Moral Self-Discipline

Neoplatonists were not solely concerned with a mystical experience of Reality. Plotinus himself said that it was not possible to obtain the purification of the soul by simply contemplating the divine truths but that moral self-discipline was required as well (Wallis 3). This idea was certainly not unique to Neoplatonism but stems from the long tradition of Greek philosophers who promoted such ideas as the Golden Mean and a rejection of secular pleasures for the pursuit of wisdom; however, Neoplatonism was unique in that it rejected the homosexual relationships between philosophers that is often associated with Platonism. Furthermore, there was tendency among Neoplatonists to abstain from the public bathhouses; although, this was most likely due to the distraction from philosophical endeavors that the bathhouses offered as opposed to any homosexual connotations. In addition to this, Porphyry wrote a treatise on vegetarianism and recorded that Plotinus did not eat meat (Wallis 9-10).

Besides these individual concerns, there was an unspoken code among the Neoplatonists, and Greek philosophers in general, that one was to perform acts of kindness towards anyone he met. There were instances where philosophers would assist or even marry, as Plotinus did, widows in order to care for them and their families; and even one case in which Hermeias of Alexandria insisted on paying all booksellers a fair price when they were unaware of the value of their books (Wallis 10); however, the greatest tribute to the general morality of the Neoplatonists was that, in an age when enemies were apt to hurl insults of the most extreme nature at their opponents, the worst faults the Christians antagonists could find in these philosophers was that they were impious and arrogant (Wallis 11). As a final note, this philosophical moral life was not simply a result of some traditional moral code among the Greeks; but instead, it was a manifestation of the otherworldliness inherent in Neoplatonistic philosophy. For Plotinus and his fellow thinkers, the primary goal and life was to pursue the truth that their souls were actually a part of the divine Forms; and this left little room for the pleasures and experiences of daily secular life (Wallis 8-11).

Astrology

The appearance of astrology within Neoplatonism was unique to the philosophy of Porphyry. This was due to his belief that salvation is a progressive effort by the soul and that knowledge of the workings of celestial objects and their impact upon humanity could be a valuable tool in achieving higher virtues. Quite surprisingly, Porphyry apparently believed that each of the planets held a unique power that it imparted upon the human soul. Such powers included "right judgment from Saturn, proper exercise of the will from Jupiter, impulse from Mars, opinions and imagination from the Sun, and (what else?) sensuous desire from Venus" (Moore 8). This knowledge was then utilized by consulting an individual's birth chart to find which planet exerted the primary influence upon him. Then one could discover which powers one was lacking and work to compensate for these deficiencies. By doing so, one prepared the soul for purification by the Divine. Porphyry, on account of his devotion, wrote a dissertation concerning this practice entitled, Introduction to Astronomy (1) (Moore 8-9).

Plotinus, however, was opposed to the art of astrology because it contradicted his view that the human soul was part of the Soul and thus a co-creator of the universe (Moore 8); but his take on this celestial science was the exception rather than the rule as Iamblichus and Proclus, as well as most of the Hellenistic world at this time, wholly supported the practice (Moore 9).


Theurgy

According to the brand of Neoplatonism that was unique to Iamblichus, all elements of the divine, including the One and the daemons, finally transcended and were superior to the human soul. Because of this, unlike Plotinus and Porphyry, he theorized that the soul was unable to save itself but rather that it must seek the favor of the gods in order to effectively progress towards contemplation of the divine. This led Iamblichus to promote the traditional Greek practice of proper ritual in order to please the gods. Iamblichus said this was to be done through "'the perfective operation of unspeakable acts (erga) correctly performed … acts which are beyond all understanding (huper pasan noesin)' and which are 'intelligible only to the gods'" (in Fowden, quoted in Moore 9). Iamblichus's philosophical logic for this belief was rooted in his understand that philosophy was an act of thought by the individual mind; and since thought, for him, was unable to experience that which transcended thought, the practice of theurgy was necessary to give man a means of approaching the divine other than conceptualization (Moore 9).

While theurgy was an age old and highly acceptable practice in the tradition of Greek culture, it was not openly welcomed among most Neoplatonists. Porphyry heavily criticized his pupil's beliefs saying that ritual, as a physical process, can most certainly not create spiritual effect. Plotinus would have been equally repulsed because the very notion that man needs the divine to act on his behalf is contrary to the idea that the individual soul is a part of the supreme Soul; thus, it needs no assistance as it already is inherently divine (Moore 10). Iamblichus's practice of theurgy, therefore, is an excellent representation of the influence and power the syncretism of various Greek and religious traditions had, in that it allowed him to make such an extreme break from his tradition, upon the philosophy of Neoplatonism.

1. Concerning Porphyry's use of the word "astronomy," Moore writes, "by which is apparently meant "Astrology," the modern distinction not holding in Hellenistic times". Neoplatonism.