List of representatives and recipients of Platonism
This list includes well-known representatives and recipients of Platonism from antiquity to the Renaissance .
Although Platonism underwent various changes up to the end of antiquity, one can consistently speak of a school insofar as the works of Plato formed binding reference points for all Platonists. In the academy founded by Plato in Athens there existed until the first century BC. An institutional continuity.
The list shows the ancient representatives of Platonism and the recipients (thinkers strongly influenced by Platonism) separately, each in chronological order. However, since the dates of life are partly unknown, uncertain or only imprecisely determinable and contemporaries have different chronological criteria (year of birth, year of death, time of greatest productivity), a reliable and consistent chronological order is not always possible. For the Platonists who did not belong to the Academy, their most important places of work (if known) are also given. In the case of the scholarchen (heads of schools) of the Platonic Academy and the Late Antique Neo-Platonic School of Philosophy in Athens, this office is indicated in each case.
A great many Christian, Jewish and Muslim philosophers and theologians received Platonism more or less intensively. Only those of them are given in this list, for whom a particularly strong influence of Platonic ideas is characteristic. Since they were based on their own religious traditions, which were only partially compatible with Platonism, they are not listed here as representatives, but as recipients of Platonism, although some of them are traditionally referred to as Platonists or Neoplatonists.
Representative of Platonism
Members of the Platonic Academy
Older academy
- Speusippos (around 410/407, † 339/338) - first scholarch of the academy (348/347 - 339/338)
- Eudemos of Cyprus († 353)
- Eudoxus von Knidos (* probably 397/390, † probably 345/338) - affiliation to the academy uncertain, but close contact with it likely
- Axiothea von Phleius (mid 4th century)
- Lastheneia of Mantineia (mid 4th century)
- Xenocrates of Chalcedon (* 396/395, † 314/313) - second scholarch (339/338 - 314/313)
- Menedemus of Pyrrha (* around 390, † after 338)
- Herakleides Pontikos (* around 390, † after 322)
- Aristotle (* 384, † 322) - affiliation to the academy and teaching there, but later turning away from Platonism
- Philip of Opus (4th century)
- Hermodorus of Syracuse (4th century)
- Soloi crane († 276/275)
- Polemon of Athens (* around 350, † probably 270/269) - third scholarch (314/313 - 270/269)
- Krates of Athens († 268/264) - fourth scholarch (270/269 - 268/264)
Younger (“skeptical”) academy
- Arkesilaos of Pitane (* around 315, † 241/240) - fifth scholarch (268/264 - 241/240)
- Lakydes of Cyrene († probably 207) - sixth scholarch (241/240 - probably 224/223)
- Eratosthenes (* 276/273, † around 194) - as a philosopher Platonist, trained in Athens, but probably not a regular member of the academy
- Hegesinus of Pergamon (1st half of the 2nd century BC) - Scholarch
- Carneades of Cyrene (* 214/213, † 129/128) - Scholarch (before 155 - 137/136)
- Polemarchus of Nicomedia († 131/130) - Scholarch (137/136 - 131/130)
- Krates of Tarsus († 127/126) - Scholarch (131/130 - 127/126)
- Boethos of Marathon († 120/119 BC)
- Aeschines of Neapolis (2nd half of the 2nd century BC)
- Kleitomachos (* probably 187/186, † 110/109) - Scholarch (127/126 - 110/109)
- Metrodorus of Stratonikeia (* probably 170/165, † after approx. 110)
- Charmadas (* probably 168/167, † 102/91)
