Philosophy and Exegesis in Simplicius. The Methodology of a Commentator

Abstract

This is the first book-length study in English of the interpretative and philosophical approach of the commentaries of Simplicius of Cilicia (c. 530 CE). Simplicius’ work, marked by doctrinal complexity and scholarship, is unusually self-conscious, learned and rich in its sources, and he is therefore one of those rare authors who is of interest to ancient philosophers, historians and classicists alike. The book argues that our understanding of Simplicius’ methodology will be greatly enhanced if we study how his scholarly approach affects his philosophical exegesis. His commentaries are placed in their intellectual context and several case studies shed light on his critical treatment of earlier philosophers and his often polemical use of previous commentaries. Philosophy and Exegesis in Simplicius not only clarifies the objectives and pre-suppositions of Simplicius’ work, but also illustrates how, as a competent philosopher explicating Aristotelian and Platonic ideas, he continues and develops a method that pursues philosophy by way of exegetical engagement with earlier thinkers and commentators. The investigation opens up connections with broader issues, such as the nature and purpose of Simplicius’ commentaries, the reception of Presocratic philosophy within the commentary tradition, and the demise of Platonism as a well-established school, when it could not withstand the pressures of the dominant religion endorsed by the state, Christianity