Neoplatonists

Neoplatonists were adherents of Neoplatonism, a philosophical and religious system that developed in the 3rd century CE. It originated with Plotinus, whose teachings were compiled by Porphyry in the Enneads and carried forward by later thinkers such as Iamblichus, Syrianus, Proclus, and Damascius. The movement sought to synthesize Plato with other philosophical and mystical traditions and to articulate a hierarchical, emanationist account of reality.

At its core is a triadic ontology: the One, the ultimate principle beyond being and knowledge; the Nous (Intellect), the realm of perfect forms; and the World Soul, which orders the cosmos. All things emanate from the One through the Nous and the Soul, in a procession rather than creation. The human soul can ascend toward the One through contemplation, virtue, and philosophical study. In later Neoplatonism, especially under Iamblichus, theurgy—ritual practices intended to unite the practitioner with the divine—became a central complement to philosophical ascent.

Neoplatonism influenced Christian, Jewish, and Islamic thought and helped shape late antique mysticism. Christian writers such as Augustine and the Pseudo-Dionysius drew on its metaphysical vocabulary, while Arab and Persian philosophers engaged with its emanationist framework. In medieval and Renaissance Europe its ideas persisted through translations and commentaries, informing scholastic and mystical debates and contributing to the revival of Platonic metaphysics. The term Neoplatonists refers to a family of thinkers united by a common metaphysical program rather than a single school or doctrine.