- Philon von Larisa (* 159/158, † 84/83) - last scholarch (110/109 - 88)
Middle Platonists
- Antiochus of Askalon (* probably 140/125, † probably 68) - Scholarch of a school he founded in Athens, which he called "Old Academy" in order to distinguish it from the "skeptical" academy; Belonging to Middle Platonism disputed
- Aristos of Askalon († 46/45 BC) - second and last scholarch of the school founded by his brother Antiochus of Askalon; Belonging to Middle Platonism disputed
- Ariston of Alexandria (1st century BC) - belonged to the "Old Academy" of Antiochus of Ascalon, but later turned away from Platonism and became a Peripatetic
- Derkylides (probably first half of the 1st century BC)
- Eudorus of Alexandria (1st century BC; probably Alexandria )
- Thrasyllos († 36; Rome , Capri )
- Ammonios (* around 5 AD, † around 85 AD; Athens)
- Plutarch of Chaironeia (* around 45, † probably 120/130; Chaironeia , Athens)
- Lukios (1st century or 1st half of the 2nd century)
- Nicomachus of Gerasa (1st or 2nd century)
- Gaios (* probably around 75, † probably after 130)
- Theon of Smyrna († after 132)
- Lukios Kalbenos Tauros (* around 105; Athens)
- Ailianos (probably 2nd century)
- Alcinous (probably 2nd century)
- Hierax (probably 2nd century)
- Albinos (around the middle of the 2nd century; Smyrna )
- Klaudios Nikostratos (around the middle of the 2nd century)
- Numenios of Apamea (around the middle of the 2nd century; probably Apamea )
- Kronios (around the middle of the 2nd century)
- Apuleius (* around 123, † probably after 170; Athens, Rome, Carthage )
- Harpocration of Argos (2nd half of the 2nd century)
- Attikos (2nd half of the 2nd century)
- Maximus of Tire (late 2nd century; Tire , Rome)
- Kelsos (late 2nd century)
- Severos (probably 2nd or early 3rd century)
- Democritus († before 268)
- Longinos (* around 212, † 272; Alexandria, Athens)
- Ptolemy (probably 3rd century)
Transition from Middle Platonism to Neoplatonism
- Ammonios Sakkas († 242/243; Alexandria)
- Origen († probably no later than 268; Alexandria)
Neoplatonist
- Plotinus (* 205, † 270; Alexandria, Rome)
- Amelios Gentilianos (* probably 216/226, † probably 290/300; Rome, Apamea )
- Castricius Firmus (3rd century; Rome)
- Cornelius Labeo (probably 2nd half of the 3rd century)
- Porphyrios (* around 233, † 301/305; Athens, Rome, Lilybaion )
- Alexander of Lykonpolis (late 3rd century; probably Alexandria and Lykonpolis )
- Iamblichus of Chalkis (* around 240/245, † around 320/325; probably Apamea)
- Sopatros of Apamea († 330/337; Apamea, Constantinople )
- Theodoros von Asine (* probably around 275/280, † probably around 360 at the latest; Rome, later probably Apamea)
- Aidesios (* 280/290, † 352/355; probably Apamea, later Pergamon )
- Eustathios (* probably end of the 3rd century, † after 362; probably Apamea, later Cappadocia )
- Sosipatra (* probably around 300, † after 362; Cappadocia, Pergamon)
- Priskos (* probably before 305, † probably 395/396; Pergamon, Athens, Constantinople)
- Maximos of Ephesus (* around 310, † 372; Pergamon, Ephesus , Constantinople)
- Chrysanthios of Sardis (* around 310, † around 390; Pergamon, Ephesus, Sardis )
- Themistios (* around 317, † after 388; Constantinople) - combines Platonism and Aristotelianism
- Dexippus (4th century; probably Apamea)
- Salustios (4th century)
- Tiberianus (4th century)
- Eusebios of Myndos (mid 4th century; Pergamon)
- Eunapios of Sardis (* 347/349, † after 414; Athens, Sardis)
- Plutarch of Athens (* around 350, † around 432; Athens) - first scholarch of the Neoplatonic school of philosophy in Athens
- Hypatia (* around 355, † 415/416; Alexandria)
