Proclus the Successor and the Neoplatonic Academy at Athens

Proclus was a philosopher of the 5th century CE, living from 412 to 485. He was the last major head of the Platonic Academy in Athens, a role that earned him the title "the Successor." A devout follower of traditional Greek religion, he lived and taught during a period of growing Christian dominance in the Roman Empire.

He was an exceptionally systematic and prolific writer. His surviving works include comprehensive treatises on metaphysics, such as the Elements of Theology and Platonic Theology, as well as detailed commentaries on the works of Plato and the first book of Euclid's Elements. He also composed philosophical hymns. His work is the final, mature synthesis of the ancient Platonic tradition.

Proclus's historical importance is immense. His systematic theology, which details how all reality proceeds from a single supreme principle — the one — by way of procession, ordering the intelligibles of nous, became highly influential far beyond pagan circles. Through later adaptations and translations, his ideas profoundly shaped medieval Christian, Islamic, and Jewish philosophical thought. During the Renaissance, the recovery of his original texts made him a central figure in the revival of Platonic philosophy.