Plato’s First Interpreters

Abstract

Platonic interpretation is today at a crossroads: the corpus is being read in a variety of ways, and an authoritative approach to the whole seems elusive. In this book, the author explores ancient attempts to wrestle with Plato’s writings, by philosophers whose philosophical armoury was less sophisticated but who had the advantage of speaking a Greek not unlike that of 4th-century Athens. The emphasis is on the Middle Platonist period, with supplementary material from Neoplatonists and others. Although the book provides many insights into Plato’s interpreters in the ancient world, its ultimate object is to provide a fresh, almost primitive reading of Plato himself.