Quaderni di Storia, 2020

ABSTRACT. In Plotinus, is it possible to speak of a problem concerning the issue of salvation? If so, in what does it consist? In the Enneads the body is contained by the causal power of the soul; the soul detaches from the Intellect, but it does not descend from it in its entirety. This, together with the underlying rules by which Plotinus’ system is governed — in the long chain of being everything finds its own non-commutable, appointed place, thus guaranteeing all-encompassing perfection —, points the way towards an answer to that issue. In any case it is necessary to distinguish between salvation of a universal degree from a type of salvation that might be framed as more specifically anthropological. If soteria of a universal degree basically coincides with the self-preservation of each and every hypostatic level in its proper form of being, which is guaranteed by the hierarchical chain of causal relations, the (human) soul will manage to avoid the risk of losing itself in the sensible world by reconnecting with its undescended part. The main route back among the intelligible, from whence it came, is open to the soul, as long as this is what it wishes: it is in this, if the term may be used, that its salvation lies. The goodness of the ordering of the given world does not therefore seem to be in doubt. This is a point upon which Plotinus and his ’gnostic’ friends/adversaries are necessarily at odds. In Plotinus, who is sure of the perfection of the ordering of the world, there is no real dramatization of the relations within the whole, whereas this feeling pervades at least one part of the ‘gnostic’ writings, wherein the tension between human beings’ material, bodily part and their divine component is structural and only by anchoring themselves to the latter can the predestined free themselves from the chains of this world. That is, find salvation. Unlike Plotinus, Porphyry is keenly aware of the problem of salvation and tries to identify any paths suitable for achieving it. There is no doubt that for Porphyry the psyche must reconnect with the supersensible world to which it belongs. But the route to be followed so that this return can indeed take place turns out to be harsh and difficult. All the powers of the soul that come into effect through the senses and the body arise when the soul ceases to remain in the realm of the intelligible and falls into matter. The soul certainly does not destroy its own ousia, producing irrationality; nevertheless, it is irrationality that joins the soul to the mortal element and draws it outside its proper environment, towards one that is foreign to it. The soul therefore risks falling in thrall to sensations and passions. How can it be restored to the dimension that is rightfully its own? This entails reflecting on the path to the salvation and liberation of the soul. The goal to be achieved is evidently the reconnection, already in this lifetime, of the soul with the supersensible world. In order to bring about this goal, the unity of the soul must be restored by healing it of the fragmentation intrinsic to corporeality; for this to happen, the return to oneself is crucial, a return that is characteristically connoted with the lexis of salvation. The supreme salvation, which pertains to the rational component of the soul, may be attained only through the training of philosophy and resolves itself in perfect contemplation and conversion to God.

An unpublished fragment of Xenophon’s Memorabilia of the 2nd century A.D. housed in the British Library, in «e sì d’amici pieno». Omaggio di studiosi italiani a Guido Bastianini per il suo settantesimo compleanno, Firenze 2016 (Pap.Flor. XLV)

© Roma 2015, Edizioni Quasar di Severino Tognon s.r.l. via Ajaccio 41-43, 00198 Roma tel. 0685358444, fax 0685833591

Il secolo di Dante, Bompiani, 2012 (trad. di Dante and the Origins of Italian Literary Culture)

Epinomide. Studi sull'opera e la sua ricezione, 2012

Volume pubblicato con il contributo del Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca Scientifica -Prin 2009 e dell'Istituto Italiano di Studi Filosofici Il volume è stato sottoposto all'approvazione di Giuseppe Cambiano e Jan Opsomer Proprietà letteraria riservata INDICE Premessa p. 9 FRANCO FERRARI: L'Epinomide, il Timeo e la "saggezza del mondo". Osservazioni introduttive » 19 LUC BRISSON: Le programme d'études des membres du Collège de veille dans l'Épinomis » 35 FERRUCCIO FRANCO REPELLINI: La "vera" astronomia e la sapienza » 59 SILVIA M. CHIODI: L'Epinomide e l'Oriente » 93 ELISABETTA CATTANEI: Arithmos nell'Epinomide » 125 LUCA SIMEONI: L'Epinomide, vangelo della religione astrale » 179 FRANCESCA ALESSE: L'Epinomide e la Stoa » 201 FRANCESCA CALABI: Filone di Alessandria e l'Epinomide » 235 ADRIANO GIOÈ: Richiami e citazioni dell'Epinomide nella letteratura medioplatonica (e oltre) » 263 VINCENT HUNINK: The Epinomis and Apuleius of Madauros » 283 FEDERICO M. PETRUCCI: La tradizione indiretta dell'ultima pagina dell'Epinomide (991d5-992b1): Nicomaco, Teone, Giamblico, Elia, Davide, pseudo-Elia » 295 GIOVANNA R. GIARDINA: L'Epinomide negli scritti matematici neopitagorici e neoplatonici p. 341 ALESSANDRO LINGUITI: L'Epinomide in autori neoplatonici » 379 CLAUDIA MAGGI: Il Demiurgo e l'Anima demiurgica. Platone, gli Gnostici e Plotino » 395 ELENA GRITTI: La ricezione dell'Epinomide in Proclo » 425 MICHAEL J.B. ALLEN, Ratio omnium divinissima: Plato's Epinomis, Prophecy, and Marsilio Ficino » 469 INDICI Indice dei passi dell'Epinomide » 493 Indice dei luoghi » 501 Indice dei nomi antichi e medievali » 525 Indice dei nomi moderni » 531 8 INDICE CLAUDIA MAGGI IL DEMIURGO E L'ANIMA DEMIURGICA. PLATONE, GLI GNOSTICI E PLOTINO*

A study about "don Camillo", a priest born by Giovannino Guareschi, famous italian writer of the middle of XX century: the priets of his books and the priests of his life.

"Defensor Civitatis. Modernità di padre Bernardino Realino Magistrato, Gesuita e Santo", a cura di Luisa Cosi e Mario Spedicato, 2017

2019

Between Pascal and Rosmini there is a sort of family resemblance. Leading thinkers in Christian reflection on modernity and its problems, they propose a Christian way of thinking that touches upon the human demands of knowledge, and the need of going beyond "ordinary" life.

Gli Illuministi e i demoni Il dibattito su magia e stregoneria dal Trentino all’Europa, 2019

Fantasmi e vampiri, la stregoneria, poteri e natura dei demoni, scienza e magia: a metà Settecento il Trentino fu al centro di una delle principali controversie sul sovrannaturale di tutto l’Illuminismo. Si stamparono trattati, si scambiarono corrispondenze. E il dibattito non fu isolato, ma si sviluppò nel contesto di una più ampia discussione europea, che ben restituisce l’essenza del messaggio dei Lumi. Uno sguardo inedito su aspetti finora trascurati, su fonti e ricezione di un dibattito che dal nord Italia si estese a tutt’Europa.