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{{Short description|5th-century Greek Neoplatonist philosopher}} {{for|the 11th-century Byzantine commander|Sirianus}} {{Infobox philosopher|name=Syrianus|school_tradition=[[Neoplatonism]]|influences=[[Plato]], [[Aristotle]], [[Plutarch of Athens]]|birth_place=[[Alexandria]]|influenced=[[Proclus]], [[Hermias (philosopher)|Hermias]]|death_place=[[Athens]]|death_date={{circa|437 A.D.}}}} '''Syrianus''' ({{langx|grc|Συριανός}}, ''Syrianos''; died c. 437 A.D.) was a [[Greece|Greek]] [[Neoplatonist]] [[philosopher]], and head of [[Plato]]'s [[Platonic Academy|Academy]] in [[Athens]], succeeding his teacher [[Plutarch of Athens]] in 431/432 A.D. He is important as the teacher of [[Proclus]], and, like Plutarch and Proclus, as a commentator on [[Plato]] and [[Aristotle]]. His best-known extant work is a commentary on the ''[[Metaphysics (Aristotle)|Metaphysics]]'' of Aristotle. He is said to have written also on the ''[[On the Heavens|De Caelo]]'' and the ''[[De Interpretatione]]'' of Aristotle and on Plato's ''[[Timaeus (dialogue)|Timaeus]]''. ==Life== He was a native of [[Alexandria]], Egypt and the son of Philoxenus. We know little of his personal history, but that he came to [[Athens]], and studied with great zeal under [[Plutarch of Athens]], the head of the Neoplatonist school, who regarded him with great admiration and affection, and appointed him as his successor. He is important as the teacher of [[Proclus]] and [[Hermias (philosopher)|Hermias]]. Proclus regarded him with the greatest veneration, and gave directions that at his death he should be buried in the same tomb with [[Themistius]]. ==Writings== Only a little remains of the writings of Syrianus, the surviving works are: *A Commentary on Aristotle's ''[[Metaphysics (Aristotle)|Metaphysics]]''. *Commentaries on two rhetorical works by [[Hermogenes of Tarsus|Hermogenes]]. *Lectures on Plato's ''[[Phaedrus (dialogue)|Phaedrus]]'', preserved by [[Hermias (philosopher)|Hermias]]. Among the lost works, Syrianus wrote commentaries on [[Aristotle]]'s ''[[On the Heavens|De Caelo]]'' and ''[[De Interpretatione]]''. We learn from the commentary of Proclus on the ''[[Timaeus (dialogue)|Timaeus]]'' of [[Plato]] that Syrianus also wrote a commentary on the same book. Syrianus also wrote works on ''The Theology of [[Orpheus]]'', and ''On the Harmony of Orpheus, Pythagoras and Plato with the [[Chaldean Oracles|Oracles]]''. [[Theodorus Meliteniota]], in his ''Prooemium in Astronomiam'', mentions commentaries on the ''[[Almagest|Magna Syntaxis]]'' of [[Ptolemy]] by the philosopher Syrianus. The [[Suda]] attributes several works to Syrianus, but which are in fact the works of Proclus.<ref>Suda, ''Proklos''.</ref> ==Philosophy== {{Neoplatonism}} Syrianus' philosophical significance lies in the field of metaphysics and the [[exegesis]] of Plato. He is important in expanding the details of the Neoplatonist metaphysical system begun by [[Iamblichus]] and most completely delineated by Proclus.<ref name=text>''Monad And Dyad As Cosmic Principles In Syrianus'', ''Soul And The Structure Of Being In Late Neoplatonism'', H.J. Blumenthal and A.C. Lloyd, [[Liverpool University Press]], 1982, pp. 1–10.</ref> The most valuable remains that we possess are the commentaries on the ''Metaphysics'' of [[Aristotle]]. In explaining the propositions of Aristotle, he appends the views held by the Neoplatonist school on the subject in hand, and endeavours to establish the latter against the former. In his ''Metaphysics'' commentary Syrianus explains his view of the [[Monad (Greek philosophy)|Monad]] and the [[Dyad (Greek philosophy)|Dyad]] in a number of places. The [[Neo-Platonism#The One|One]] is immediately followed by a supreme monad and dyad. Syrianus describes the monad as masculine and the dyad as feminine. He employs the doctrine of the two cosmic principles to explain the origin of evil. He denies that there are [[Platonic forms]] of things which are evil or base. The dyad is indirectly responsible for evil. Syrianus attributes the existence of evil to otherness and plurality, which he believes the dyad is directly responsible for creating.<ref name=text/> One of his fundamental principles is that it is a proposition of general applicability that the same cannot be both affirmed and denied at the same time of the same thing; but that in any sense involving the truth of either the affirmation or the denial of a proposition, it applies only to existing things, but not to that which transcends speech and knowledge, for this admits neither of affirmation nor of denial, since every assertion respecting it must be false.<ref>Syrianus, ''In Met.'' ii. fol. 13, b.</ref> On the whole, the doctrines laid down in this work are those of the Neoplatonist school. ==Editions== *J. Dillon, D. O'Meara, (2006), ''Syrianus: On Aristotle Metaphysics 13-14''. Duckworth. *D. O'Meara, J. Dillon, (2008), ''Syrianus: On Aristotle Metaphysics 3-4''. Duckworth. ==Notes== {{reflist}} ==Sources== * Angela Longo (ed.), ''Syrianus et la métaphysique de l'antiquité tardive: actes du colloque international, Université de Gèneve, 29 septembre-1er octobre 2006.'' (Napoli, Bibliopolis, 2009) (Elenchos, 51). * Sarah Klitenic Wear, ''The Teachings of Syrianus on Plato's Timaeus and Parmenides. Ancient Mediterranean and Medieval Texts and Contexts'' (Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2011) (Studies in Platonism, Neoplatonism and the Platonic tradition, 10). * {{SmithDGRBM}} ==External links== *{{cite SEP |url-id=syrianus |title=Syrianus |last=Wildberg |first=Christian}} *Raw Greek OCR of Rabe's Teubner edition of Syrianus' ''Commentaria in Hermogenem'' at the Lace project of [[Mount Allison University]]: [http://heml.mta.ca/lace/runs/syrianiinhermog01rabegoog vol. 1] {{Platonists}} {{Authority control}} [[Category:5th-century Greek philosophers]] [[Category:Greek-language commentators on Aristotle]] [[Category:Greek-language commentators on Plato]] [[Category:Greek educators]] [[Category:Neoplatonists in Athens]] [[Category:Year of birth unknown]] [[Category:437 deaths]] [[Category:5th-century Byzantine writers]] [[Category:Late-Roman-era pagans]]
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