni aspetti degli Scholia in Phaedrum di Ermia Alessandrino. In: Marie-Odile Goulet-Cazé (ed.): Sophies maietores, “Chercheurs de sagesse”. Tribute to Jean Pépin. Paris 1992, pp. 451-460.
8. ↑ See also Hildegund Bernard: Hermeias von Alexandrien: Commentary on Plato's “Phaidros” , Tübingen 1997, pp. 47–50, 55f.
9. ↑ Hermeias, In Phaedrum 9 and 11 (translated by Hildegund Bernard: Hermeias von Alexandrien: Commentary on Plato's “Phaidros” , Tübingen 1997, pp. 87 and 89f.).
10. ↑ Dominic J. O'Meara: Pythagoras Revived. Oxford 1989, pp. 125-128; Christina-Panagiota Manolea: The Homeric Tradition in Syrianus. Thessaloniki 2004, p. 126ff., 164ff., 178ff., 237-239.
11. ^ Anne Sheppard: The Influence of Hermias on Marsilio Ficino's Doctrine of Inspiration. In: Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes. Volume 43, 1980, pp. 97-109; Michael JB Allen: Two Commentaries on the Phaedrus: Ficino's Indebtedness to Hermias. In: Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes. Volume 43, 1980, pp. 110-129.