Θεωρια and Βιοσ Θεωρητικοσ from the Presocratics to the End of Antiquity: An Overview

Abstract

The notion of θeωρια and the advocacy of the contemplative life have often been considered as central and specific to Greek philosophy, and have thus received quite a great deal of attention. The strict articulation between θeωρια and inner transformation is distinctive of Imperial Platonism as a whole, and this appears to distinguish it from the Aristotelian position. With the Christianization of the imperial court and the whole empire, pagan philosophers progressively lost any opportunity to assume the role of counselors they were regularly offreed in previous periods, and were forced to retire into the schools, since teaching was nearly the only social activity they could legally and safely undertake, especially after Hypanthia's murder in Alexandria in 415. Christian intellectuals were dramatically faced with it when they were elected as bishops, an office which involved numerous political, social and administrative activities and was thus perceived as hindering intellectual ones. Keywords: θeωρια; Aristotelian position; Christian intellectuals; Greek philosophy; imperial court