Letter Of AmeliusἘπιστολὴ Ἀμελίου
Amelius Letters Letter Of Amelius PDF
The Letter of Amelius is a philosophical epistle composed in Greek by Amelius Gentilianus, a senior disciple of the Neoplatonist philosopher Plotinus. Only a single fragment of the letter survives, preserved within Porphyry’s biographical work Life of Plotinus. It was written around 268–270 CE, during the final illness of Plotinus, and is addressed to Porphyry, who was then in Sicily suffering from profound depression and contemplating suicide. The letter’s content is consolatory and urgent, blending personal concern with Neoplatonic principles. Amelius writes to dissuade Porphyry from suicide, reminding him of their shared duty to their teacher and to the philosophical life. Rather than presenting a systematic treatise, the passage emphasizes the bonds of the school community and the philosopher’s responsibility to pursue wisdom while embodied. Modern scholars interpret the letter as a practical application of Neoplatonic thought to a personal psychological crisis, illustrating how philosophical ideals were employed as a form of therapy. Its survival is entirely dependent on its inclusion in Porphyry’s biography, and it offers a rare glimpse into the personal dynamics and ethical concerns within the early Neoplatonic circle during a period of dispersal and crisis.
| [30] | Ἀμέλιος Βασιλεῖ εὖ πράττειν Αὐτῶν μὲν ἕνεκα τῶν πανευφήμων ἀνδρῶν, οὓς διατεθρυληκέναι σεαυτὸν φής, τὰ τοῦ ἑταίρου ἡμῶν δόγματα εἰς τὸν Ἀπαμέα Νουμήνιον ἀναγόντων, οὐκ ἂν προηκάμην φωνήν, σαφῶς ἐπίστασο. δῆλον γὰρ ὅτι καὶ τοῦτο ἐκ τῆς παρ’ αὐτοῖς ἀγαλλομένης προελήλυθεν εὐστομίας τε καὶ εὐγλωττίας, νῦν μὲν ὅτι πλατὺς φλήναφος, αὖθις δὲ ὅτι ὑποβολιμαῖος, ἐκ τρίτων δὲ ὅτι καὶ τὰ φαυλότατα τῶν ὄντων ὑποβαλλόμενος τῷ διασιλλαίνειν αὐτὸν δηλαδὴ κατ’ αὐτοῦ λεγόντων. σοῦ δὲ τῇ προφάσει ταύτῃ οἰομένου δεῖν ἀποχρῆσθαι πρὸς τὸ καὶ τὰ ἡμῖν ἀρέσκοντα ἔχειν προχειρότερα εἰς ἀνάμνησιν καὶ τὸ ἐπ’ ὀνόματι ἑταίρου ἀνδρὸς οἵου τοῦ Πλωτίνου μεγάλου εἰ καὶ πάλαι διαβεβοημένα ὁλοσχερέστερον γνῶναι ὑπήκουσα καὶ νῦν ἥκω ἀποδιδούς σοι τὰ ἐπηγγελμένα ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις, ὡς καὶ αὐτὸς οἶσθα, πεπονημένα. χρὴ δὲ αὐτὰ ὡς ἂν μὴ ἐκ τῆς τῶν συνταγμάτων ἐκείνων παραθέσεως οὔτ’ οὖν συντεταγμένα οὔτ’ ἐξειλεγμένα, ἀλλ’ ἀπὸ τῆς παλαιᾶς ἐντεύξεως ἀναπεπολημένα καὶ ὡς πρῶτα προύπεσεν ἕκαστα οὕτω ταχθέντα ἐνταῦθα νῦν συγγνώμης δικαίας παρὰ σοῦ τυχεῖν, ἄλλως τε καὶ τοῦ βουλήματος τοῦ ὑπὸ τὴν πρὸς ἡμᾶς ὁμολογίαν ὑπαγομένου πρός τινων ἀνδρὸς οὐ μάλα προχείρου ἑλεῖν ὑπάρχοντος διὰ τὴν ἄλλοτε ἄλλως περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ὡς ἂν δόξειε φοράν. ὅτι δέ, εἴ τι τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς οἰκείας ἑστίας παραχαράττοιτο, διορθώσῃ εὐμενῶς, εὖ οἶδα. ἠνάγκασμαι δ’, ὡς ἔοικεν, ὥς πού φησιν ἡ τραγῳδία, ὢν φιλοπράγμων τῇ ἀπὸ τῶν τοῦ καθηγεμόνος ἡμῶν δογμάτων διαστάσει εὐθύνειν τε καὶ ἀποποιεῖσθαι· τοιοῦτον ἄρα ἦν τό σοι χαρίζεσθαι ἐξ ἅπαντος βούλεσθαι. ἔρρωσο. |