- Macrobius (* probably around 385/390, † probably after 430)
- Syrianos († around 437; Athens) - Scholarch
- Hierocles of Alexandria (1st half of the 5th century; Athens, Alexandria)
- Olympiodorus the Elder (* 1st half of the 5th century; Alexandria)
- Domninos of Larissa (5th century; Athens, Laodikeia )
- Proclus (* 412, † 485; Athens) - Scholarch
- Hermeias of Alexandria (5th century; Athens, Alexandria)
- Archiadas († after 485; Athens)
- Pericles of Lydia (5th century; Athens)
- Marinos of Neapolis (* probably around 440, † after 486; Athens, Epidaurus ) - Scholarch
- Zenodotos (late 5th century; Athens)
- Hegias (late 5th and early 6th centuries; Athens)
- Agapios († after 511; Athens)
- Ammonios Hermeiou (* around 440, † probably after 517; Athens, Alexandria)
- Isidore (* probably 445/450, † 517/526; Athens, Alexandria) - Scholarch
- Asklepiodotos of Alexandria († before 526; Athens, Aphrodisias )
- Priskianos Lydos († after 532; Athens, later perhaps Carrhae )
- Damascius (* around 462, † after 538; Alexandria, Athens, later perhaps Carrhae) - last scholarch
- Eutokios (* late 5th century, † 1st half of the 6th century; Alexandria)
- Simplikios (* around 490, † around 560; Alexandria, Athens, later perhaps Carrhae)
- Olympiodorus the Younger († after 565; Alexandria)
- Asclepius of Tralleis (6th century; Alexandria)
Not classified
- Manaichmos - cannot be categorized in time and cannot be assigned to any direction within Platonism
Late Byzantine Platonist
- Georgios Gemistos Plethon (* around 1355/1360, † 1452; Constantinople, Mystras , presence at the Council of Ferrara / Florence 1438–1439)
Recipients of Platonism
Christian philosophy
Antiquity
- Justin Martyr († 165)
- Athenagoras of Athens (2nd half of the 2nd century)
- Clement of Alexandria (* probably around the middle of the 2nd century, † in the early 3rd century)
- Origen (* around 185/186, † around 253/254)
- Marius Victorinus (* 281/291, † after 363)
- Augustine of Hippo (* 354, † 430)
- Synesios of Cyrene (* around 370, † after 412)
- Calcidius (probably late 4th and early 5th centuries)
- Pseudo-Dionysius Areopagita (late 5th / early 6th century)
- Boethius (* around 480/485, † 524/526)
- Johannes Philoponos (* around 490, † around 575)
- David (6th century)
- Elias (6th century)
middle Ages
- Eriugena (9th century)
- Michael Psellos († after 1077)
- Johannes Italos (11th century)
- Bernhard of Chartres († after 1124)
- Wilhelm von Conches (* around 1080/1090, † after 1154)
- Thierry of Chartres († around 1155/1156)
- Bernardus Silvestris († probably after 1159)
- Dietrich von Freiberg (* around 1240/1245, † after 1310, probably around 1318/1320)
- Meister Eckhart (* around 1260, † 1327/1328)
- Berthold von Moosburg († after 1360)
Renaissance humanism
- Nikolaus von Kues (1401–1464)
- Bessarion (1399 / 1408–1472)
- Cristoforo Landino (1425-1498)
- Marsilio Ficino (1433-1499)
- Francesco Cattani da Diacceto (1466-1522)
- Francesco Patrizi (1529–1597)
Cambridge and Oxford Platonists
- Thomas Jackson (1578-1640)
- Henry More (1614-1687)
- Ralph Cudworth (1617-1688)
- Benjamin Whichcote (1609-1683)
- John Smith (1616-1652)
Jewish philosophy
- Philon of Alexandria (* in the late 1st century BC, † around the middle of the 1st century AD)
- Isaak ben Solomon Israeli (* 840/850, † around 932)
- Solomon ibn Gabirol (* 1021/1022, † around 1057)
- Jehuda ben Isaak Abravanel (Leone Ebreo, * around 1460, † after 1521)
Islamic philosophy
- Al-Kindī (9th century)
- Al-Razi (* around 854, † 925 or 935)
- Al-Farabi (* around 870, † 950)
- Avicenna (ibn Sina, * 980, † 1037)
- Shihab ad-Din Yahya al-Suhrawardi (* 1154, † 1191)