PORPHYRY
420
PORPHYRY
Porphyry (Yloptyvpioc), a celebrated heathen phi- losopher, the ablest expounder and defender ofNeo- Platonism as taught by Plotinus (q. v.), and one of the i acious ami learned antagonists of Christianity
under the Roman empire, flourished in the second half of the 3d century.
/ /'/'. Porphyry was born A.D. 233. Ennapius and Suidas (following, no doubt, Porphyry himself, Vit. Plot. viii. 107) in their biographies call him a Tyrianj but both St. Jerome (Prof. Epist. ad Gal.~) and St. Chrysostom (Homil. 17 in I ad Corinth, p. •">* i term him BaTavwrris, a word on the fancied correction of which a good deal of ingenuity has been unnecessarily expended; some imagining thai it is a corruption of Borne term of reproach (such as (3oravid>rn,c, herb-eater, (3io9dvarog, or fiaXavtibrqc;). The more reasonable view is thai the word is correct enough, and describes more accurately the birthplace of Porphyry— Batanea, the Bashan of Scripture. To account for his being called aTyrian some have supposed thai he was originally of Jewish origin, and having first embraced, and after- wards renounced Christianity, called himself a Tyrian to conceal his real origin. Heumann, making a slighl alteration in the text of Chrysostom, supposed that Por- phyry falsely assumed the epithet BaravBiornc, to in- duce the heliel that he was of Jew ish origin, so that bis statements with regard to the Jewish Scriptures might have the more weight. None of these conjectures seems in any degree probable. The least improbable view is that of Jonsius, who is followed by Fabricius, Brucker, and others, that there was aTyrian setl It menl in the district of Batanea, and that Porphyry was born there, but, from the neighborhood of the more important place, called himself, and was called by others, a Tyrian 1 1 '.nicker. Hist. Crit. J "hil. ii, 240; Harless, .1<7 Fabricius Bibl. ffr.v,725).
I lie original name of Porphyry was Malchus(Md\ypQ, the Greek form of the Syro-Phcenician .l/< /■/.-'. a word, as he himself tells us, which signified king. His father bore the same name, and was a man of distinguished family! Porph. Vit. Plot, c. xvii, Aurelius, in dedicating a work to him. styled him BaotXsvc,. The more eu- phonious nam.' U.Op<}>VplOQ (in allusinii to the usual color of royal robes) was subsequently devised for him by his preceptor, Longinus (Eunapius, Porph. p. 13; Suidas. s. v.). Suidas states that he lived in the reign of Aurelian, and died in that of Diocletian. Eunapius sa\ s, more explicitly, that be lived in the reigns of Gal- lienus, Claudius, Tacitus, Aurelian, and Probus. Por- phyry himself tells us that he was thirty years of age when he first became the pupil of Plotinus, which was in the tenth year of the reign of Gallienus (Vit. Plot. iv,99); the date of his birth was, therefore, A.D. 233. Exhibiting in his earliest youth a thirst for knowledge, a quickness of mental perception, combined with indica- tions of intellectual vigor, his lather pro\ ided the ven best instruction for him, especially in philosophy and literature. From Porphyry himself, as quoted by Euse- bius (ll. /:. iii. 19; comp. Proclus, in Tim. i. p. 20), it appears that, when very young lie was placed under the
instruction of Origen. This could nol have beenj as some have imagined, at Alexandria, for about the time of the birth of Porphyrj Origen quitted Alexandria. and did not return to it. It was most likely at Cffisa- rea that Porphyry attended the instructions of Origen. Eunapius has been charged with a gross blunder in making Origen the fellow-student of Porphyry; but ii does ik, i aeem necessary to Buppose that he meant the celebrated < hutch father of thai name. Porphj ry next removed to Athens, and became the pupil of Apollonius (Porph. Qucest. Horn. 25), and of the much-celebrated Longinus, whose reputation for wisdom and skill in in- struction brought him scholars from all parts of the then civilized world. Under his tuition he received that early moulding which subsequently secured such vigor of thought and elegance of style, and the tutor was so lunch pleased with his scholar thai he nol only warmly
commended him. but applied the name to him by which alone posterity has known him. At the age of twenty he went to Home to study under Plotinus (q. v.). but as that philosopher was not then teaching. Porphyry re- turned to the care of his former preceptor. At the age of thirty he went again to Rome, this time in the com- pany of Antonius of Rhod< a, and he now studied philos- ophy with the great ex| i f Neo-Platonism, and
with Plotinns's oldest disciple, Amelius ( 17/./ Porphyry remained six years, and became thoroughly attached to his master a man endowed with an ex- traordinary understanding and vigorous imagination, who as a teacher of the eclectic philosophy capable of fe- licitously unfolding the sublime ideas of Plato had ob- tained a great reputation. Under such guidance the pupil, by nature well endowed for study, and led on by
his zeal for distinction and acquirements, very b same
to be regarded as one of the chief ornaments ol the school, lb' wrote and disputed with great freedom and masterly ability. Thus. e. g., w hen. having some doubts respecting a dogma which Plotinus had inculcated. Porphyry hesitated not to call the philosopher's dicta iii question, and wrote a treatise endeavoring to estab- lish in reply on i - txrniM ra )'o//r«, hoping to get a rejoinder, which Amelius wrote by request of Plotinus. Porphyry, still unsatisfied, again wrote, and was once more replied to by Amelius, who this time succeeded in pacifying the inquisitive pupil. Porphyry now evinced his manliness by a public' recantation of his erroneous criticisms. This generous action gained 30 i horoughly the approbation and confidence of Plotinus that he was admitted by him tec terms of close intimacy, and frequently had assigned to bim the task of refuting opponents, and was besides intrusted with the still more difficult and delicate duty of correcting and ar- ranging the' writings of Plotinus (17V. Plot, vii, lh7; xiii. 115; xv. 117: xxiv, 139). So closely did Por- phyry apply himself to these studies that his health became impaired, and. naturally of hypochondriacal dis- position, a cloud, settling into confirmed melancholy. was cast over his mind. While in this state he formed a resolution of put ling an end tec his life, beeping by this