Iamblichus' Life of Pythagoras

By Iamblichus of Chalcis, Thomas Taylor, Brinda Charry

Book Overview

Authentic memoirs of the life of Pythagoras--the father of philosophy and the inventor of geometry--hold the great interest for every lover of wisdom. Iamblichus' biography is universally acknowledged as deriving from sources of the highest antiquity. Its classic translation by Thomas Taylor was first printed in 1818 and is once again brought to light in this edition.

During Iamblichus' life, the depth and sublimity of his writing and discourse attracted a multitude of associates and disciples from all parts of the world. The Emperor Julian wrote of him, "that he was posterior indeed in time, but not in genius, to Plato," and all the Platonists who succeeded him honored him with the epithet of "divine."

Iamblichus' account of the life of Pythagoras begins with the great philosopher's birth on the island of Samos, his youth, and his wide renown in Greece. It briefly covers his early travels and his studies with the philosophers Anaximander and Thales, his twenty-two years of instruction in the temples of Egypt, and his initiation into the Egyptian and Babylonian mysteries. The later life and work of Pythagoras are richly elaborated, with humorous and profound anecdotes illustrating his philosophy and providing a unique view of community life under his tutelage in Crotona.

Included are excerpts from his teachings on harmonic science, dietetic medicine, friendship, temperance, politics, parenthood, the soul's former lives and many other topics. The book also contains substantial sections on the Fragments of the Ethical Writings (the work of very early Pythagoreans) and the Pythagoric Sentences.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0892811528
• ISBN13: 9780892811526
• Release Date: December 1986
• Publisher: Inner Traditions International
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.9" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Good book

For being written a couple thousand years ago, this book is pretty good. Although wordy it gives a great narrative of Pythagoras after he returned home from his Egyptian and Summarian travels.

An Excellent Medium for the Introduction to the Life and Teachings of Pythagoras

Approximately eight-hundred years had lapsed since the passing of Pythagoras when Iamblichus penned his biography on the venerable philosopher sometime in the early 4th century AD. Yet Iamblichus was, by all means, wholly qualified for the task of compiling a fluid account of Pythagoras' life and work [collected from various histories and testamonia, ancient and closer to his time], since Iamblichus himself was an adept and ingenious philosopher, a mystic and pontiff who was the archetypal Platonist and Pythagorean. And moreover, he was enthusiastic, indeed one might say evangelic, in the transmission and dissemination of the teachings stemming from the Platonic/Pythagorean tradition. The Life of Pythagoras, then, was a cornerstone to the larger structure which he erected as an encyclopedia concerning Pythagoreanism. Other works included in Iamblichus' Pythagoric compendium are engaged with mathematical and numerical theory, commentary on the Pythagorean symbols and an exhortation to live the philosophic life, which also contains a commentary on many famed aphorisms belonging to the Pythagorean tradition [see, Thomas M. Johnson, Exhortation to Phil.]. The Life of Pythagoras is rich in detail and covers Pythagoras' life, work and legacy, while simaltaneously conveying tales pertaining to events sacred, miraculous [resembling early Christian hagiography] and mundane. Also included in the Life are scrupulous descriptions of Pythagorean doctrine and ritual practice and as an epilogue, Iamblichus furnishes us with a list of those philosophers who followed the Pythagorean succession. All in all, Iamblichus' biographical tribute to Pythagoras will serve as an excellent medium for the introduction to the life and teachings of Pythagoras.