Breaking with centuries of philosophical and spiritual tradition, the Syrian philosopher Iamblichus put forward a theory of salvation in which religious devotion and reverence, rather than an intellectual inward turn to 'know thyself,' was the sole means by which to achieve "henosis," or union with the divine. Break with Plato and Plotinus, Iamblichus argued that the soul could ascend to the One, the Good and the Beautiful by becoming co-creators with the demiurgic Gods of the Cosmos through the ancient rituals of the Egyptians, Chaldeans and Greeks and their sacred scriptures. By contrasting intellectual 'theory' and 'theology' for theurgy - 'God-Doing,' Iamblichus paves a radical new path in ancient pagan spirituality, ironically bringing it closer to early Christian Sacramentalism.
#occult #magic #theurgy #paganism #philosophy
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Recommending Readings:
Taylor - On the Egyptian Mysteries (many reprints)
Clarke - Iamblichus: On the Mysteries - 978-1589830585
Shaw - Theurgy and the Soul: The Neoplatonism of Iamblichus - 978-1621380634
Clarke - Iamblichus' De Mysteriis: A Manifesto of the Miraculous - 978-0754604082
Wallis - Neoplatonism - 978-0872202870
Dillon - Neoplatonic Philosophy: Introductory Readings - 978-0872207073