The present study compares Cudworth’s method of interpretation of ancient texts with that of the Late Antique Neoplatonists, like Iamblichus, Proclus and Simplicius. Not only does Cudworth, like his Neoplatonic predecessors, attach himself to a long lasting tradition of early wisdom that, at least for the Christian Platonists, went back to Moses himself, but he also uses the same exegetical methods and Platonic and Aristotelian texts. Furthermore, the treatment of these texts as sacred implies that their importance is not based on their historical date, but on the authenticity of their doctrine. In a second part, we look briefly to the implications of this singular hermeneutics on Cudworth’s epistemology.
CITATION STYLE
Mihai, A. (2019). The Neoplatonic Hermeneutics of Ralph Cudworth. In International Archives of the History of Ideas/Archives Internationales d’Histoire des Idees (Vol. 222, pp. 89–99). Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22200-0_6
Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.