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10
MariaDzielska
Divinity,basedontraditionalreligion,theurgicalritesbutaboveonallthenovelread-
ingofPlatobythedisciplinesofPlotinus,startingfromIamblichusofChalcis.Tey
hadapowerfulsenseofmission:tosavethegreatestphilosophicalthoughtofthe
pastandtheoldreligionfromall-encompassingChristianorthodoxyandtheyac-
cusedChristiansofappropriatingtheachievementsofgreatclassicalthoughttofor-
mulatetheirowndogma.AphenomenonofparamountimportanceintheEmpire,
thoseCdivinemen,
)astheycalledthemselves,oflatePlatonism(Neoplatonistphiloso-
phers),forsometimepolemicizedandcompetedwiththeirChristiancounterparts
innearingthedivinebutultimatelysteppedaside.Occasionallyunacknowledgedin
thesubjectliterature,thephenomenonissometimesconsideredasmarginalandan
issuesubjectpropertophilosophy,aviewmostofenexpressedbyhistorians.Such
astance,however,neglectsthefactthatatraditionallyunderstoodsubjectofphilo-
sophicalinquiryisnotwhatthepurposeoftheirspeculationsisabout;itisrather
anexperienceofatypicallyreligiousnature.Ithasbeenalsopointedoutthatthose
wereshort-livednichecircles,guiltyofesoterismandrelationswithmagic,andthat
theydidnothaveanyrealinfluenceonwidersocietalcircles
3
.Andyettheirinflu-
enceonthedevelopmentofChristiantheologyandreligiositywasinfactimmense.
Inordertobreakdownthesegroundlessviewsunderminingthesignificanceofthe
theosophicalachievementsofthismovementinthehistoryofRomanreligion,itis
enoughtomentionthetheologicalworkofthegreatestmystic,Pseudo-Dionysiusthe
Areopagite,aChristianandPlatonist,whichuntiltodayliesatthebasisofallmystical
theologyoftheEastandWest,symbolictheology,ecclesiasticaltheologyandange-
lology.Inhistreatises,Pseudo-DionysiustheAreopagite,thediscipleofProclusand
Damascius,expressedhisextraordinaryrespectforpaganwisdomandarguedthat
itcontainedthesourcesoftruthsaboutGod,includingthefundamentaloneabout
amysticalunionwithHim,inhissupra-substantiality,inastateoftotalagnosia-
ignorance,inwhichthespirituallightofHispresencecouldonlyberevealed.Not
onlydidhedaretousethepaganwordCtheurgy)-)theworkofGod)-andapplied
itfreelytotheChristiansacramentsandotherworksofGod,butalsosawtheprin-
cipleoftheurgyintheworkofGodHimself,namelyintheIncarnationoftheSon
ofGod.Itisthereforeunsurprisingthatthelastdecadeshaveseenagreatdevelop-
mentofresearchontheactivityandachievementsofthelateHellenictheosophists,
particularlyinFranceandAnglo-Saxoncircles,asweseeintheworksofsuchemi-
nentresearchersas:PolymniaAthanassiadi,MichaelFrede,DominicO)Meara,Pierre
Chuvin,H.D.SafreyorGregoryShaw.Intheirworks,theyspeakopenlyaboutCpa-
ganmonotheism)inlateantiquity,i.e.,thepathtowardsunityinthethoughtandre-
ligiousexperienceofthepeopleofthatera
4
.
3Cf.,e.g.,A.Ziółkowski,HistoriaPowszechna-Starożytność,Warszawa2009,pp976-977.
4
See,e.g.,P
.Athanassiadi,Lalutepourl)orthodoxiedansleplatonismetardifdeNuméniusàDamascius,
Paris2006;PaganMonoteisminLateAntiquity,P
.Athanassiadi,M.Frede(eds),Oxford1999;D.O)Meara,
Surlestracedel)absolu,Fribourg2013,Vestigia38;P
.Chuvin,Chroniquedesdernirspaϊens,Paris2009,
