Philosophy and Theurgy in Late Antiquity

Algis Uzdavinys
San Rafael, CA: Sophia Perennis, 2010.
324 pages
Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-59731-086-4
Price: $19.95 US


The ancient philosophy, in its original Orphico-Pythagorean and Platonic form, is not simply a way of life in
accordance with the divine or human intellect (nous), but also the way of alchemical transformation and
mystical illumination achieved through initiatic death and subsequent restoration at the level of divine light. To
use another mythical image, philosophy restores the souls wings and leads the purified lover of wisdom to
Heaven. As a means of spiritual reintegration and unification, ancient philosophy is inseparable from the
hieratic rites. Therefore those scholars who themselves follow the anagogic path of Platonic tradition are more
or less firmly convinced that their philosophy ultimately derives from the Egyptian and Mesopotamian temple
liturgies and rituals, reinterpreted and revived by the Neoplatonists under the name of theurgy in late antiquity.
The theurgic animation of statues appears to be among the main keys for understanding how various royal
and priestly practices, related to the daily ritual service and encounter with the divine presence in the temples,
developed into the Neoplatonic mysticism of late antiquity. The traditional theory of symbolism still stands on
the Neoplatonic foundation established by Iamblichus, Proclus, and Damascius.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents:
Foreword
Introduction
THE ORIGINS AND MEANING OF PHILOSOPHY
Eidothea and Proteus: the veiled images of philosophyThe distinction between philosophical life and
philosophical discourseStanding face to face with immortalityPhilosophy and the hieratic rites of ascent
The task of 'Egyptian philosophy': to connect the end to the beginningThe Kronian life of spectator: 'to follow
one's heart in the tomb'Thauma idesthai: 'a wonder to behold"The invincible warriors as models of
philosophical lifestyleThe inward journey to the place of truthTo be like OsirisThe death which detaches
from the inferiorEntering the solar barque of Atum-RaPhilosophical initiations in the NetherworldSelf-
knowledge and return to one's innermost selfRecovered unity of Dionysus in ourselvesPhilosophical
mummification inside the cosmic tombPlatonic dialectic: the science of purification and restoration of unity
Philosophy as a rite of becoming like GodThe ancient logos and its sacramental functionRiddles of the
cosmic MythPhilosophy, magic, and laughter
VOICES OF THE FIRE: ANCIENT THEURGY AND ITS TOOLS
Definitions of theurgy in antiquityDescending lights and animated cult imagesFigures, names, and tokens
of the divine speechThe prophet Bitys and the overwhelming Name of GodThe descending and ascending
paths of HekaThe Silence before the gods and its creative magicHekate's golden ball as a rotating 'vocal
image' of the FatherThe Sounding breaths of the All-Working FireThe Elevating rays of the resounding
lightThe rites of hieratic invocation and ascentThe Tantric alchemy and the Osirian mummification
Golden seeds of the noetic FireTheurgic speech of the birds and solar knowledgeTongues of the gods and
their songsBack to the life-giving wombs and the ineffable SilenceChanting out the universe by the Name
of everythingWhen Orontes flowed into Tiber: the revived tradition
SACRED IMAGES & ANIMATED STATUES IN ANTIQUITY
Myth and symbol: what makes the impossible happen?Metaphysics of creation and its images in pharaonic
EgyptTheogonic appearances and animated stonesTheology of images and its esoteric dimension
Privileged habitations for the immortal godsBeholding the ineffable beautiesDivine bodies and
representations in Indian TantrismSense perception and intellection in NeoplatonismDivine light and
luminous vehicle of the soulDivine presence in imagesLiving images of the Egyptian godsTo be made
into a spirit of lightRites of alchemical transformationThe opening of the statue's mouthMystical union
with the noetic SunRevelation of the divine faceDivine statues and their sacred giftsSalvation as return
to the divine
METAPHYSICAL SYMBOLS AND THEIR FUNCTION IN THEURGY
Symbols as ontological traces of the divineThe anagogic power of secret names and tokensAnimated
theurgic hieroglyphs of the hidden AmunNeoplatonic rites of metaphysical reversionThe ineffable statues
of transcendent light
DIVINE RITES AND PHILOSOPHY IN NEOPLATONISM
Ritual and cosmic orderThe aim of philosophyDifferent aspects of divine actsTheurgy and spiritual
hermeneuticsHieratic rites of ascentThe common metaphysical backgroundPhilosophers as sacred
statuesTo be reborn into the solar worldThe cosmic theatre of sacrificial firesGolden cords of Apollo
The shining forth like a god
APPENDIX: THE LIMITS OF SPECULATION IN NEOPLATONISM
The Hermeneutical program of reading NeoplatonismNon-discursive divine presence and relational
transcendenceMasks and tongues of the ineffableThe distinction between looking up at the Sun and
looking down at reflectionsModes of intellection and unionTo live means to readGolden cords of
ApolloThe shining forth like a godBibliography of Works on Philosophy & TheurgyGlossary of Terms
Biographical Note
Praise
This book clearly establishes three things: that traditional myth (as the Neoplatonists maintained) is the
symbolic expression of metaphysics, as metaphysics is the exegesis of myth; that Greek philosophy was not
an isolated 'miracle' but a reinterpretation of perennial themes common to the ancient Near Eastern,
Mesopotamian, Indian, and especially Egyptian religions; and that Platonic philosophical discourse was but
one-half of a whole which included an invocatory/contemplative practice known as 'theurgy'. It was not merely
the ancestor of western speculative philosophy, but an askesis, a yogaa way of realization (though no longer
a living tradition) worthy to be included among the great spiritual methods of all places and times.
Charles Upton, author of Knowings
In this most stimulating and wide-ranging work, Algis Uzdavinys, drawing on the resources of his enormous
learning, leads Neoplatonic theurgy back to its roots in Ancient Egypt, thereby setting Platonic philosophy in a
new and wider context. Students of Neoplatonism will find themselves much indebted to him for this, and all
readers will find their outlook on life significantly changed.
John M. Dillon,Trinity College, Dublin, author of Middle Platonists
About the Author
Algis Uzdavinys was Head of the Department of Humanities at Vilnius Academy of
Fine Arts, Kaunas Faculty, in his native Lithuania. His research included work on Hellenic philosophy,
especially Platonism and Neoplatonism, as well as traditional mythology and metaphysics, Sufism, and
traditional art. In 2005 he was awarded the Andrew Mellon fellowship to the American Center of Oriental
Research in Amman, Jordan.