Late Ancient Greek Thinkers and Their Renaissance Readers

This volume provides the first assessment of the powerful, yet largely understudied, influence of late ancient philosophy, mathematics, and medicine in early modern Europe (1450-1650).

The 15th and 16th centuries are rightfully regarded as the period in which classical texts were rediscovered, interrogated, edited, and translated for the contemporary Latin world through the philological and exegetical work of the humanists. However, this new and intensive dialogue with the ancient past was far more complex than scholars have so far imagined. This book breaks new ground in its exploration of the connection between late antiquity and the Renaissance, both materially and intellectually: it provides precise accounts of the transmission of texts and examines how antiquity was reframed through the Renaissance tradition. This book shows how thinkers, such as 15th century theologian Marsilio Ficino, provided a vital link between Platonic philosophy and commonplace theology.

Assuming a transnational perspective, ten contributions discuss the complex ways in which late ancient commentators on Plato and Aristotle, Euclid and Hippocrates, informed the early modern reception history of the texts they commented on. The authors discussed here include renowned authors such as Proclus and John Philoponus and less-known – yet no less important – names such as Damascius and Paul of Aegina. The focus is on long-debated topics such as the immortality of the soul, the knowledge of universals, the structure of the cosmos, the relationship between health and disease, and the use of authority in both philosophical inquiry and medical theory.