Eros in Neoplatonism and its Reception in Christian Philosophy

Showing the ontological importance of <i>eros</i>within the philosophical systems inspired by Plato Dimitrios A. Vasilakis examines the notion of <i>eros</i>in key texts of the Neoplatonic philosophers Plotinus Proclus and the Church Father Dionysius the Areopagite.<br/><br/>Outlining the divergences and convergences between the three brings forward the core idea of love as deficiency in Plotinus and charts how this is transformed into plenitude in Proclus and Dionysius. Does Proclus diverge from Plotinus in his hierarchical scheme of <i>eros</i>? Is the Dionysian hierarchy to be identified with Proclus' classification of love? By analysing <i>The</i> <i>Enneads</i> III.5 the <i>Commentary on the First Alcibiades</i>and the <i>Divine Names</i>side by side Vasilakis uses a wealth of modern scholarship including contemporary Greek literature to explore these questions tracing a clear historical line between the three seminal late antique thinkers.